When it starts to get chilly outside there is nothing in the world better than a cozy warm house filled with the savoury aroma of dinner in the oven. And if that dinner happens to revolve around some delicious chicken? Even better. Sheet pan chicken dinners are super handy, and this Sheet Pan Chicken Shawarma is one of my favorites. This one-tray wonder will fill your house with the most amazing scent, and because it’s all happening on one tray, you won’t have to deal with a massive pile of dishes at the end.
Why I love sheet pan dinners
As the days get shorter, I get less and less excited about having a massive pile of dirty dishes and pots and pans to contend with after dinner. Sheet pan chicken dinners are the solution. They deliver the absolute best of both worlds. Maximum chicken scent wafting through the house, minimum cleanup.
Sheet pan dinners are usually fairly easy to prep too. There’s no need to mess around with marinading or deboning anything. Just a bit of light veg chopping and throw it all on the tray.
In general, sheet pan recipes are really easy to freestyle. You can mix up the veggies and spices and swap out the protein no problem, as long as you follow a few principles.
Sheet Pan Dinner Principles
- Consider the cook time of all your ingredients. Cut your veggies into sizes that compensate for their various cook times, so you don’t end up with mushy veggies and raw meat. Longer cooking veggies like potatoes should be cut a bit smaller, whereas faster cooking things like peppers can be cut a bit larger. The chicken is cooked when the internal temperature reaches 165 F.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan. Make sure your ingredients are spread out enough that they all cook evenly and get a good roast. Ingredients stacked up on top of each other will cause them to steam rather than bake. We don’t want that.
- The in-bowl pre-toss is highly recommended. Coating all your ingredients well with the oil and seasonings before they hit the tray means they’ll roast evenly and get good colour all around. I know, it means dirtying another bowl, but I really think it’s worth it (and that should mean a lot coming from me!)
A big bowl of salad on the table is a welcome companion to any sheet pan chicken dinner. It’s nice to have some fresh vibrant crunch alongside that cozy crispy roasty stuff.
What you’ll need to make this Sheet Pan Chicken Shawarma
You do need a fair number of spices for this recipe, but once you make the mix once, you can use it over and over again. (Or you can buy it pre-made!)
Along with the spice mix, you’ll need chicken, chickpeas, red onions, cherry tomatoes, and some wedges of lemon to brighten things up. I use chicken tenders here because they cook quickly, but you can also use chicken thigh or chicken breast.
How to make Sheet Pan Chicken Shawarma
Putting this sheet pan dinner together is super easy. Toss the chicken, chickpeas, and veggies with olive oil and that delicious spice mix. Then lay everything out on a parchment lined baking sheet and fire it into a hot oven at 450 for about 15 minutes.
My favourite way to eat this is in a bowl on top of a big blob of hummus along with some fresh crunchy veggies like tomatoes, cucumbers, arugula or other leafy greens, as well as some pickles, and a drizzle of lemon tahini dressing. But it is also perfect rolled up in a nice warm flatbread.
Sheet Pan Chicken Shawarma
Ingredients
For The Shawarma Spice Mix
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon allspice
- 1.5 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1.5 teaspoon cardamom
- 1.5 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground clove
For The Chicken
- 500 grams boneless skinless chicken, cut into large cubes
- 400 grams chickpeas (1 large can)
- 1 red onion, roughly diced
- 300 grams cherry Tomatoes, whole
- 5 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- 1 lemon, juice and zest, plus more for garnish
- 2 tablespoons shawarma spice mix (see details above)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees
- Cut chicken in to large-ish cubes. You can use chicken breasts, tenders, or thighs, just make sure they are boneless and skinless.
- Throw the chicken cubes into a bowl and add tomatoes, onions, shawarma spice mix, olive oil, and lemon juice and zest to the bowl. Mix well to combine.
- Spread the mixture out on a baking sheet so nothing is overlapping and everything has good access to the heat of the pan, and the oven.
- Bake for 15 minutes.
- Serve in a large bowl with hummus, salad, fresh herbs and pickles, (rice would be good too). A few lemon wedges on the side are nice too. This is a great opportunity to let people build their own bowls the way they like. Enjoy!
