Middle Eastern Chicken Bowl

#CookingforCorona night 2! Tonight we used chicken breast, rice, and canned goods to make a mouthwatering meal that’s anything but basic and far from the classic (but sometimes boring) chicken-and-rice that is all too often a go-to with limited kitchen ingredients. I hope you enjoy this little journey to the other side of the globe right in your own kitchen!

What You Need

For the Shawarma-Style Chicken:

• 3 chicken breasts or 6 chicken thighs (depending on how many you’re feeding)

• Plain greek yogurt

• 1 tbsp cinnamon

• 1 tbsp cumin

• 1 tbsp coriander

• 1 tsp cardamom

• 1 tbsp smoked paprika

• 5-finger pinch of salt

For the creamy yellow rice:

• 1 cup of rice

• 1 tbsp turmeric

• 1 tsp allspice

• 1 can of coconut milk (if you don’t have coconut milk, this is just as good with buttery basmati rice or even quinoa or another grain!)

• 1 tbsp onion powder

• Salt to taste

For the bowl:

• Halloumi cheese - this stuff is to diiiiie for but if you don’t have it: feta or even goat cheese would be a great alternative

• I had cherry tomatoes I needed to use so I roasted them with olive oil. But you can literally use any veggie you have on hand — roasted broccoli/broccolini, carrots, mushroom, tomatoes, peppers, asparagus, ANYTHING!

• Spinach

• Hummus — store-bought is great! If you have a food processor and want to try your hand at homemade, see below:

Homemade Hummus:

• 1 can chickpeas/garbanzo beans (same thing) drained and rinsed

• 1/4 cup tahini

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• Juice of 1 lemon

• 1 tbsp cumin

• 2 5-finger pinches of salt

Make It Happen

1. Preheat oven to 375

2. Mix together 1 1/2 cups of greek yogurt and all the spices listed for the chicken

3. Rinse and pat dry your chickens, then coat thoroughly with yogurt mixture

4. Drizzle olive oil on the bottom of a baking dish and coat with a paper towel, then add chickens to the dish and place in the oven for about 30 minutes or until internal temp reaches 165.

5. Move on to the rice.

6. Add the can of coconut into a pot with 1 cup of water and bring to a boil (stirring or whisking frequently so the coco milk doesn’t scorch)

7. Once boiling, stir in the rice, reduce heat to low, cover and let cook for about 15 minutes

8. Prep your veggies.

9. Whatever veggies or greens you decide to use, get them going now. I recommend sauteeing veggies over the stove for this dish to marry the textures and flavors. But if you’re feelin like raw spinach or cool crispy cucumbers or somethin… do you, boo.

10. Once the rice is done, add all of the spices listed for the rice above and salt to taste.

11. Finally, the homemade hummus!

12. Add your drained and rinsed banzo beans to the food processor (tbh, if you don’t have a food process or a bad ass blender, I’d skip this step entirely) with the lemon juice, olive oil, cumin, and salt.

13. Blend for at least a minute. Then check the texture — you want this stuff fluffy and smooth, no one wants gritty hummus.

14. It will NOT be perfectly smooth after the first minute. It’s okay. Add 3-4 tbsp of water and let it roll again for at least another 30 seconds.

15. Once it reaches the texture of a hawaii cloud, she’s ready!

16. Last step before serving is to fry the halloumi — simply cut into 1/2 inch thick strips and sear in an olive-oiled pan over medium heat for about 30 seconds on each side or until golden brown on each side. Freakin’ delish.

17. Assemble your bowl!!

18. Start with a bed of the creamy golden rice, then layer the chicken, greens/veggies, cheese, and a generous dollop of hummus.

19. Top with parsley and a sprinkle of smoke paprika.

20. ENJOY!