Chicken Shawarma

There might be many authentic Shawarmas in this world, but the tastiest 'ever' for me, would be,  Anat's Shawarmas in Johannesburg! They were juicy, they were spicy, they had deep fried eggplant slices, potatoes chips and yes, they had that taste and crunch! My Jo'burg stay made me an Anat shawarma addict and I still crave for those Shawarmas!!! And therefore this post today.

Of course the eggplants are not deep fried, and the potato chips are missing from my shawarma - I don't want post- dinner guilt! :)

You need:

To make pan grilled chicken:

Boneless (skinless) chicken breasts – 2 Nos. (cut into thins strips)

Lemon juice – 1 Tbsp

Greek yogurt – 1.5 Tbsp (replace with thick yogurt that is not sour)

Garlic – 1 Tbsp (minced)

Salt – 1 tsp

Cardamom powder – ¼ tsp

Paprika -1/4 tsp

Dried parsley – ¼ tsp (replace with fresh)

Cayenne pepper – 1/8 tsp

Cinnamon powder– 1/8 tsp

Olive oil – 2 Tbsp

To assemble Shawarma:

Eggplant – Cut into 1 cm thick slices and pan grilled with very little olive oil, till brown.

Pita bread

Pickled vegetables like cucumber, gherkins, carrots etc. 

Garlic sauce – Mix 1 Tbsp mayonnaise with ½ tsp minced garlic. 

Tomatoes – chopped (optional)

Lettuce - optional

1. Combine chicken, lemon juice, Greek yogurt, garlic, salt, cardamom powder, paprika, dried parsley. Cayenne pepper, cinnamon powder in a large bowl, cover and let marinate for 2 hours in the refrigerator. 
2. In a non stick pan, heat  olive oil. Tip in chicken and let cook for 10 minutes until chicken browns, cook for an additional 2 minutes if necessary to brown. 
3. To make sandwich, open the pita bread like a pocket , spread garlic sauce on pita, add chicken, eggplant and pickles (you can add tomatoes and lettuce if desired). 
4. Enjoy with fries or salad on the side!