Healthy Chicken Shawarma with Yogurt Sauce Prep

I recently went for a walk around my Studio in the heart of Kampong Glam – to look for chicken shawarma. Yep. I just came back from 3 Middle Eastern countries (Oman, Qatar and UAE!!!) so I was curious to see how they make it right here in Singapore.

Living in a country where you can pretty much find anything you want to eat, chicken shawarma is no stranger. I wanted to see if there were any different to the ones I had in the Middle East – and of course, challenge myself to make it for #mealprep according to a recipe that is nutritious, cheap and easy.

So that’s what I did in this week’s video – I got a chicken shawarma from the shops and then went back into my kitchen to make my version of it to make a comparison of it!!!! What did I discover? Heaps. You gotta watch the full video on YouTube! (Hint; buying chicken shawarma will set you back $10 here in Singapore. I spent less than $10 to make not one but TWO shawarmas!!)

Give it a try and tell me how you go either on the comments section below, on YouTube, or on Instagram at @asianmealprep. Would love to see your creations!

Chicken Shawarma with Yogurt Sauce Prep

Makes – 2 shawarmas
Time needed – Prep time: 5 mins, Storage time: 24 hours, Cook time: 15 mins
Cost – ~S$4.35 per wrap

Here’s what you need:

• 300g chicken thighs with bones (I end up using about 200g chicken thigh meat only without skin)
• 1 tsp chopped garlic
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp ground cardamom
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp Himalayan rock sea salt and pepper
• Juice from half a lemon
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Yogurt sauce

• 1 small tub Greek yogurt
• 1 tsp chopped garlic
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• Juice from half a lemon
• Salt and pepper to taste

To serve with:

• 2 wholemeal wraps, medium sized
• Iceberg lettuce, sliced
• Tomatoes, sliced

Here’s how you do it:

1. In a small bowl, add all the ingredients for the marinade and combine well.
2. Add the chicken to the bowl and marinade the chicken with your hands, making sure it’s evenly coated. Marinade in the fridge for 24 hours.
3. Combine the ingredients for the yogurt sauce in a bowl and set aside.
4. Heat grill pan on medium high. Once the pan is hot, place the chicken on the pan and cook the first side for 5 minutes until slightly charred and then flip over. Cook the other side for 3 minutes.
5. Remove chicken from heat and set aside. Let it cool for 10 minutes and then slice or separate the chicken from the bones to take the white meat.
6. To serve: Pile lettuce, tomatoes, chicken and yogurt sauce on a wholemeal wrap. Roll it and enjoy!
7. If meal prepping: Build your wraps on the day you’re consuming it so it doesn’t get to soggy. The chicken and yogurt sauce can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days but reheat (the chicken only) before making your wrap!

How much this costs:

*Keep in mind that this numbers are a rough guide. It depends on where you buy it and when. You can definitely save more money if you purchase in wet markets etc. At the end of the day it’s possible to eat healthy without breaking the bank. Also, ~ denotes the items that should already be in your pantry for a long time or it’s a very small amount.

• 300g chicken thighs with bones $3.80
• 1 tsp chopped garlic $0.10
• 2 tsp ground coriander $0.20
• 2 tsp ground cumin $0.20
• 2 tsp ground cardamom $0.20
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper $0.20
• 1 tsp smoked paprika $0.20
• 1 tsp Himalayan rock sea salt and pepper ~
• Juice from half a lemon ~
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil $0.20

Yogurt sauce

• 1 small tub Greek yogurt $1.50
• 1 tsp chopped garlic $0.10
• 1/2 tsp cumin $0.10
• Juice from half a lemon ~
• Salt and pepper to taste ~

To serve with:

• 2 wholemeal wraps, medium sized $1.10
• Iceberg lettuce, sliced $0.40
• Tomatoes, sliced $0.40

Total price = ~S$8.70
Price per serve = ~ S$4.35

Nutrition Information

The nutrition information below is based on the ingredients I’ve used above. It may not be an accurate representation of the Chicken Shawarma you made.

Nutrition values below are only for the chicken and yogurt sauce as the wrap varies depending on the wrap you used. The recipe above is good for two servings and values below are for 1 serving.

Calories 350 Protein 27.9g Carbs 8.7g Fats 21.8g Saturated Fats 7.8g