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Instant Pot Shawarma Chicken

Name: Instant Pot Shawarma Chicken
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon cumin; 2 teaspoons ground cardamom; 2 tablespoons paprika; 1 teaspoon cinnamon; 1 tablespoon turmeric; 2 tablespoon garlic; minced; 1 tablespoon sumac; ¼ teaspoon cayenne; 1 tablespoon salt; 1 teaspoon ground black pepper; 4 tablespoons olive oil; 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice; 8 boneless (skinless chicken thighs); 1 cup whole milk Greek yogurt; 1 tablespoon lemon juice; 1 tablespoon garlic; minced; 1 teaspoon sumac; ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper; ¼ teaspoon salt; ¼ teaspoon black pepper; 6 pita bread; 1 cucumber; sliced (about 2 cups); 10 cherry tomatoes; sliced (about 1/2 cup); 1 cup red onion; sliced into rounds

April 4, 2019May 1, 2019

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Ready for the best tasting Sharwama Chicken you will ever have? This recipe for Instant Pot Shawarma Chicken is perfect for a great tasting dinner.

Have you had shawarma chicken before? This light dinner will fill you up but not leave you feeling weighed down. It is light and refreshing and is fantastic on a summer evening.

What is Shawarma Chicken?

Shawarma is a dish that is served in the middle east. It features garlicky poultry that is served on pita bread. It has a savory yogurt sauce that adds a refreshing taste to this dish.

What to Serve with Shawarma Chicken?

Shawarma chicken can easily be a meal by itself. It is great for an easy meal. However, if you want to have more to the meal than the pita sandwich, you can try:

Variations to Shawarma Chicken

Since this is a classic version of a traditional Middle Eastern dish it can be hard to create variations. However, you can:

Turkey: You can use turkey instead of chicken.
Other cuts of chicken: You can actually use other cuts of chicken besides the thighs.
Slow Cooker: You can actually make this chicken in a slow cooker, even the oven. The Instant Pot will create the best tasting, moistest chicken.

Ingredients for Instant Pot Shawarma Chicken

cumin
ground cardamom
paprika
cinnamon
turmeric
garlic
sumac
cayenne
salt and black pepper
olive oil
lemon juice
skinless chicken thighs
Greek yogurt
pita bread
cucumber
cherry tomatoes
red onion

How to make Instant Pot Shawarma Chicken

For Chicken:

Beat chicken thighs with a kitchen mallet to thin out. Place into a plastic bag with cumin, cardamom, paprika, cinnamon, turmeric, garlic, sumac, cayenne, salt, pepper, olive oil, and lemon juice. Marinated the chicken in this mixture overnight for best results.

Place trivet into the instant pot. Add 1 cup water. Add chicken on top of the trivet. Set to high pressure for 40 minutes. This allows the chicken to cook all the way through the center. If you feel like this is too long then cook for less and check the chicken. This is made in a 6 quart instant pot duo. Additionally, it doesn’t take long to come to pressure so the cook time is perfect for thicker thighs.

Once the instant pot stops counting quick release the pressure. Remove chicken and slice. Place with pita bread, cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions. The onions are optional.

For Sauce:

Mix together yogurt, lemon juice, and garlic. Add in salt, sumac, cayenne pepper, and pepper. Stir well.

Top over chicken for excellent flavor!