Chicken shawarma with baked rice and vegetables — a flavorful meal the whole family will love. This is part of my high-protein and fiber meals series.
Jump to: ℹ️ Overview | 🛒 Ingredients | 📷 How To Make | 📹 Watch The Video | 👩🍳 Recipe Tips | 🥗 Serving Suggestions | 📝 Full Recipe Card | 🍽 More
In this chicken shawarma recipe, tender, spiced chicken sits on a bed of rice that’s baked with chickpeas and colorful vegetables, giving you a balanced, comforting meal. The rice is soft and fluffy with a hint of yellow color from turmeric, the chickpeas add great fiber, and the quick pan‑fried chicken stays juicy with browned edges.
I also make the shawarma sauce in the same pan as the chicken — it turns into this slightly tangy, savory drizzle that ties everything together. A fresh, creamy tzatziki on the side cuts through the spices beautifully. When served, you get a delicious chicken shawarma bowl that’s high in protein and fiber. This wholesome comfort food has become a weeknight staple in our house.
Macros highlight (per serving): ~450 cal, ~37 grams protein, ~6-8 grams fiber — so you’re getting good macros and plenty of volume and flavor. See the full nutrition label in the recipe card.
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👉 You might also like these recipes from the series: baked chia oats recipe, Asian carrot salad (with chicken and edamame), healthy chicken taco soup, or my high-protein butternut squash soup.
What You’ll Need
Here is what you’ll need for this chicken shawarma with baked rice and veggies recipe. Find the full measurements in the recipe card below.
Chicken Shawarma Marinade
- Chicken thighs — juicy, flavorful base protein, use skinless and boneless thighs. Swap chicken thighs for breasts if you want leaner meat (just don’t overcook)
- Garlic, lemon juice, paprika, cumin, coriander seed and tomato paste — shawarma seasoning that builds bold flavor.
Baked Rice & Veggies
- Uncooked rice — use medium or long-grain rice here for the hearty carb base.
- Chickpeas — extra protein + fiber; canned chickpeas are fine.
- Green beans, bell peppers, carrot, red onion — color, crunch, fiber and nutrients.
- Chicken stock — infuses the rice with savory flavor.
- Garlic powder, paprika, lemon, salt and turmeric (optional for color).
Tzatziki
- Lebanese cucumber — cool, crisp freshness. No Lebanese cucumber? Regular cucumber works — just squeeze extra moisture out.
- Greek yogurt (high-protein, low-fat) — creamy and tangy with extra protein.
- Lemon + garlic — classic tzatziki zing.
To Serve
- Pickled turnip + pepperoncini — optional punchy toppings.
- Parsley + lemon wedges — bright finishing touches.
How To Make Chicken Shawarma With Baked Rice & Veggies
Find the full recipe and nutritional information below. Here are some handy step-by-step photos for chicken shawarma with baked rice and veggies. You can bake the rice first or do the chicken first, or in parallel.
- Marinate the chicken: Cut chicken thighs in half. Toss chicken pieces with shawarma spices, garlic, lemon and tomato paste. Let rest.
- Cook chicken: Heat oil in a pan over medium‑high heat. Cook chicken 7–8 minutes on one side, flip and cook 2 minutes. Pour chicken stock around chicken and cook 5 more minutes to form a sauce. Remove chicken and slice.
- Tzatziki: Grate cucumber, squeeze dry and mix with yogurt, garlic, lemon and salt.
- Dice or slice pickled turnip and pepperoncini or hot pickled peppers (if using).
- Bake rice & veg: Rinse rice well; combine with chickpeas, vegetables, seasonings and stock in a deep tray. Cover with foil and bake ~35–40 minutes mixing half way through.
- Assemble: Fluff rice; top with sliced chicken, pour over pan sauce, dollop tzatziki, add pickles + parsley.
Watch The Video
Recipe Tips
- Make‑ahead: Marinate the chicken up to 12 hours ahead — it only gets more flavorful. Tzatziki holds well in the fridge for 24–48 hours; great for meal prep.
- Storage: Refrigerate leftovers up to 3–4 days. Freeze portions (without tzatziki) up to 2 months. Thaw overnight and reheat covered.
- Variations: Add cauliflower florets or zucchini for more veg. Swap chickpeas for white beans or lentils. Sprinkle feta on top before serving for extra tang.
- Timing help: Rice done when liquid’s absorbed and grains are tender. Chicken is best juicy — don’t overcook, and let the pan sauce do its thing.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this chicken shawarma rice bake with a squeeze of fresh lemon, a generous dollop of tzatziki and plenty of parsley for brightness. A side salad or warm pita bread makes it feel luxe, or simply enjoy it straight from the tray — it’s one of those meals that’s beautiful either way.
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Video
Ingredients
Chicken Shawarma Marinade
- 1.5 lb chicken thighs, skinless and boneless, halved 700 grams
- 2 large garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1.5 teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder or cayenne optional
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
For Cooking Chicken
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ⅓ cup chicken stock
Veggie Rice Bake
- 1 cup uncooked rice rinsed
- 1 cup diced green beans 120–125 grams
- 1 cup diced bell peppers 125 grams
- ½ carrot diced (≈65 grams)
- ½ red onion diced
- 1.5 cups chicken stock
- 1 can chickpeas rinsed (14 oz / 400 grams)
- ⅔ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1–2 teaspoons lemon juice
- Pinch turmeric optional
Tzatziki
- 1 Lebanese cucumber grated
- 1.5 cups high‑protein low‑fat Greek yogurt
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 1 garlic clove minced
To Serve
- ½ cup pickled pink turnip diced
- 4–6 pickled hot peppers pepperoncini, sliced (optional)
- Fresh parsley
- Lemon wedges
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken: Cut chicken thighs in halves and trim excess fat. Combine with garlic, spices, lemon juice and tomato paste. Set aside (or refrigerate if prepping ahead).
- Prepare rice bake: Rinse rice and add to a deep baking tray. Add drained chickpeas, green beans, peppers, carrots and onion. Stir through salt, garlic powder and paprika. Pour in stock, a bit of lemon juice and turmeric for color. Cover with foil.
- Bake: Bake at 200°C / 400°F for 35–40 minutes, stirring halfway. Rest 5 minutes once done.
- Make tzatziki: Grate cucumber and squeeze out excess moisture. Mix with Greek yogurt, lemon juice, garlic and salt. Set aside.
- Cook chicken: Heat oil in a pan over medium‑high heat. Cook chicken 7–8 minutes on one side, flip and cook 2 minutes. Pour chicken stock around chicken and cook 5 more minutes to form a sauce.
- Finish sauce & slice: Remove chicken; let sauce reduce a bit. Slice chicken.
- Assemble: Fluff rice; top with chicken and pour pan sauce over. Add pickled turnip, pepperoncini, parsley and lemon wedges. Serve with tzatziki.
Absolutely delicious and easy to put together. Doubled the rice so it took an hour instead of 40 minutes. Chicken was very tender and flavorful.