There’s something wonderfully satisfying about a good Chicken Shawarma Bowl — all those bright, fresh flavours layered together in one hearty, colourful dish. Tender spiced chicken, crisp veggies, fluffy rice, and a creamy garlic sauce… it’s the kind of meal that feels both comforting and vibrant at the same time. These bowls are perfect for busy nights, meal prep, or when you’re craving something a little special without a lot of fuss. Everything comes together easily, and you can customize each bowl to suit your taste.
If you love meals that are fresh, flavourful, and fun to assemble, this one’s going to be a keeper.
- 1/2 pound (227g) boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 TBS olive oil
- 1 TBS lemon juice
- 2 small cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1/2 TBS ground cumin
- 1/2 TBS ground coriander
- 1/2 TBS smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp crushed chilies (or to taste)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 servings of hot, cooked basmati rice (Cook in stock for the best flavor)
- 1/2 cup (65g) diced cucumber
- 1/2 cup (95g) diced ripe tomato
- 2 spring onions, trimmed, washed and thinly sliced
- 4 TBS (30g) diced green pepper
- 2 servings of cooked vegetables (Optional, use any kind you enjoy. I like green beans.)
- 1/2 cup (100g) plain yogurt
- 1 TBS garlic mayonnaise
- 1/2 TBS white vinegar
- 1/4 tsp white sugar
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- I buy my chicken at a chicken farm nearby called Peltons. Their chicken is free range, antibiotic free and organic. It's delicious.
- I use light olive oil. You can use extra virgin if you like. I have moved away from using other vegetable oils other than avocado for health reasons.
- Use fresh lemon juice if you have it, otherwise the bottled is fine.
- I use a garlic press to crush my garlic.
- To get even more flavor from your spices you can toast them briefly in a dry skillet over medium heat. It won't take long. As soon as you can smell them, they are done.
- Use only as many dried chilies as you think you can tolerate. I use a mild smoked paprika, but if you like things really spicey by all means use a hot.
- I did add some cooked green beans. Normally I would have added lettuce of some sort, but with the bacteria issues of late, I decided to play it safe and just add a vegetable. This worked beautifully and tasted great. You can use any kind you enjoy cooked/steamed just until crispy tender.
- I use full fat plain Greek yogurt.
- You can buy many brands of garlic mayonnaise these days. I used Hellman's.
- Cut the chicken thighs into bite sized pieces. Place into a bowl. Add the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and all of the spices. Combine everything well together. Cover and refrigerate for at least half an hour. (I like to cut the chicken into bite sized pieces as it helps to get the shawarma spices really penetrate and give loads of flavor. It also cooks quicker.)
- While the chicken is marinating, cook your rice. I like to cook it in my rice cooker, using a mix of stock (vegetable or chicken, your choice) and water. (I use an electric rice cooker. Half broth, half water. Bags of flavor.)
- Prep all of your vegetables. (If you are using a cooked vegetable, cook that just until crispy tender.) (I usually would use lettuce, but because of contamination issues at present, chose to use other vegetables instead. On this occasion I used green beans, steamed until crispy tender.)
- To cook the chicken, spread the pieces out onto a small baking tray, lined with some parchment paper. (Alternately you can use a baking tray sprayed with low fat cooking spray.)
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/gas mark 4.
- Bake the chicken pieces until they are golden and cooked through, about 15 minutes. (Juices should run clear. If using chicken breast meat it won't take as long.)
- While the chicken is cooking whisk together all of your sauce ingredients until smooth.
- To assemble the bowls, divide the cooked rice between two bowls. Top each with half of the cucumber, tomato, cooked vegetables and cooked chicken. (Simple.)
- Scatter the spring onions and green pepper over top.
- Drizzle each bowl with some of the sauce and serve immediately. (You can pass any extra sauce at the table.)
• Use chicken thighs for the juiciest results Thighs stay naturally tender and moist, but you can use breasts if you wish or even a combination of the two.
• Cube the chicken before marinating This helps the marinade penetrate deeply, giving you more flavorful shawarma.
• Marinate longer for bigger flavor One half hour works well, but one hour works better. Overnight marinating gives the chicken time to absorb even more flavor.
• Don’t rush the cooking — check doneness with a thermometer Undercooked or overcooked chicken ruins the dish. Aim for an internal temperature of 165*F/74*C for perfect results.
• Let the chicken rest before serving Resting for 5 minutes keeps the juices inside.
• Customize your bowl freely Use raw veggies like cucumber, tomatoes, onions, and lettuce — or roasted veggies like peppers, zucchini, and cauliflower. The recipe encourages swapping and adding your favorites.
• Choose any grain you love Rice is classic, but quinoa, bulger wheat, couscous or barley work beautifully too.
• Add bright, fresh flavor to your veggies A quick toss in lemon juice, zest, salt, and pepper makes the toppings pop — though using them plain is perfectly fine.
• Finish with a creamy dressing The given dressing, hummus dressing, tahini, cilantro yogurt sauce, or tzatziki all pair wonderfully with the warm spices of the chicken.
chicken Shawarma Bowls
Healthy and delicious, these bowls are easy to make and make for a perfect weeknight supper.
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound (227g) boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 TBS olive oil
- 1 TBS lemon juice
- 2 small cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1/2 TBS ground cumin
- 1/2 TBS ground coriander
- 1/2 TBS smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp crushed chilies (or to taste)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 servings of hot, cooked basmati rice (Cook in stock for the best flavor)
- 1/2 cup (65g) diced cucumber
- 1/2 cup (95g) diced ripe tomato
- 2 spring onions, trimmed, washed and thinly sliced
- 4 TBS (30g) diced green pepper
- 2 servings of cooked vegetables (Optional, use any kind you enjoy. I like green beans.)
- 1/2 cup (100g) plain yogurt
- 1 TBS garlic mayonnaise
- 1/2 TBS white vinegar
- 1/4 tsp white sugar
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
Instructions
- Cut the chicken thighs into bite sized pieces. Place into a bowl. Add the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and all of the spices. Combine everything well together. Cover and refrigerate for at least half an hour.
- While the chicken is marinating, cook your rice. I like to cook it in my rice cooker, using a mix of stock (vegetable or chicken, your choice) and water.
- Prep all of your vegetables. (If you are using a cooked vegetable, cook that just until crispy tender.)
- To cook the chicken, spread the pieces out onto a small baking tray, lined with some parchment paper.
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/gas mark 4.
- Bake the chicken pieces until they are golden and cooked through, about 15 minutes.
- While the chicken is cooking whisk together all of your sauce ingredients until smooth.
- To assemble the bowls, divide the cooked rice between two bowls. Top each with half of the cucumber, tomato, cooked vegetables and cooked chicken.
- Scatter the spring onions and green pepper over top.
- Drizzle each bowl with some of the sauce and serve immediately.
This content, written and photography, is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at mariealicejoan at aol dot com.
I like to cook for myself for the most part, except for the occasional meal out or for dinner at my sister's place on Sundays and a family meal out on most Wednesday nights at a local eatery. I don't really like eating frozen dinners or ready meals if I can help it. They are always high in salt and fat, sugar too, and they never taste even a fraction as good as the photograph on the outside of the package.
I just don't like them. Not one little bit. They might be convenient but they are hardly worth even the small effort it takes to heat them up in the microwave or whatever. When I was younger I used to enjoy a Stouffer' macaroni and cheese every now and then or turkey tetrazzini, but something has happened since then. Either my taste has drastically improved or the quality of them has gone way down hill. I think perhaps a bit of both to be honest!
I cook simple, budget friendly meals for the most part. Food using honest and whole ingredients. East to prepare as well. I don't like to get too fancy in my every day cooking, unless I am having people over to supper. Most of the time I do keep things fairly simple. I had enough of complicated in my work life. Now, in my retirement, I find that simple suits me just fine.
I am also on a limited budget as most seniors are and so I try to keep things down, cost-wise, and take advantage of specials, etc. Also I live by myself, so most of my meals are now tailored to suit small families, of only one or two people, although most of my recipes can certainly be doubled to feed larger groups.
I try to keep my meals varied and somewhat healthy, with plenty of vegetables most of the time, not a lot of fried foods. I do like my cheese. But there are far worse things I could indulge in, and I don't eat cheese every day. Its a good source of protein some of the time.
I do enjoy sharing these weekly menu and recipe roundups with you and I know from the feedback that you give you do as well. If I can inspire someone to cook for themselves and eat a varied menu then that makes me very happy.
I have provided recipes for everything I ate and in the case of eating out I have tried to provide a like recipe in its place.
And without further adieu here you have it. My meals for the last week of July 2026. Enjoy!
SUNDAY, July 26th - Sunday Dinner with the family
Eileen was with me for the weekend and we went to my sister's place for Sunday Dinner. We were not disappointed. She cooked a fabulous meal as always. Swiss Steak with mashed potatoes. The gravy was thick and rich and loaded with peppers and onions. The potatoes fluffy and buttery. She didn't serve a vegetable with them.
In their place I am sharing a recipe for Swiss Steak that I made as a part of one of my Vintage Menus back in November of 2023. The Menu was taken from Betty Crocker's Picture Cookbook and consisted of:
I wanted to use up some leftovers that I had in the freezer, in particular cooked chicken pieces, gravy and stuffing. (I never throw anything away because I know I will find a use for it somewhere down the road!)
This is one of my favorite meals. A real treat made up of simple leftovers. What you have here is a base of crisp oven chips that I cooked in the air fryer. Topped with pieces of chicken in gravy, cheese curds, stuffing crumbles and some sweet baby peas. Seriously simple and oh-so-delicious! And I love the fact that I am using up all of my leftovers in the most delicious way.
TUESDAY, July 28th - Pork Chops with Cream Gravy
Red meat is not something that I eat very often, but when I do, I like to make sure that I give it the best treatment possible. I wrap and freeze all of my chops and my steaks, etc. individually. That way I can just take one out whenever I want to enjoy one. I have become quite adept at reducing everything down to one.
This recipe for Pork Chops with Cream Gravy is an special favorite of mine. I love the tenderness of the meat and that flavor-filled gravy. So delicious with some mashed potatoes and a salad on the side. This week I made mashed potatoes from scratch as I had something I wanted to do with them later in the week, but most of the time these days I use the instant mash if I am only cooking for me. Over in the U.K. I would be using the frozen mash pellets. So convenient and so tasty!
WEDNESDAY, July 29th - Dinner out with Dad and Cindy
On Wednesday nights I always, or at least almost always, enjoy dinner out with my father, sister, my daughter Eileen, and my father's friend Hazel. We usually go to the same place each week. The Big Scoop and Family Takeaway. The food can be a bit hit and miss, but the service is pretty good and when they get it right they get it right. I have learned not to order anything with bacon on it as I will be disappointed. You will be playing hunt the bacon as there is never more than a few thumbnail pieces included. This week I got my old standard Fish and Chips, which you see above. Those are usually done very well, depending on who is cooking and this week it was the good guy.
My sister and dad had the burger special. Cindy chose to have sweet potato fries with hers, but she found a hair in the fries which spoilt the whole experience for her. They did refund the cost of the fries but still charged for her burger. Hazel had her grilled haddock and Eileen had a grilled cheese sandwich and bowl of turkey soup.
If you would like to try making your own fish and chips at home, I am linking to my own recipe for Beer Battered Cod and Chips. That batter is superb and the chips are pretty perfect as well. Such a family favorite!
THURSDAY, July 30th - One Pan Egg Toast Omelet
It was rainy, hot and humid on Thursday so not a day I really felt much like cooking. I took the easy way out and made myself a One Pan Egg Toast Omelet. Oh boy but they are some delicious. Quantities are for one, but you can only really make one at a time anyways. Breakfast for dinner has always been one of my favorite things to have.
I don't do it very often, but I really enjoyed it on this day. It is like a savory combination of French Toast and an Omelet, with cheese in the middle. Tres delicious. I enjoyed some sliced tomatoes and cucumbers on the side.
FRIDAY, August 9th - Broccoli Cheese Soup, small batch
I wasn't feeling really well on Friday. I had a lot of pain issued with my arthritis, etc. I decided it was the perfect day to enjoy some hot soup and so I made a small batch of my Broccoli Cheese Soup.
.JPG "School Cafeteria Pizza")
Nobody really minds eating pizza. We all enjoy it and this is a really delicious version.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com
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