Chickpea and Ground Chicken Shawarma Bowls
These chicken shawarma bowls bring all those warm, bold flavors home in a way that fits perfectly into a busy weeknight. The ground chicken is loaded with grated zucchini and finely chopped spinach that cook right into the meat. Then we added chickpeas and a classic shawarma spice blend. Everything cooks up quickly in one skillet and gets piled into bowls with fresh veggies and a creamy yogurt dressing. Truly the kind of dinner that makes weeknight dinners feel a little extra exciting.
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 423kcal
Ingredients
For chicken + chickpeas
- 1½ tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound ground chicken or ground turkey
- 2 cups grated zucchini about 1 medium zucchini
- 2 cups lightly packed baby spinach finely chopped after measuring
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
- 15 ounces canned chickpeas drained and rinsed
For bowls:
- 3 cups cooked white rice
- 3 cups small dice cucumber
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1 cup pickled red onions optional
For yogurt sauce:
- 1½ cup plain Greek yogurt 2% or whole milk
- 1½ tablespoon lemon juice or 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
- 1 clove garlic grated or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1½ teaspoon dried dill 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or dill
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt to taste
- ground black pepper to taste
- Chopped fresh parsley optional garnish
Instructions
To make chicken and chickpeas
- Add the oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the ground chicken.
- Let the meat sit for a minute so it can get a nice brown crust, then use a spoon to break it up into crumbles. Cook until no longer pink and cooked through, about 7 minutes.
- Once the ground chicken is cooked through, add the grated zucchini and spinach and stir to combine. Continue cooking until the veggies have wilted down and most of their moisture has cooked off, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Season the chicken and veggies with the salt, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, pepper, cumin, turmeric, and coriander. Stir in the drained and rinsed chickpeas and let them soak in the flavors for about 1 minute.
- Taste the chicken and chickpea mixture and add more salt or other seasonings if you feel like it needs it. Set it aside to cool a bit while you make the sauce.
To make yogurt sauce
- Combine all the ingredients together in a medium bowl or large liquid measuring cup. Whisk together. If the sauce is too thick to drizzle, stir in a little water until it’s the right consistency. The sauce can be made a day in advance and stored in an air-tight container in the fridge.
To assemble bowls:
- Portion ½ cup cooked rice into each bowl and top with ¾ cup (or 130g) of the chicken and chickpeas mixture.
- Top each bowl with about ½ cup diced cucumbers, about ½ cup halved cherry tomatoes, a heaping tablespoon of crumbled feta, and 3 tablespoons pickled red onions.
- Drizzle or dollop 2 to 4 tablespoons of the sauce (depending on how much you want) over each bowl and sprinkle a little fresh parsley over the top (if you like) before enjoying. Bowls are best enjoyed right after assembling them. If you would like to make them ahead, store the cooked chicken + chickpeas, cooked rice, and veggies, feta and sauce separate in the fridge for up to 2 days and assemble bowls as directed when you are ready to eat.
Notes
Nutritional information calculated with a bowl have 4 tablespoons of yogurt sauce on top.
Nutrition
Serving: 1bowl or 1/6 of the recipe assembled | Calories: 423kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.05g | Cholesterol: 75mg | Sodium: 846mg | Potassium: 1022mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1540IU | Vitamin C: 35mg | Calcium: 154mg | Iron: 3mg