Subscriber OnlyRecipes

Barbecued chicken shawarma with flatbread and tzatziki

Barbecue chicken swarma with flatbread and tzaziki. Photograph: Harry Weir
Serves: 2
Course: Dinner
Cooking Time: 1 hr
Prep Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

  • For the marinade:
  • 2tsp ground cumin
  • 2tsp coriander seeds
  • 1tsp ground cardamon
  • 1tsp cayenne pepper
  • 2tsp smoked paprika
  • 2tsp sea salt
  • 1tsp black pepper
  • 1 garlic clove, grated
  • 2tbsp olive oil
  • 500g boneless chicken thigh
  • For the flatbread:
  • 300g strong flour
  • 7g fast action yeast
  • 150ml warm water
  • 20g olive oil
  • 30g yoghurt
  • For the tzatziki:
  • 1/2 cucumber, deseeded and diced
  • 200g plain yoghurt
  • 1 garlic clove, grated
  • Small handful fresh dill
  • Sea salt
  • 1 red onion, thinly sliced
  • Flat parsley
  • 1 lime to garnish
  • Dill to garnish
  1. To make the marinade, add the spices, salt, pepper, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil to a large bowl and mix together with a spoon.
  2. Place the chicken thighs on a chopping board and carefully slice horizontally into thin flat pieces. Add the chicken thigh pieces to the bowl with marinade in it and gently mix to evenly coat the chicken, then place the bowl in the fridge and leave it there for at least an hour.
  3. While the chicken is marinating in the fridge, make the flatbreads. Place the flour, dried yeast and sea salt in a mixer and mix gently. Now add the warm water, yoghurt and olive oil and mix on a high speed for 3-4 minutes until the dough comes together and cleans the bowl. Place in a greased bowl under a cloth in a warm place to double in size.
  4. To make the tzatziki, slice a cucumber in a half, and then slice the half lengthways. Using a spoon, scrape out the cucumber seeds and discard. Then dice the cucumber and add to a bowl along with the yoghurt, garlic and chopped dill. Mix together with a spoon and season with salt and pepper.
  5. Once the flatbread dough has doubled in size, knock it back and cut into small portions. Roll on a floured surface into 1cm thick circles. Heat a dry non-stick pan and cook them for two minutes on both sides until charred and blistered.
  6. Remove the chicken from the fridge and layer the chicken thigh pieces on to metal skewers. Fire up the barbecue and heat until it reaches a temperature of around 200 degrees. Place the skewers on the barbecue and close the lid. Cook for 5-6 minutes until nicely charred on one side and then turn with a tongs and cook for another 5-6 minutes until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 75 degrees Celsius when checked with a meat probe.
  7. Serve the skewers on the flatbread with some thinly sliced red onion and herb salad, a lime wedge, and the tzatziki on the side.
Mark Moriarty

Mark Moriarty

Mark Moriarty is an award winning chef, TV host, author and Irish Times columnist.