My Cookbook: Souk to Table 
Shawarma Rice with White Sauce (in one pot)
This one pot shawarma rice recipe is my top go-to quick meal to make for busy weekdays. What’s not to love about fragrant yellow basmati rice that cooks with shawarma seasoned chicken, all in one pot? Serve with a simple salad and drizzle generously with my quick white sauce. This meal will be on the table in under 40 minutes from start to finish!
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We’re always craving shawarma, and I usually resort to my sheet pan chicken shawarma recipe if I plan to make them into wraps. But if I want to enjoy it with rice, this is the easiest way to do it.
This recipe was inspired by the halal cart chicken and rice (another recipe I love), but I thought – why not make it all in one pot and skip some steps? As it turns it – that was a great idea.
Let’s Make It
Grab all the ingredients. I prefer to use boneless chicken thighs cut into bite sized pieces, which lends to quicker cooking.
This recipe will take about 10 minutes of active cooking time, and then you’re just waiting for everything to cook. It’s incredibly easy. Here’s how it goes:
- Marinate your chicken thighs with the chicken spices, ideally the night before.
- Dice the onions, crush the garlic and wash and drain the rice.
- In a pan with raised sides (or a small pot), sear the chicken pieces until they’re golden. Remove them from the pan.
- Add the onions and cook for a few minutes until softened. Then add the garlic and the spices and continue cooking a further few minutes
- Add the washed rice, stir, then add the chicken back on top. Add water, cover and cook for 20 minutes on low heat.
The sauce comes together by whisking all the ingredients. I’ve made it with and without tahini. I personally prefer it with tahini, but you can omit it if it’s not to your taste.
How I Serve Mine
I love to pair this shawarma rice with some greens. I usually make a simple salad with whatever I have in the fridge like cucumber, tomato, lettuce, onion.
The easiest dressing is a lemon and olive oil dressing to keep the flavours simple. I then drizzle the salad with the white sauce as well. You can also serve it with my kale tahini salad or some Fattoush, both of which are an excellent side.
If you tried these recipes, please consider leaving a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page – I’d love to hear from you! You can also hop on over to Instagram and say hello!
Shawarma Rice with White Sauce (in one pot!)
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 450 g chicken thighs, cut into bite sized pieces
- 2 crushed garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, for cooking
For the rice:
- 2 small onions, roughly 1 cup diced
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1.5 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups basmati rice
- 3 cups water
For the white sauce:
- 1 cup full fat plain yogurt
- 1.5 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, more per preference
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, you can use fresh too, adjust amount to your liking
- 1/4 teaspoon chilli powder
- 2-3 teaspoons lemon juice, per preference
- 2 tablespoons tahini, optional – you can leave it out if you don’t have it
Instructions
- Start by marinating the chicken with all the spices, either overnight (best results) or just before you start preparing the other ingredients
- In a large pan with high sides, add the 1 tablespoon of olive oil for the chicken, and sear the chicken for 3-4 minutes on each side on high heat, until golden brown. Remove and set aside
- Add the rest of the oil (2 tablespoons) and the diced onion with the salt (amount under “for the rice”) and cook for 5 minutes on medium heat until softened
- Add the crushed garlic and all the spices, and cook for a further 2 minutes
- Add the washed and drained rice and stir for a few minutes. Add the chicken back into the pan and then the water
- It should start to bubble right away or within a few minutes. Once it bubbles, cover and turn the heat to low. Allow it to cook undisturbed for 20 minutes
- Meanwhile prepare the sauce by whisking together all the ingredients, and adjust the salt, pepper and lemon per preference
- After 20 minutes, fluff the rice with a fork and serve with the sauce and a side salad
Notes
- You can use chicken breast instead of thighs, just ensure you don’t overcook it during the searing process
- The tahini in the white sauce is optional if you can’t find it. If you do have it, I highly recommend it!
- You can also add vegetables like peas, carrots, mushrooms, or spinach. Cook the vegetables with the onion before moving to the next step. You may need to add a bit more salt/spices to adjust for additional vegetables
Whoops! Nevermind, I scrolled further and saw that you could use chicken breasts!
Hi, I love your recipes! Is it possible to use chicken breasts instead of thighs? (Since I have some in the freezer!)
Thank you!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was a HIT with everyone. That is so rare for my house. Next time I will cut up the chicken before I marinate it and let it marinate overnight for even better flavor. Will be adding this to my regular rotation thank you!
Amazing, so happy to hear that Rachel! Such a win when everyone loves dinner 😀 Thanks so much for the review!
I made this for dinner last night. I chose to leave my chicken thighs whole and roast them in the oven, then added them to the pot to cook with the rice. It came out wonderfully. We will definitely make this again.
So glad you loved this one Katie! The whole chicken thighs I’m sure tasted great. Thanks so much for sharing how you adjusted it and your feedback. 🙂
Love this recipe!!! Quick question, can I freeze the marinated chicken or will it alter the taste?
So glad you loved it Maliha! Yes – you can definitely freeze the marinated chicken, it’ll only get better with time. Defrost it by putting it in the fridge overnight and then just cook as usual! You’ll just need a few extra minutes to cook out any excess moisture.
My family really enjoyed this! We love your chuck roast recipe so much that we figured we would try this and it did not disappoint! It will definitely go on our rotation! Thank you!
This has been on my regular rotation for a while. Easy and satisfying.
So happy this one is a regular for you! Thanks for the review, Fatima!
I like the ripie I just found the white saue too sour 🙁
Hi! Glad you liked it! The sauce tanginess will depend a lot on the yogurt you use – some are more sour than others. That’s also why the lemon juice is a range, because its best to taste the sauce and adjust as you go! Hopefully next time you’ll get it just right. Thanks for the review 🙂
My family absolutely loves this+
So thrilled you love it! Thanks so much for your review!