Chicken shawarma bowls with couscous
Chicken thigh rubbed with cumin and paprika until it is dark at the edges, next to couscous, cucumber and a tahini yoghurt sauce. Good cold for lunches through the week.
Notable for: vitamin C, antioxidants, calcium
Ingredients
- 850 gchicken breast, sliced
- 300 gcouscous
- 1telegraph cucumber, diced
- 300 gtomatoes, diced
- 100 gbrown onions, finely sliced
- 200 gplain unsweetened yoghurt
- 40 gtahini
- 2lemons
- 10 gground cumin
- 10 gsmoked paprika
- 10 gcrushed garlic
- 1stock cubes, in 400 ml water
- 35 mlolive oil
Method
Toss the sliced chicken breast with the cumin, paprika, half the garlic, a third of the oil and a squeeze of lemon.
Pour the boiling stock over the couscous, cover, and leave it for 8 minutes, then fork it through with a little oil.
Whisk the yoghurt, tahini, the rest of the garlic and a good squeeze of lemon into a loose sauce, thinning it with a splash of water.
Sear the chicken in a hot pan with the rest of the oil, in batches if needed, until dark at the edges and cooked through, about 8 minutes total.
Toss the cucumber, tomato and onion with the last of the lemon juice.
Build the bowls with the couscous, chicken, tomato and cucumber, and spoon the tahini yoghurt over the top.
Get real colour on the chicken
Shawarma is defined by dark, spiced edges as much as the meat itself. A properly hot pan, and leaving the chicken to sit rather than turning it constantly, is what gets you there without a spit.
Storage
Keeps three days in the fridge, each part separate.
Dress with the tahini yoghurt just before eating rather than mixing it through, or the couscous goes soggy.
Cost per serving is indicative, based on New Zealand supermarket prices as at September 2026. Batch prices your own week against your own store on the day. Nutrition figures, including calories, are estimates rather than label readings, so always check the packet if you have an allergy. "Notable for" reflects well-established qualities of the ingredients used, not a lab measurement of this exact dish.