Homemade Chicken Shawarma

Posted on by aurorameyer

Chicken Shawarma at Home by aurorameyer.com
J recently found the most amazing chicken shawarma recipe originally from David Bonom, Cooking Light July 2008. It’s perfect with our homemade pitas.

Ingredients:
about 1 pound chicken breast (we used boneless, skinless) cut into 16 (3-inch) strips
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon curry powder
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil + 2 tablespoons olive oil for the skillet
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
3 garlic cloves, minced (or more)
2-3 tablespoons Greek yogurt

Sauce:
1/2 cup plain 2% reduced-fat Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons tahini
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 garlic clove, minced

Directions:
We made the sauce first so we could use the left over Greek yogurt in the chicken marinade. Combine yogurt and next 4 ingredients (through 1 garlic clove), stirring with a whisk.  To prepare chicken, combine first 6 ingredients in a a zip top bag. Add chicken. Toss well to coat. Let stand at room temperature or at least 20 minutes. Heat a skillet to medium-high heat. Dump the chicken strips into the skillet. Cook about 10 minutes until cooked through. Serve immediately on a homemade pita with lettuce, tomato slices, red onion and sauce.

Homemade Chicken Shawarma by aurorameyer.com

My opinion:
Two of these sandwiches is more than enough for an adult. It’s filling and tasty and I always wish there were even more leftovers for lunch the next day.

Chicken Shawarma at Home by aurorameyer.com

Homemade Chicken Shawarma

Easy weeknight homemade Chicken shawarma recipe.
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Course Main Course
Servings 4 people

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound chicken breast (we used bonelessmskinless) and cut into 16 (3-inch) strips
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon curry powder
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil + 2olive oil for the skillet
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 3 garlic cloves minced (or more)
  • 2-3 tablespoons Greek yogurt
  • Sauce:
  • 1/2 cup plain 2% reduced-fat Greek yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons tahini
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 teaspoons salt
  • 1 garlic clove minced

Instructions
 

  • We made the sauce first so we could use the left over Greek yogurt in the chicken marinade. Combine yogurt and next 4 sauce ingredients (through 1 garlic clove), stirring with a whisk.
  • To prepare chicken, combine the first 6 ingredients in a zip-top bag.
  • Add chicken.
  • Toss well to coat.
  • Let stand at room temperature or at least 20 minutes.
  • Heat a skillet to medium-high heat.
  • Remove the chicken strips and add them to the skillet.
  • Cook about 10 minutes until cooked through. Serve immediately on a homemade pita and lettuce, tomato slices, red onion and sauce.
Keyword chicken, Chicken Shawarma, Homemade Chicken Shawarma, Shawarma, weeknight meal
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Thai Chicken Fried Rice with Basil

Posted on by aurorameyer


If you can’t already tell, I love Asian cuisine. Since we’ve been eating at home more often, J has tried to recreate my favorite dishes at home. He finally got my favorite Thai dish down. I won’t say it’s as good as my favorite Thai restaurant in town, because it might be better!

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons Vegetable oil (or peanut or sesame, whatever you have on hand)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh Thai red chili pepper chopped (or if you can’t find fresh, rehydrate dry, or just use your favorite rooster sauce)
8 ounces boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-size pieces and velveted (again this is the secret!)
2 cups cooked rice cold (cooked and cold, really cold. Like from the refrigerator cold. Also, use Jasmine, You’ll thank me.)
1 tablespoon Sugar
1 tablespoon Fish sauce
1 tablespoon Soy sauce (if you want to be adventurous try golden soy sauce if you can find it)
2 tablespoons shallots chopped
1/3 cup Thai holy basil (regular basil or Thai purple is also delicious)
1 tablespoon Fresh Cilantro, chopped (we’ve occasionally accidentally left this out, opps!)

Directions:
First velvet the chicken by bringing a large pot of water to a boil. Stir the chicken to separate and stir again. Simmer for about 2 minutes until the chicken turns white. Drain the chicken. In a wok or large skillet, stir-fry garlic in oil until golden; then add chilies and chicken and stir-fry until chicken is cooked. Add rice, sugar, fish sauce, and soy sauce, and stir-fry, mixing gently. When well mixed, add shallots, basil leaves and cilantro; cook another minute or so, and serve. If you desire, serve with lime wedges, chile sauce, fish sauce, or soy sauce at the table.

My opinion:
Could I really say more than I said above? I. love. this. dish. LOVE.

Szechuan Kung Pao Chicken

Posted on by aurorameyer

Easy At Home Szechuan Kung Pao Chicken by Dispatches from the Castle
I love Chinese food. When I was younger and my sister and I got to pick the restaurant for our birthday dinner, I always chose the local Chinese restaurant. As I grew up, I loved trying the flavors of the different provinces, but Szechuan has remained a favorite. J found this recipe from Big Oven (our new favorite go-to recipe source). It was divine. I was so disappointed there weren’t any leftovers! The secret is in velveting the chicken. This crucial step is what makes all the difference.

Ingredients:
1 lb chicken thighs (we used two large boneless, skinless, chicken breasts)
10 whole red chili peppers (we left five whole)
1 small red onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic (original recipe calls for crushed, we used minced)
1/2 piece fresh ginger (crushed, we just tossed this in the food processor.)
A handful of roasted peanuts (we used unsalted and about a half cup)
Marinade:
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine or Sherry (we used a dry sherry)
1 Egg white
1 tablespoon Cornstarch
Seasoning:
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine or sherry (again, we used a dry sherry)
1 tablespoon dark vinegar (balsamic will do)
1 tablespoon Dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
Pinch of salt
1 scallion (we used a “bunch” of scallions from our garden)

Directions:
Dice chicken into half-inch cubes (We originally went a little too big, but you also don’t want to make these as small as they are in traditional Kung Pao dishes served in your local Chinese establishment.) Mix marinade, lightly beating the egg white and pour over the chicken. Leave to stand for no more than 30 minutes. Velvet the chicken with oil or water (again, this is the secret and makes a HUGE difference! We used the water method, but the oil method would work as well):
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Stir the chicken to separate and stir again. Simmer for about 2 minutes until the chicken turns white. Drain the chicken. Tear the chilis into pieces, then soak them in hot water for 30 minutes. Drain. Peel the onion and cut into square 1 1/2 inch pieces. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in the wok until very hot (until it starts to smoke). Add the garlic and ginger to the oil, stir for 15 seconds, then add the chilis and stir for a minute or two. Add the onions and continue to stir and flip for another minute. Add the chicken, scallion, peanuts and cook for another minute. After this, if you notice that it seems a little dry for your taste, feel free to mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with a little bit of water and pour in along with your seasoning. Give it a good quick stir (I mean it, be quick, the sugar will burn.) Serve with rice!

My Opinion:
Leaving the chilis in whole meant this dish was spicy. We liked it so much we actually added the leftover rice to the wok in order to sop up all of the leftover sauce. The chicken was tender, juicy and just amazing. Next time, we’ll add a bit more onion, ginger and garlic. Plus a green pepper for some added vegetables. This dish was so good I could eat it every single day for a long time and never grow bored.

p.s. If anyone one knows where to find Shaoxing wine in Columbia, let me know! I’m sure it would just add a bit more depth to the dish!

J’s Smoked Turkey Breast

Posted on by aurorameyer

With the unseasonably warm spring, we’ve not only broken out the grill, but the smoker as well. J is perfectly happy to get up early on a Saturday morning and spend all day monitoring the grill.

Ingredients:
turkey breast (we used boneless, skinless)
Salt Lick Dry Rub (or your favorite dry seasoning rub, we’re pretty partial to Salt Lick though)
mesquite wood

Directions:
Liberally pat the turkey breast with Salt Lick dry seasoning rub, cover and refrigerate overnight. Start grill, let coals get good and gray, until grill temperature reaches  about 250 degrees. Add mesquite wood to top of coals. Place turkey on grill for about six hours. Check the coals every 30-40 minutes, adding a handful of coals and a chunk of mesquite each time to keep the grill temp around the 250 mark. Be sure to let it sit for about 30 minutes before carving so it stays moist.

My opinion:
I love smoked turkey. It’s one of my most favorite ways to eat turkey breast. With J’s recipe, the smoke ring is really thick (the pink part in the picture) and the crust is spicy. The turkey is fantastic alone, but equally good in sandwich form or with your favorite BBQ sauce. Yum!