Oven Chicken Shawarma

Ingredients

• 1 kg chicken breasts (2.5 pounds, or 6 chicken breasts)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp white vinegar
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp mixed spices (seven spices)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp ginger powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika powder
• 1 small container yogurt (170g (8 oz))
• small container plain yogurt (170g (8 oz))
• 2 tbsp labneh (Or, replace plain yogurt with Greek yogurt)
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• squeeze lemon juice

Instructions

1. 1

   Cut chicken into strips, and clean of any fatty bits. Place in a large bowl. (You can also get your butcher to cut it for you)

2. 2

   Pour olive oil over the chicken, then add all the minced garlic and all the spices. Toss very well to combine, might be easier to do this with a gloved hand. Add the yogurt and toss to combine thoroughly.

3. 3

   Place chicken in fridge for 3 hours or overnight to marinate. If you have to cut down on marination time, that's fine, just marinate for however long you can.

4. 4

   Once the chicken has finished marinating, heat the oven to 220 C (425F). Place chicken strips on baking sheet (we lined ours with parchment paper)and make sure you spread them out so they are all in a single layer.

5. 5

   Bake for 20 minutes, until cooked through. Halfway through, use a metal spatula or tongs to move the strips around and separate any that have clumped together.

6. 6

   Optional, but recommended. After the chicken has cooked through, drizzle with some olive oil and put back into the oven, this time on broil function. Broil for 2-3 minutes or until the top is browned in places. I took my photographs before broiling, in case you were wondering about the color of my chicken.

7. 7

   --- To make the garlic yogurt sauce: ---

8. 8

   Mix together the yogurt and labneh, or just greek yogurt, crushed garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste. You can whisk, or use a little blender. Refrigerate until ready to use.