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
Es una receta deliciosamente especiada y ligera , para una cena ligera , muchas gracias
Amazing you’re welcome!
This was absolutely delicious! Super simple to make even for those who don’t cook too often. So flavourful and easy. My toddler and husband both loved it (as did I of course). Thank you so much!!!
This is delicious.
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!
Delicious! The only thing I did differently was cook the chicken in the air fryer at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes with some tin foil underneath after initially cooking in the pan for 6 minutes. Then I followed the recipe exactly for the rice and tahini sauce. Soooo good. Usually I order out for this, probably won’t do that nearly as often now. Thanks!
That’s so great to hear! Good to save on takeout too 🙂
Absolutely Fire. Love Indian Food, never made it myself, and this is my new favorite thing to make. Thanks so much!!
This recipe is fantastic. I make with tofu. I cook the tofu separately in a pan with olive oil until crispy, then add a few tbsp soy sauce, stir, then a few tbsp nutritional yeast, stir, then the spices and garlic that are in your chicken recipe. I also make a Mediterranean salsa of cucumber, tomato, red onion, and parsley. Thanks so much for this amazing recipe!!
Quick and easy and very flavorful!
Oh yum! This was a wonderful weeknight meal, and the white sauce was absolutely DELISH. I did use bone-in thighs, since that’s what I already had at home, so if anyone is curious about it I added about 10 minutes to the cook time and they turned out great!
Absolutely LOVED by the whole family! Thank you, once again!
One of my favourite things to make! It’s super simple but comes out tasting like it’s complex (in a great way!).
Delicious!! Easy to make and the whole family loved it ❤
Amazing to hear! Thanks for the feedback!
Absolutely delicious! I used my instant pot to cook everything and it turned out amazing! My 11 year old son said it was bussin, so very high praises! Haha!
For those that are curious how I cooked it in the instant pot, I cooked according to the written recipe then cooked on manual for 7 minutes and let it natural release for 10 minutes then I released pressure value the rest of the way. Served with some garlic butter pita and sauted green beans.
Haha I love that! Bussin! My recipe is officially cool enough for your son, that’s just perfect. 🙂 Thanks for sharing the Instant Pot method, super helpful!
Did you put all the ingredients in the IP or did you cook chicken first? Also, is it the same amount of water as the recipe? Thank you.
I cook the chicken thighs first to brown the meat. I follow her recipe steps, but just adapted it to the Instant Pot. I use the water to rice ratio that the instant pot recommends, which may also match the recipe. I can never remember and have to look it up every time. Lol!
I don’t always think ahead to season the meat overnight, and it always turns out great!
This is a family favorite! I love all the warm spices- smells so yummy cooking! I also love that it makes a large amount if we have a guest visiting or for leftovers. I think I will start using closer to 1.5 lbs/680 grams of chicken (plus extra spices) because everyone takes so much of the delicious chicken and then there is a ton of yellow rice left, which is still good of course! Lol
I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe Robyn! And for sure, making extra chicken is always a great idea!
This was a wonderful meal- The whole family loved it! I look forward to trying your other recipes!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Kristin! Thanks for the review!
My picky family has been trying to cook different cuisines, and this seemed like a good pick for middle eastern….so yummy!!!! I used smoked paprika tahini in the sauce and it was delicious!!!
So wonderful to hear, Kristin! Thanks for the feedback!
Your recipe are AMAZING!!! Thank you so much for sharing these with us! Making this one next week for our dinner!! So packed with flavor and simplistic!!!
Thanks so much for the wonderful feedback Kat!
This is one of my family’s favorite meals! So flavorful! I love that it uses on-hand ingredient and makes a large amount- perfect for leftovers or if guests stop by! I don’t make the white sauce but may try it in the future. (We use a similar store-bought sauce). I’ve already shared with several friends!
Dude. This. Was. Amazing!!! I followed the recipe exactly but I really should have doubled because I can’t stop sneaking bites! Don’t skip on the tahini, it makes the sauce more rich and delicious 😍
Haha I can totally relate Melissa!! I am obsessed too! So glad you enjoyed it!
It was my first time trying out your very-thorough recipe and my family enjoyed it so, so much. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!!
So glad to hear that Anh, thanks for the review!
Ver simple and delicious! Family loved it 🙂
So glad you all enjoyed it!