Shawarma Chicken and Ptitim (Pearl Couscous)

For a healthy Middle Eastern dinner, make your family Shawarma Chicken and Ptitim(pearl couscous).

A chicken dinner that is so juicy and full of flavour, served with red ptitim- every kids favorite side dish!

I never tried ptitim until moving to Israel, and even then it took a couple years, but once you have kids in the school system(and start having play dates with other Israeli children), you soon will realize the necessity of a good ptitim recipe.

We alternate between 20 minute chicken and ptitim, and schnitzelonim as the easy dinner plans in our house.

Shawarma Chicken Ptitim Ingredients

This is a simple recipe with so much flavour.

What you need:

Chicken breast or chicken thighs. The best way to cook this dish is to slice the chicken into strips or cubes. I like to cook it with a lot of sliced onions but if your kids don’t like that, you can do without.

Fresh lemon juice. Marinating the chicken in fresh lemon juice makes it super tender and juicy. It’s a proven method i will stand by. Marinate for a minimum of 10 minutes but do 30 minutes or for a few hours if you have the time or want to meal prep. The flavour only deepen.

Olive oil. This adds a richness and also helps tenderize the chicken.

Shawarma Spice. Our cheat! I’ve tried a few brands and they are all good and have a similar flavour profile.

Paprika. I like to use sweet Moroccan paprika because it gives an extra deep color to chicken but you can use smoked paprika or sweet paprika.

Fresh minced garlic or garlic powder. Use 3 cloves of minced or grated garlic if using fresh, or 2 teaspoon of garlic powder.

What to Serve With Shawarma and Ptitim

I like to serve this chicken and couscous dish with a side of grilled, boiled or canned corn or a fresh Israeli salad. My husband likes to put the chicken and salad into pita bread- but he also eats pita with literally everyone sooooo.

Shawarma Chicken and Ptitim

Estee

Juicy shawarma spiced chicken and red ptitim made in 20 minutes.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

  

For the chicken:

• 1½ lbs 700 g boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
• 2 tablespoons shawarma spice
• 2 teaspoon paprika
• 2 teaspoon garlic powder or 3 cloves of garlic, minced or grated
• 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 tablespoons olive oil divided
• Juice of one lemon
• 1 onion, sliced ,optional

For the ptitim:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 bag ptitim 250 g bag of ptitim
• 4 cups boiling water

To serve: canned corn, grilled corn, or boiled corn

Instructions

 

Prep chicken

• Season the chicken with shawarma spice, paprika, garlic powder, salt, 2 Tablespoons olive oil and lemon juice. Let marinate for at least 10 minutes or up to overnight.
• Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. If using onion, add it to the pan and let cook until starting to caramelise. Add the chicken in a single layer and sear for 3–4 minutes per side, or until golden, cooked through and starting to caramelize. Transfer the chicken and onion to a plate and set aside.
• Add the tomato paste, paprika, garlic powder, and salt to the same skillet. Cook for 30 seconds, stirring to combine. Add the ptitim and stir to coat in the spices and tomato paste. Toast the ptitim for 1–2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Carefully add the boiling water. It will boil up immediately- stir once, lower heat and simmer uncovered for 8 minutes. Cover the pan and let steam for an extra 5 minutes.
• Serve hot with the shawarma chicken, corn, and enjoy!