Authentic Oven Baked Chicken Shawarma
This intensely savory oven-baked chicken shawarma completely destroys your expensive Mediterranean takeout cravings! Deeply marinated, heavily spiced dark meat aggressively roasts in a screaming hot oven for a fiercely charred crust.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs heavily trimmed and patted completely dry (approx. 900g)
- 1/4 cup deeply rich extra virgin olive oil approx. 60ml
- 2 tablespoons completely fresh lemon juice approx. 30ml
- 4 massive cloves fresh garlic finely minced
- 1 tablespoon intensely dark ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon fiercely earthy ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon dark smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon warm ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon highly fragrant ground cardamom
- 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Build the Wet Spice Rub: Drop your rich olive oil, fresh lemon juice, pungent minced garlic, and deeply earthy dry spices directly into a massive glass bowl. Use a sturdy metal whisk to vigorously stir the highly aromatic mixture until the heavy spices completely dissolve into a violently thick paste.
- Coat the Raw Poultry: Toss your completely dry, heavily trimmed chicken thighs directly into the deeply dark, intensely acidic wet rub. Vigorously massage the heavy meat until every single crevice is fiercely covered in a violently sticky, dark red layer.
- Chill the Meat: Cover the massive glass bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Aggressively chill the heavily coated poultry in the freezing cold refrigerator for a minimum of one hour to fiercely tenderize the dense muscle fibers.
- Roast the Spiced Chicken: Spread your heavily marinated dark meat directly onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Leave exactly one inch of completely empty space between pieces so the meat fiercely roasts instead of sadly steaming in the screaming hot 400°F (200°C) oven.
- Char the Edges: Let the raw poultry aggressively sizzle for exactly 25 minutes, flipping the fiercely dripping meat once halfway through the cooking process. Pull the blazing pan entirely out of the oven when the edges become remarkably dark and violently crispy.
- Slice and Serve: Let the dangerously hot chicken firmly rest on a heavy wooden cutting board for exactly five minutes to lock in the violently savory juices. Aggressively chop the resting meat into incredibly thin, totally even street-style strips to vigorously serve immediately!
Notes
Acid Warning: You absolutely must avoid horribly processed bottled lemon juice. Squeeze completely real lemons to get the intensely bright, highly acidic bite required to violently break down the heavy meat proteins.
Roasting Tip: Do not overcrowd your hot baking sheet. If your pan is terribly small, aggressively roast the marinated meat on two separate trays so it fiercely crisps up instead of violently boiling in its own wet juices.
Storage: Let the furiously bubbling meat completely cool to total room temperature. Store leftovers in tightly sealed glass containers in the cold refrigerator for up to 4 consecutive days.
Reheating Warning: Reheat gently in a totally dry, intensely hot skillet to vigorously restore the heavy crust. If using a terribly aggressive office microwave, splash a tiny drop of cold water over the meat first to completely prevent the thick fibers from violently turning into horrible dry rubber.