Serves: 4
Prep: 25 minutes + optional marinating
Cook: 25–30 minutes
Total: ~55 minutes
Difficulty: Easy–moderate
Ingredients
1. Shawarma chicken
700 g boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 3–4 cm pieces
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground coriander
½ tsp turmeric
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
¼–½ tsp chili flakes, optional
½ tsp dried oregano
2. Bulgur
1½ cups medium bulgur
2¼ cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp turmeric
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tbsp chopped dill
Juice of ½ lemon
Gluten-free option: substitute quinoa for bulgur; bulgur is wheat-based and therefore contains gluten.
H
HelloFresh
3. Creamy cucumber-herb tzatziki
1½ cups thick Greek yogurt
1 large cucumber, grated
2 garlic cloves, finely grated
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil
2–3 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
Optional: pinch of dried mint
4. Fresh cucumber salad
1 large cucumber, diced
½ small red onion, thinly sliced
½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp chopped dill
Salt and pepper
5. Roasted tomatoes
300–350 g cherry tomatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp paprika
Pinch of salt
Black pepper
6. To finish
100 g feta cheese, crumbled
½ cup Kalamata olives
Fresh parsley and dill
Lemon wedges
Optional: sumac
Optional: toasted almonds or pine nuts
Method
Step 1 — Marinate the chicken
Add chicken, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and all the spices to a bowl.
Mix thoroughly so every piece is coated.
Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes, or preferably 2–8 hours. Overnight is fine.
The combination of cumin, coriander, paprika, turmeric and cinnamon gives the chicken the characteristic warm shawarma profile.
B
Brava
+1
Step 2 — Make the tzatziki
Grate the cucumber.
Put it in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze out as much water as possible. This is important—otherwise the sauce becomes watery.
Combine:
Greek yogurt
cucumber
garlic
lemon juice
olive oil
dill
parsley
salt and pepper
Mix and refrigerate for at least 15–20 minutes.
Tip: For a thicker restaurant-style sauce, use strained/full-fat Greek yogurt.
Step 3 — Cook the bulgur
Add stock, bulgur, turmeric, olive oil and salt to a saucepan.
Bring to a boil.
Reduce to low, cover and simmer for approximately 12–15 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed.
Turn off the heat and let it sit covered for 5 minutes.
Fluff with a fork and stir in lemon juice, parsley and dill.
Step 4 — Roast the tomatoes
Heat oven to 220°C / 425°F.
Toss cherry tomatoes with olive oil, paprika, salt and pepper.
Roast for approximately 12–18 minutes, until softened and beginning to blister.
You can also cook them in an air fryer at about 200°C / 400°F for 7–10 minutes.
Step 5 — Make the cucumber salad
Combine cucumber, red onion, tomatoes, lemon juice, olive oil, dill, salt and pepper.
Don’t make this too far ahead—the cucumber will release water.
Step 6 — Cook the chicken
Heat a large skillet over medium-high/high heat.
Add a small amount of olive oil.
Arrange the chicken in a single layer. Don’t overcrowd the pan; cook in batches if necessary.
Cook for approximately 4–6 minutes per side, depending on the size of the pieces.
You want deeply browned, slightly charred edges while keeping the center juicy.
For food safety, chicken should reach 74°C / 165°F internally.
Let it rest for 3–5 minutes before serving.
Assembly
For each bowl:
Spoon in a generous layer of herbed bulgur.
Add several pieces of shawarma chicken.
Add a large spoonful of tzatziki.
Add cucumber/red-onion salad.
Add roasted cherry tomatoes.
Scatter over Kalamata olives.
Crumble feta over everything.
Finish with chopped dill and parsley.
Add sumac and a squeeze of fresh lemon.
Optional: sprinkle with toasted nuts.
The result should have hot, smoky chicken + cool creamy tzatziki + acidic lemon + fresh cucumber + salty feta/olives + fluffy grain.
Nut information
As written: contains no required tree nuts or peanuts
The core recipe can be completely nut-free.
However, if you add almonds or pine nuts, they become an additional tree-nut ingredient.
Also check packaged ingredients such as:
spice blends
stock/bouillon
yogurt sauces
feta
hummus
prepared tzatziki
for manufacturer allergen statements, especially if cooking for someone with a severe allergy.
Important distinction: bulgur is wheat, not a nut. Therefore this recipe is not gluten-free unless you replace the bulgur. Commercial shawarma-bowl recipes likewise commonly list wheat/gluten as an allergen when bulgur is used.
H
HelloFresh
+1
Nut-free alternative
Simply omit the optional almonds/pine nuts. You won’t lose anything essential.
If you want crunch without nuts
Try:
toasted pumpkin seeds
sunflower seeds
crispy chickpeas
toasted pita pieces
If sesame is a concern, be careful with hummus/tahini as well, since sesame is a common hummus ingredient and is separately identified as an allergen in some shawarma bowls.
H
HelloFresh
Recipe Q&A
Can I use chicken breast instead of thighs?
Yes. Thighs are juicier and more forgiving, but breast works. Cut it into evenly sized pieces and avoid overcooking.
Can I make this without bulgur?
Absolutely. Use:
jasmine/basmati rice
brown rice
quinoa
couscous
cauliflower rice
Quinoa is a particularly useful gluten-free alternative.
T
The Savvy Spoon
Can I make it dairy-free?
Yes. Replace Greek yogurt with a thick unsweetened dairy-free yogurt and omit the feta, or use a dairy-free feta alternative.
Can I make it gluten-free?
Yes. Replace the bulgur with quinoa, rice or another certified gluten-free grain. Also check spice blends, stock and other packaged ingredients for cross-contact.
Can I use store-bought tzatziki?
Definitely. Homemade gives better freshness, but good-quality tzatziki saves considerable time.
Can I prepare this for meal prep?
Yes. Store the chicken, grain, vegetables and sauce separately. Assemble when eating. Similar chicken-shawarma bowls are commonly used for meal preparation.
F
Foolproof Living
How long does it keep?
For best quality, refrigerate cooked components promptly in airtight containers and use within 3–4 days. Keep tzatziki separate from the hot components.
Can I freeze it?
Freeze the cooked chicken and bulgur separately. Don’t freeze the cucumber salad or tzatziki—their texture will suffer.
Is this actually shawarma?
It’s a home-style shawarma-inspired bowl, rather than traditional vertically roasted shawarma. Traditional shawarma is generally thinly sliced meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie; bowl recipes adapt those spices and flavors for a skillet or oven.
T
The Savvy Spoon
How do I get the dark charred chicken shown in the picture?
Use high heat, small batches, and don’t constantly stir. Let the chicken sit against the hot pan long enough to develop a dark crust. A cast-iron skillet works particularly well.
What gives the sauce its strong flavor?
The combination of strained yogurt + cucumber + garlic + lemon + dill. Squeezing excess water from the cucumber is one of the biggest improvements you can make.
Can I make it spicier?
Yes. Add:
cayenne
chili flakes
Aleppo pepper
harissa
What is the best garnish?
For the bowl in your photo, I’d use fresh dill + parsley + sumac + crumbled feta + lemon. The herbs and acidity keep the rich chicken and yogurt from becoming heavy.
My recommended version
For the closest match to your photograph, I’d use chicken thighs + turmeric bulgur + extra-garlicky dill tzatziki + blistered cherry tomatoes + cucumber/red onion + Kalamata olives + feta + sumac, with no nuts unless you specifically want the added crunch.
The combination is very close to established Mediterranean chicken-bowl formats that pair spiced chicken with grain, cucumber, tomatoes, tzatziki and olives.