One of my favorite usages of the mid-credits stinger (i.e. when you see a bonus scene during or at the end of the credits) is in the first Avengers: Tony Stark makes an offhand comment during the Battle of New York that he’s in the mood to try some shawarma when they’re done battling the bad guys, and then bam–after more than eight minutes of everyone sitting there watching the credits and listening to a pretty great Soundgarden song, the final scene is simply the team at a wrecked shawarma shop looking dazed and exhausted but they’re still pretty happy to be eating their wraps.
Up until that point, those scenes were included to give hints as to what was to come next in the expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe (and to get people to see the credits), and instead, Joss Whedon decided to troll us all. Well done, Mr. Whedon; well done.
Shawarma is definitely one of those dishes that you should absolutely go out to get if you have a really great neighborhood spot, as there’s something pretty special in watching the experts neatly slice thin strips of lamb from a vertical rotating spit. For the rest of us, though, there is the promise of chicken thigh shawarma from the brilliant mind of Michael Solomonov in Israeli Soul that you can make at home.
Before we get too in the weeds with this, I should offer this disclaimer: this is a recipe that is significantly easier to make if you have a Food Saver or similar food-grade vacuum-sealing appliance. Solomonov suggests wrapping the chicken in plastic wrap for the poaching process, but even if you tie each wrapped thigh closed with kitchen twine, making, in essence, a chicken purse, it’s not a fail-safe way to prevent water from potentially getting in with the chicken (and more importantly, letting those wonderful spices seep into the water). Using a Food Saver or similar appliance prevents this, plus you can use it to package bulk meat purchases in a way that protects them from freezer burn.
Disclaimer over – back to the meats!
The chicken thighs are seasoned with a blend of spices (referred to as Shawarma Spice Blend #2 in Israeli Soul) that includes ground turmeric, black pepper, cumin, cardamom, and coriander that then gets mixed with kosher salt. The turmeric, cumin, and pepper play the biggest roles while the cardamom and coriander serve as accents, and while it makes the meat really tasty, they aren’t so overpowering that adding other accouterments simply amplifies the flavor when they are all wrapped up in a loaf of Druze mountain bread.
Prepping the chicken is not difficult, but requires some planning to pull it off. First, you rub the spice mix on the chicken thighs, roll them up tightly, and then wrap them in plastic/seal them in a Food Saver and let them sit for at least two hours. They then get poached for fifteen minutes and then left to chill for another two-plus hour before they are sliced thin and pan-fried until crispy and tasty. In the meantime, you prepare a bunch of condiments to go into the bread, and in our case, it was tomatoes flavored with lemon zest and juice, cucumbers lightly salted and drained, a quick cucumber yogurt sauce, and a hot sauce made primarily with serrano peppers known as schug.
Even making the Druze mountain bread isn’t difficult if you plan it properly: the dough is a combination of bread flour and all-purpose, combined with some salt, olive oil, and warm water in a stand mixer. The dough rises for an hour, and then is rolled into a log and is cut into ten-to-twelve pieces (if using the full recipe, and six or so if using half like we did) and letting the balls rise again. Those pieces are rolled and stretched into very thin flatbreads, and then they get toasted in a hot cast iron skillet for a quick time before being moved to a plate to not get too crispy. (You want them to still be pliable, after all!)
For me, the strength of a recipe is how well it turns out the first time you make it, and I halved the Druze mountain bread recipe and the loaves still came out really, really well. Some looked naturally a little better than others, but even the ones that weren’t as pretty were still usable, which isn’t always the case when you make things like pancakes, crepes, or galettes.
This makes for an excellent weekend cooking project because though it’s not difficult, it does require time. I got the chicken going at around lunchtime, and it was ready to poach by mid-afternoon. I started the dough around 4-ish so that it would have time to rise while we had a drink and worked on the other sandwich toppings when we’d normally start preparing dinner, which is anytime between 5:00 and 5:30. The bright and cheerful color of the chicken, much like the Jerusalem Mixed Grill, is a balm for those of us struggling with the mid-winter blues, and the zing of the schaug adds the perfect amount of zestiness to the whole affair.
Chicken thigh shawarma with Druze mountain bread
Lightly adapted from Israeli Soul
Makes 5-6 wraps
Chicken Thigh Shawarma:
- 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Combine the spices along with the kosher salt in a small bowl. Rub the spice mixture over each chicken thigh on both sides, and then roll each thigh tightly. If using a vacuum-sealer, place the thighs into the plastic bags and seal tightly; otherwise, wrap the thighs tightly with cling. Place them in the fridge and let them chill for at least two hours and up to overnight. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then poach the thighs for 15 minutes (they will not be fully cooked through yet). Plunge the thighs in an ice bath, and then chill again in the fridge for at least two hours and up to overnight.
When ready to make the sandwiches, heat the olive oil on medium-high heat. Slice the chicken thighs into thin slices, and then cook (in batches if need to) until chicken gets crispy. Remove to a plate and keep warm.
Assemble the sandwiches with the chicken, lettuce or cabbage, pickles, tomatoes, cucumbers, and a sauce of your choosing. I’m including Solomonov’s everyday Schug recipe below.
Druze mountain bread
Makes 5-6 breads
- 1 ½ cups bread flour
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon instant yeast
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- ¾ cup water
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the flours, yeast, salt, the 1 ½ teaspoons of olive oil and the warm and mix to combine for four to five minutes. Lightly oil a bowl while the dough mixes. When the dough is ready (it will be sticky), scrape it into the oiled boil, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and let it double in volume at room temperature for 45 minutes to one hour.
Once the dough has risen, scrape it onto a floured board and then roll the dough into a log shape. Portion the dough into 5-6 equal pieces, cover with a kitchen towel, and let the dough pieces rest for another 30 minutes.
To shape the breads, use your fingers to spread out each dough ball into a flat round, about six inches diameter, and then roll it to get it double that size. Place the dough on your fists and finish stretching the dough, and don’t be concerned if small holes and tears appear.
To finish the breads, heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Lay the bread over the skillet and let it cook for about 30 seconds or until the bottom appears to brown and bubble. Remove to a plate and cover with a towel to keep warm, and repeat with the remaining doughs.
Everyday Schug
Makes a cup
- ¼ lb stemmed serrano peppers
- 1 ½ tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
Combine the peppers and salt into a food processor, and blitz until smooth. Add in the lemon juice, canola oil, and ground coriander and stir, and adjust the seasoning as needed.
The Manhattan [food] Project 
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