Chicken shawarma meal-prep bowl with cauliflower rice
18 min · 51 g protein · 394 cals / serving
Thin strips of chicken in a warm shawarma spice mix of cumin, paprika, coriander, turmeric and a pinch of cinnamon, seared hard so the edges char, over lemony cauliflower rice with cucumber, tomatoes and red onion. A garlic-tahini yogurt sauce goes on at the table. Four lunches in under 20 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb chicken breast, sliced into thin strips (or bought as stir-fry strips)
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
Shawarma spice
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp paprika, smoked if you have it
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 3/4 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, or ground cayenne
- 1 1/4 tsp salt, divided
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 (12 oz) bags cauliflower rice, frozen
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 large cucumber, diced
- 1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
Garlic yogurt sauce
- 1 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1 tbsp tahini
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic, finely grated
Steps
- Toss the chicken strips in a bowl with the 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, all the shawarma spices, 3/4 teaspoon of the salt and the black pepper.
- Heat the oil in your largest skillet over high heat. Add half the chicken in one layer and leave it for 2 minutes to char, then stir and cook 2 minutes more, until no pink remains (165°F). Tip onto a plate and cook the second batch the same way.
- While the chicken cooks, microwave the cauliflower rice in its bags (or a covered bowl) for 5–6 minutes. Tip it into a sieve, press out the water, then season with a pinch of the salt and stir in the parsley.
- Divide the cauliflower rice among four containers and top with the chicken, cucumber, tomatoes and red onion.
- Stir the yogurt, tahini, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, garlic and the last pinch of salt together, loosen with a splash of water if thick, and spoon it into four small pots. Keep the sauce apart until you eat; the bowls keep 4 days in the fridge.
Good to know
Can I reheat it with the cucumber and tomato in?
Better not: pack the cucumber, tomato and onion in one corner and lift them out, or keep them in a separate box, then microwave the chicken and cauliflower rice for 2 minutes and add the cold vegetables and sauce on top. Cold, straight from the fridge, it is good too.
Can I use chicken thighs?
Yes, thighs are the street-food original and stay juicier through the week, at about 74 instead of 81. Slice them the same way and give each batch a minute longer.
Alternatives
Per
- Calories
- 73
- Protein
- (53%)
- 9 g
- Fat
- (29%)
- 2 g
- Carbohydrates
- (18%)
- 4 g
- of which sugar
- 2 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 156 mg
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. General guidance, not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber. How
As written, 1574 kcal goes into the pot and 2362 g of ingredients comes out as about 2160 g of food: 73 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.