SHAWARMA SPICE MARINATED BONELESS SKINLESS CHICKEN THIGHS

RAVE

(Update: while I still give this product a Rave I do have a few Rants about it getting continuous price increases since I first wrote this. (orig. $4.49/lb->now $6.99?)

I don’t know about you, but it’s rare for me to buy a pre-marinated package of chicken or meat. I normally get something and make my own marinade. However when I first saw this product: Trader Joe’s “Shawarma Chicken Thighs” I was intrigued. Because I happen to LOVE me some Shawarma. In NYC we have quite a few places that sell it. So I gave this a try and in short, not only did I really like TJ’s Shawarma Chicken way more than I expected to, I liked it so much since that first time I’ve bought it many times as it’s really tasty. So if you don’t want to read this whole piece and just want to know if this are worth buying, the answer is Yes. If you want to know more, read on dear reader….

SHAWARMA CHICKEN THIGHS are very flavorful by having been deeply imbued from many “Shawarma spices” they use which include: “Onion, garlic, sea salt, cumin, cinnamon, coriander, paprika, turmeric, annato, parsley, lemon, vinegar, rosemary…”

This package of chicken is convenient and easy to cook. You pretty much just toss it into a pan and in less than 20 minutes you can have a tasty dinner ready with the addition of a few sides (Naan, maybe some rice/grains, veggies). The unopened package can easily stay a week or so in the fridge. They say way longer but personally I find TJ’s “good until” dates are way too generous and don’t trust them. Naturally one can also freeze it. If you do, I suggest a slow 24hr defrost in the fridge.

Upon cutting the bag open (do carefully!) you’ll immediately smell wonderful “Middle Eastern Shawarma” style spices (Warning – the Turmeric and Anatto in the marinade will stain everything it touches orange including your fingers. I recommend using tongs or a fork. Your cutting board will get stained too so just use diluted bleach later to clean up).

Any fat you see still on the chicken will melt off during cooking and it keeps the meat moist so I say don’t trim it off, or do it after cooking if any is left. I make a few shallow slashes in the thickest parts of the thighs to help even out cooking with the thinner part. Optional: blot the chicken with a paper towel to dry them a bit. I actually sprinkle on more spices (Smoked Spanish Paprika, Ajika, another sprinkle of ground cumin, etc) as more dry spices on the surface will make it brown up even better, especially the paprika.

COOKING: I recommend grilling in a cast iron or non-stick pan. I add maybe 2 teaspoons of olive oil (or even better an oil/butter mix; the butter adds flavor and browns well). Grill the chicken on medium for about 7-8 mins on the first side until deeply seared. Then turn and cook about another 6-7 minutes. Your kitchen will smell great cooking these from all those nice Middle Eastern spices. TIP: I let the thighs cook without touching or moving them until they get a good sear on them (see picture) Totally optional but adding onion and garlic about half way during cooking will make for great additions with the chicken (and possibly green/red/yellow peppers).

If you can grill these on a real grill with wood or charcoal of course and they would probably taste even better. Baking in the oven may work too for 20 minutes on high heat (450). You could even bake this as a Sheet Pan Supper with veggies for an easy one-pan dinner.

This marinade is not spicy so if you want a little heat just add something like Bomba or Zhoug goes especially well with these, with a bit brushed on at the very end and/or served on the side after cooking. Cooking veggies in the same pan on the side (onions, peppers, cherry tomatoes…) is good.

Pan grilling seems my preferred method as it browns great this way and seals in juices. Chicken thighs are harder to overcook than breasts which can dry out easily (side note, check my method for cooking juicy boneless chicken breasts –) : (juicy chicken breasts).

When the thighs are done, rest them 2-3 minutes before slicing (resting meat keeps in juices). Slice them however you like, thinly or a little thick. Put the sliced chicken back in the pan with the cutting board juices and mix with the grilled onions or veggies if you made any. Chopped fresh cilantro or parsley or arugula perhaps for color plus a squeeze of lemon are good.

SHAWARMA SANDWICH ASSEMBLY – warm your naan or pita. Place the sliced chicken down the center, top with sauce (TJ’s TZAZIKI sauce is perfect). Add a few veggies. To eat, fold gently and eat like you would a taco, or just use a knife and fork

As mentioned I find these go great with TJs’ “ZHOUG” spicy sauce which matches perfectly for a spicy Yemeni flavor. To tame the heat, mix Greek Yogurt and Zhoug together 50/50 to make it less spicy. You can serve the chicken many ways but a great way of course is as SHAWARMA wrap with Naan or other flatbread. Use flatbread, warm pita or TANDOORI NAAN (it’s perfect for this) or even TJ HABANERO LIME TORTILLAS as a wrap …. add chopped veggies (tomato, cukes, shredded lettuce, scallion, parsley…) Top with sauce, a tahini or yogurt garlic sauce (TJ’s tzaziki sauce is perfect). These are messy to eat but oh so good. Your family will love them. Basmati Rice on the side, or as a bed, would be a great match with this.

Shopping list : Shawarma Chicken, Tzatziki, Naan or Pita, onion, garlic, veggies…..

The Best Ever Shawarma White Sauce

The second dish I made with these chicken thighs was to use them for Chicken Tacos / Fajitas. Despite the cultural melange (middle east and mexico) these work great for Tacos. Sidenote: You knew Lebanese immagrants had a big part in Mexican food culture and created the famed Tacos Al Pastor, right? Green Dragon hot sauce with it’s tomatillo and cilantro flavor made them perfectly Mexican on our tacos.

(note: the price has gone up a few times since I wrote this!): TJ’s SHAWARMA CHICKEN THIGHS are $4.49 a pound* The 1.5 lb package I bought was just over $6 and I got two meals out of it, with sides, so more than if you just bought plain chicken but not a bad deal. These are excellent to also use as the Chicken part of a dish, say a Chicken and Rice (brown the meat with onions, throw in rice, add broth, cook 18 minutes…) I made an Arroz Con Pollo kind of dish with this and it came out terrific! So TJ’s SHAWARMA CHICKEN THIGHS are a good product and worth trying. These are a TJ hit. If you want to save money, naturally you could buy chicken thighs and add your own blend of “middle eastern style” spices for a marinade and leave it for a few days in the fridge.

(LINK) TJ’s ARCHIVED INFO PAGE FOR SHAWARMA CHICKEN THIGHS

DIY SHAWARMA – IT’S CERTAINLY POSSIBLE TO MAKE THIS YOURSELF FOR LESS . Buy boneless skinless thighs and marinate with yogurt and shawarma spices (from 2 hours to up to 3 days) “Middle Eastern spices” – Ground cumin, fresh and/or dried garlic, onion salt, turmeric, black pepper, Ajika, Zhoug, Hatch Flakes... DIY Shwarma style chicken will be really good as well!

SHAWARMA SPICE MIX BLEND RECIPE here: https://mayihavethatrecipe.com/crazy-good-shawarma-spice-mix/

(LINK) Here’s A Recipe I found on TJ’s site with these for Shawarma Chicken Rice Soup

TJ’s sells other varieties of the marinated chicken thighs: HARISSA and LEMON & HERBS. Personally I found these other flavors aren’t as good as the SHAWARMA version. For one thing, they are way too wet) and I won’t buy either again.

Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas

AUTHENTIC CHICKEN SHAWARMA COOKING ON A HUGE ROTATING SPIT. MEAT THEN SLICED OFF. If you ever get the chance, try it!