Aromatic And Effortlessly Savory Slow Cooker Chicken Shawarma

Transform simple ingredients like chicken, cumin, paprika, and turmeric into the richly spiced Slow Cooker Chicken Shawarma, perfect for a convenient yet exotic meal.

Slow Cooker Chicken Shawarma Recipe

Whip up a batch of deliciously tender Slow Cooker Chicken Shawarma from the comfort of your home with this simple recipe. With minimal hands-on prep time, this meal is perfect for anyone seeking a gluten-free, Paleo, or Whole30-compliant option. Plus, you can easily adapt it to serve over rice or tucked inside a gluten-free pita, ensuring a versatile and satisfying meal every time.

Ingredients

For The Chicken

• 2 lbs chicken breasts, (boneless, skinless)
• 1/2 cup water

For The Spice Mix

• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground sumac
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic, (or garlic powder)
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, (to taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Generous pinch of ground cloves

Ingredients For Frying

• 1/4 cup olive oil, (divided; you may need a little less)

Ingredients For Tahini Sauce (Optional)

• 1/4 cup tahini
• 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 Tablespoons water, (or as much as you need to get your desired consistency)
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• Generous pinch fine sea salt, (to taste)

INSTRUCTIONS

• Place chicken in the bowl of your slow cooker, and add water. Cook on high for 2 hours until the chicken is cooked through (the juices run clear and the fat has rendered out of the chicken).
• When the chicken is cooked, slice each breast against the grain.
• In a large bowl, mix all of the spice mix ingredients. Set aside.
• Over medium-high heat, preheat 2 Tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan just large enough to hold all of the chicken in a single layer. (see the cooking note below to avoid your chicken drying out!)
• Add the chicken to the skillet and sprinkle the spice mixture evenly over the chicken.
• Allow the chicken to fry, without moving it, until crisp.
• Pour 1 Tablespoon more of oil over the chicken and flip the chicken, stirring gently to make sure that the chicken is well coated with the spice mix. If the chicken is starting to stick to the pan once flipped, add the remaining Tablespoon of oil and stir gently.
• Remove the chicken from the pan as soon as it is crisped to your liking.
• If serving with lemon tahini sauce, combine all sauce ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
• Serve immediately, with lemon tahini sauce, if desired. (See notes for serving suggestions.)

Serving Suggestions

• Rice
• Jerusalem Salad
• Cauliflower Rice
• Gluten-Free Pita Bread
• Olives and Sumac Onions
• Lemon Juice Drizzle
• Marinated Red Onion

Tips and Tricks

• The recipe allows for both boneless, skinless chicken breasts and thighs to be used, advising against using all thighs due to their high-fat content after frying.
• Explains that the technique of first slow-cooking the chicken and then frying it with spices is to mimic the traditional texture and fat content of shawarma.
• To prevent drying out the chicken during frying, it recommends using a pan that fits the amount of chicken snugly and keeping the chicken pieces close together.