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Chicken Shawarma Tacos

Fluffy corn tortillas, shredded and charred chicken shawarma meat, tahini garlic sour cream, pickled onions and guacamole. A family friendly dish, perfect for Ramadan!
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Course Dinner, Iftar, Lunch, Main Course, Party, Suhoor, Week night meals
Cuisine Arabic, Mexican, Middle Eastern

Equipment

  • Oven/grilling pan
  • Tongs
  • Mixing bowls
  • Spoons
  • Chopping board
  • Knife

Ingredients
  

Chicken Shawarma -

  • 500 gm chicken thighs and breast
  • 2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp paprika powder
  • 1 tsp cardamom powder
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 1 tsp chilli powder
  • 1 tsp pepper powder
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
  • 1 tsp salt

Guacamole -

  • 2 ripe avocados
  • 1/2 tomato chopped
  • 1/4 cup fresh coriander leaves
  • 2 garlic coves minced
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper

Tahini Garlic Sauce -

  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/4 cup tahin
  • 6 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp olive oil

Pickled Onions -

  • 1 red onion sliced
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • Pinch of salt
  • Pinch of sugar
  • 1/4 tsp pepper powder

To serve:

  • Corn tortillas
  • Fresh herbs parsley & mint

Instructions
 

  • Marinate the chicken with all the ingredients for minimum 15 minutes, I like to do this for at least 2 hours. If you are cooking the meat in the oven, roast the chicken in a pan at 200℃ for 15-28 mins until the chicken is cooked and the tops are charred. Make sure the oven is preheated. If you are cooking this over the stove on a grill cook the meat for 10-12 mins until cooked and charred. Do not over cook the meat as it will dry out.
  • To make the guacamole smash the avocado in a bowl and add the other ingredients, mix to combine and set aside.
  • To make the tahini sauce mix all the ingredients together, taste and season as needed, set aside.
  • To make the Picked onions, in a bowl add the onions, lime juice, salt, pepper, paprika and sugar, massage the onions with your hands and set aside.
  • If you are using store bought tortillas, warm them up over the stove on a pan. To assemble we add little guacamole on a tortilla, top with chicken, pickled onions, the tahini sauce, fresh herbs and repeat. Once the tacos are ready you must serve them immediately or else they will get soggy.
  • The chicken meat can be stored in an air tight container for up to 4 days in the fridge. The tahini sauce gets better with time, it will last in the fridge for a 4 days. The guacamole will only last for the moment so don’t make it ahead of time it will loose its color. The pickled onions will loose its crunch but keep well for a couple of days.

Notes

  • Marinate the chicken the night before and cook when ready to eat. I like to marinate and freeze the chicken in zip lock bags, for up to 1 month.
  • You can use corn or flour tortillas, I made them at home but you can use store bought.