Issue #189: Instagram Chicken Schwarma on Repeat
Mock Shwarma, Feeding a Crowd, Too Busy to Snap
Well, the holidays are over. That was quite a streak. If I start at Thanksgiving and continue through New Year’s Day, I count a total of 22 overnight house guests, whose lengths of stay varied from one night to six, and a total of 126 dinner covers served, not including Nate and me. No wonder our multiple refrigerators were groaning.
Luckily, we have our uninsulated “three-seasons” room (more like two and a half), which you might also call a screen porch. I called it a walk-out refrigerator and used it to chill many things until the temperature dipped so low outside that it became a walk-out freezer and all of my vegetables froze. (I grated frozen onion into my latkes this year, and I’ll tell you, frozen onions grate very well.) Perhaps this is a good time to remind you MY OVEN STILL DOESN’T WORK. (I’m shouting to make sure the warehouse agents at Bosch, where a part is backordered, can hear me.) Despite the challenges, we ate very well.
During this culinary frenzy, there were only a couple of dishes I made more than once. I baked two of the Gâteau aux olives I wrote about in Issue #184, the savory synergy of olives, ham, gruyère, and thyme creating a perfect nibble for apéritifs in front of the fireplace. (An intended third gâteau was foiled by Milo’s porcupine quilling.)
I also made two Pâtés en croûte because, well, as I documented in Issue #186, the first was a structural disaster and I felt I needed to make a second to prove myself. I was happy with how it came out. But my friend Laurent, who knows a thing or two about classic French cuisine—as he demonstrated on New Year’s Eve—advised me to skip the shortcrust pâte brisée next time and opt for a hot-water crust, instead. I’ll save that tidbit for next year’s holiday-season trials.
Another dish I made on two occasions was this mock chicken schwarma recipe I first saw on Instagram. It’s become a bit of a meme in its own right, with several food influencers (when did we stop calling them cooks?) giving the loaf-pan technique their own spin. I’m not embarassed to admit that much of my culinary inspiration these days comes from Instagram. My feed is full of images and ideas that make me hungry. Inspiration is usually where the input ends, as I don’t trust or try many of the recipes, which are often incomplete and can be confusingly written. Still, I tag and save IG recipes by the hundreds. Every once in a while I even make one.
I’m not sure why exactly this chicken spoke to me, but I’m always looking for things to do with chicken thighs, a favorite cut. It may have triggered memories of those rightfully beloved late-night pitas served off the grill at Jasmino in Tel Aviv. Without the charcoal flavor, it would be a weak approximation, but I dream of those Jasmino pitas often, the combination of smoky meat juices, tahini, and amba dripping down my hand onto the sidewalk. The advanced prep and the suggestion of a loaf pan, which fits in our small toaster oven, my primary source of baking heat while the big oven is out, were also likely among the reasons I gave it a try.
I can’t ever leave a recipe totally alone, so I tweaked the technique and a few ingredients here and there. You can change up the seasoning to match whatever else you are serving, moving more toward the far east with cumin, coriander, and turmeric, if you wish, veering toward Mexico with chipotle, cilantro, and lime, or sticking closer to the Mediterranean, as written. Remember to make time to let it all marinate overnight. Slice the cooked chicken and serve it in a pita or another wrap, perhaps roti or tortilla, with plenty of fixings on the side.
Whatever you do, don’t discard the cooking juices as one of the original videos instructed. I save them and use them as a base for other dishes. They have a strong, complex flavor, like a concentrated stock. Chill, remove any fat that congeals, and add the juices to braises or soups, diluted with water, to provide a strong backbone to whatever you are cooking. The other night they went into a dish of chicken and giant Lebanese couscous.
RECIPE: Chicken Schwarma
Serves 6 to 8 or more
2 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs (6 to 8, depending on size)
1 medium onion, peeled and cut into chunks
Juice of 1 lemon or lime (about 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon dried thyme or oregano
1 tablespoon granulated garlic powder
1 tablespoon dried Urfa, Aleppo, Calabrian, or any dried chili flakes
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Handful chopped fresh cilantro
Grease a standard loaf pan or similar baking dish with pan spray. Trim any excess fat off the chicken thighs and place in a large bowl. Place the onion in a blender along with the lemon juice, yogurt, tomato paste, thyme, garlic powder, chili, paprika, salt, and pepper. Process until puréed and smooth. Pour this mixture over the chicken and, using tongs, move the pieces around to coat.
Layer the chicken thighs in the loaf pan. Really pack them in. Use a rubber spatula to get all of the spice mixture in the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least an hour and preferably overnight.
Remove the chicken from the fridge about 30 minutes before cooking to come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Bake uncovered for 50 minutes, until browned and bubbling. An instant-read thermometer inserted into a middle pice of chicken should read at least 165°F. Remove from the oven. Pour off the juices and reserve. Invert the loaf pan on a large cutting board to unmold the chicken. Watch out for juices that will continue to flow. Slice through the thighs crosswise to make strips. Pile on a serving platter and spoon over some of the reserved juices. Mmm.
After an hour of searching my photo library, it appears I uncharacteristically didn’t take any photos of my chicken schwarma. I was probably too busy defrosting things from the back room to remember to snap. You’ll just have to imagine my chicken schwarma and trust me that it’s super easy and delicious.