Chicken Shawarma Rice Recipe

My Most Viral Dish

This is my very first recipe to reach 2 million views and it’s for good reason! In the Philippines, one of my favourite meals is chicken shawarma with rice. I absolutely love the smoky flavour and spices that come with it, and the white sauce?! Absolute perfection.

Now, I want to preface this by saying that this isn’t the traditional way. Although in the Philippines chicken shawarma is also cooked by stacking marinated meat and slowly rotating it while roasting, we usually eat it with rice, drenched in white sauce. The traditional way of eating it is with pita (or rice and fries), pickled veggies, and toum (garlic sauce).

It all boils down to your preference. I believe food allows us to be creative with the ingredients available to us, but it is most enjoyable when made with respect and intention toward the culture.

Breaking down the recipe:

What is Shawarma?

Shawarma is a Middle Eastern street food that has become well known worldwide. From small carts to big restaurant chains, it’s a dish I consider a crowd-pleaser. You just can’t help but love it. It consists of thinly sliced marinated meat stacked and slowly roasted, similar to how al pastor is cooked. The meat is shaved from the edges as it cooks, so you always get perfectly charred pieces, usually wrapped in pita bread with vegetables, toum, spicy sauce, tahini and/or hummus, and often served with fries.

White Sauce VS Toum

In the beginning, I got confused about the difference between the two because I used to call our white sauce “garlic sauce,” which I can see is a bit misleading since toum is also known as garlic sauce. It’s made by blending garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil into a smooth paste, so you really get that strong garlic flavour coming through.

In the Philippines, we eat our chicken shawarma with white sauce. Our version usually consists of mayonnaise, Greek yoghurt, and garlic, seasoned with salt and pepper. It’s inspired by toum but adapted to the Filipino palate.

Yellow Rice

This is commonly served as part of a meal in many cuisines, including Filipino, Mediterranean, Indian, and more! To clarify, the grains used for yellow rice are actually white rice, such as basmati (long-grain) or jasmine rice. So what makes it yellow? It’s turmeric! This rice is cooked in a stock of your choice, along with onion, garlic, and ground turmeric, making it both flavourful and visually appealing. For this recipe, the yellow rice pairs perfectly with the chicken shawarma, as its aroma complements the richly spiced chicken.

Instructions:

*Detailed instructions and tips available in the recipe card below.

Chicken Shawarma:

In a small bowl, combine all the marinade ingredients and mix well.

Gently poke your chicken with a toothpick, then add it to your marinating bowl.

Cover the bowl and let it marinate for at least 3 hours.

You can start prepping your sides – thinly chopped cucumber, tomatoes, and onions. Place them in a container and store them in the fridge.

Place your chicken in a pan lined with foil.

Bake your chicken at 375°F for 20 minutes. The internal temperature of the thickest part of the chicken should reach 165°F.

Place the baking rack at the top and broil the chicken at 450°F for 3 minutes on each side to get that charred effect.

Once done, let it rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing.

Yellow Rice:

In a saucepan or pot, sauté the garlic and onion over medium-high heat.

Add the turmeric powder and rice, then mix until the rice is fully coated in the turmeric.

Gently pour in the stock and let it come to a simmer over medium-low heat.

Cover the pot and let it cook until the liquid has fully evaporated.

Turn off the heat and fluff the rice with a spatula, then cover and let it rest for 5 minutes.

White Sauce:

In a bowl, mix the mayonnaise, Greek yoghurt, vinegar, minced garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper (to taste).

Assembly:

On a plate, add the rice, sliced cucumber, tomatoes, and red onion, then place the chicken on top and drizzle with the sauce.

Ingredients:

Kewpie Mayonnaise

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always had an issue eating anything with mayonnaise. I think it has something to do with the egg salad my kindergarten teacher forced my class to eat lol. But when I first tried Kewpie mayonnaise, my thoughts completely shifted! I’ve said this before and it still holds true: this is the only mayonnaise I use.

The difference between Kewpie mayo and other brands is the acidity. Kewpie uses apple cider vinegar, which has more of a kick, while other brands typically use regular vinegar, making them milder. I like the added acidity that comes with Kewpie because I feel like it balances really well with fried food – which makes sense since it originated in Japan, where they eat karaage with Kewpie!

For this recipe, you can use any type of mayonnaise, but if you’re like me and don’t usually like mayonnaise, try this Japanese mayonnaise and get back to me. May our shared trauma finally be healed.

Vinegar

When I first made this recipe, I wasn’t using vinegar. But after watching YouTube videos, I realized some people add it along with lemon juice to balance the earthy spices used in the marinade. It gives the sauce a stronger tangy flavour that pairs really well with the marinated chicken. It’s a small change, but it can truly elevate the entire flavour profile. I suggest using good ol white vinegar so the flavour doesn’t become too strong!

Fun fact: It is said that chicken shawarma was introduced to the Philippines by Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who worked in the Middle East. It quickly became a street food favourite because of how flavourful it is. Now, you can find shawarma places everywhere in the Philippines, from small food stalls to full-blown restaurants.