The viral crispy rice salad gets a very gorgeous chicken shawarma inspired makeover. I’m talking about super juicy, beautifully spiced chicken, fresh crunchy veggies and crispy, spicy rice tossed with a creamy, garlicky tahini sauce dressing. Plus you can use your air fryer to make it even FASTER.
I am solidly on the crispy rice salad train. It just has everything I want in a salad – texture, color, FLAVOR – and you can get endlessly creative. This version, inspired by chicken shawarma, has been a firm fixture on my weekly menu rotation and I think it could be for you too. It keeps well, is packed with fresh flavor and honestly, I could eat it every day of the week and not get sick of it, which is a big compliment!
And if you’re an air fryer fan, you can make this salad even more quickly.
I’ve been an air fryer hater for a long time, but I have to say, I get it now. I totally get the hype. I’ve used it here to make the crispy rice, juicy chicken and golden halloumi and there’s no denying it’s faster than the oven (you can of course still use the oven to make this though!) And if you like these flavors, you’ll love these Mediterranean chicken rice bowls and chicken shawarma flatbreads too.
Love a crispy rice salad as much as I do? Try this ‘Marry Me’ chicken crispy rice salad, Korean grilled chicken crispy rice salad, satay chicken crispy rice salad or chicken Caesar crispy rice salad next.
Ingredients
- Chicken thighs. I prefer to use thighs as they’re juicier than breasts, but either will work. You could also use a rotisserie chicken, or this is a brilliant way to use up any leftover roast chicken you might have.
- Rice. I’m using long-grain rice in the recipe below, but you can use any kind of rice or grain (just follow the packet instructions to cook it if it’s not long-grain). You can also use a packet of microwavable rice – just microwave it first, then mix it with the seasoning.
- Harissa paste. This lovely, spicy North African chili paste is something I always have on hand – you’ll find it with the spices and condiments at the grocery store. If you can’t find it, use another chili paste (gochujang, red curry paste or sriracha work well).
- Halloumi cheese. Another ingredient I tend to always have on hand, this firm cheese holds its shape when cooked to create gorgeous salty nuggets in the salad. If you can’t find it, feta is a great substitute (crumble it straight into the salad).
How to make it
Marinate your chicken and mix the harissa, olive oil and spices through your cooked rice (or cook your rice first).
Transfer your rice to your air fryer (or arrange it on a parchment-lined oven tray) and bake until golden and crispy. Cook your chicken, adding your halloumi at the end of the cooking time to make it lovely and crispy too.
Chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces, then add to a mixing bowl along with the rest of the salad ingredients. Pour the crispy rice on top, then drizzle with the tahini dressing. Toss well, then serve with more of the creamy tahini dressing on the side.
Got a question?
You definitely can – BUT – the rice won’t stay crispy once you’ve mixed it through the dressing. That’s because it will start to absorb the liquid and you’ll lose that crunchiness. I find this is fine if you’re enjoying leftovers, but when you make it to serve, only add the rice and dressing once you’re ready to eat.
Yes! I only recently got an air fryer so I’d normally make the rice and the chicken in the oven and it works beautifully. Cook the rice for 25 to 30 minutes at 400F/200C and the chicken at 480F/250C for 20 minutes until charred and beautiful, adding the halloumi for the last five minutes.
Like most crunchy salads, you can play around based on what you like and what you have on hand. Red bell peppers, pickles, fresh mint, charred corn or broccolini are great, as is crunchy red cabbage.
Watch how to make it
Like this recipe? Try these crispy rice salads next
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! You can leave a recipe rating and a comment below. And remember to tag @DishedByKate on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok if you’ve made one of my recipes. Seeing your recreations really makes my day 😊.
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Juicy Chicken Shawarma Crispy Rice Salad
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
The viral crispy rice salad gets a very gorgeous chicken shawarma inspired makeover. I’m talking about super juicy, beautifully spiced chicken, fresh crunchy veggies and crispy, spicy rice tossed with a creamy, garlicky tahini sauce dressing. Plus you can use your air fryer to make it even FASTER.
Ingredients
For the crispy rice –
- 2 cups of cooked rice (or 3/4 cup uncooked long-grain rice)
- 1 tablespoon harissa paste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For the chicken –
- 1lb/500g chicken thighs, boneless, skinless and free-range
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
For the salad –
- 100g/4oz halloumi cheese, diced
- 1 cucumber, diced
- 300g/10oz tomatoes, diced
- 2 scallions (spring onions), finely chopped
- 1 red onion, finely diced
- Handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
For the garlic tahini dressing –
- 1/2 cup tahini
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- Water, to thin
Instructions
- Cook your rice (skip this step if you have leftover rice). Add 2/3 cup of rice to a small pan you have a lid for. Add 1 cup of water, then place the pan over high heat. When the water looks foamy on top, place the lid on, reduce the heat to low and let it cook for 12 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat (still with the lid on), and set it aside for another 10 minutes, to finish steaming. After this, fluff up the grains with a fork, spread it onto an oven tray lined with parchment paper and pop it into the fridge to cool, for at least 10 minutes.
- Marinate the chicken. Heat your oven to 430F/220C fanbake. Add 1 teaspoon each of ground cumin, coriander, cinnamon, turmeric and salt to a mixing bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the crushed garlic. Mix well, then add the chicken thighs. Toss to combine with the marinade. PRO TIP: You can marinate the chicken up to 24 hours in advance if you like. You can also cook the chicken in advance and assemble the salad when you’re ready to serve.
- Cook the chicken and halloumi. Transfer the marinated chicken to a parchment paper lined oven tray and cook for 15 minutes, then remove the tray and scatter the diced halloumi around the chicken. Pop the tray back into the oven and cook for another 10 minutes, until the chicken is deeply charred and the halloumi is crispy and golden. You can also cook this chicken in an air fryer (especially easy if you have a dual-drawer air fryer). Pop the chicken in your air fryer and cook for 10 minutes at 400F/200C, then add the halloumi and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Make the crispy rice (oven instructions). Line a separate oven tray with parchment paper and add your cooked rice (or keep the rice on the tray you popped in the fridge if you cooked it for this recipe). Drizzle the rice with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of harissa paste, 1 teaspoon of ground turmeric and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Mix to combine well, then transfer to the oven with the chicken for 25 – 30 minutes to crisp up. Check the rice after 15 minutes to see how it’s going – some ovens are a little uneven and you may want to rotate the tray. Check it at 20 minutes too as it can easily burn and all ovens are different.
- Make the crispy rice (air fryer instructions). Add the cooked, cooled rice to your air fryer basket (I take the insert out but you can leave it in if you like). Mix with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of harissa paste, 1 teaspoon of ground turmeric and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Air fry at 400F/200C for 10 minutes, remove the basket and give the rice a little shake, then air fry for a further five minutes until super golden and crispy.
- Make the tahini dressing. To either a jar you have a lid for or a small bowl, add 1/2 cup of tahini, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of salt and the crushed garlic. Use a fork to mix, then drizzle in 1/3 cup of water and continue mixing until you get a smooth, cohesive sauce, a little like the consistency of heavy cream. It will seem like the tahini won’t mix with the water at first, but I promise it will! PRO TIP: You can loosen the dressing with a little more water if you like, or add more tahini to thicken it. It will also thicken as it sits.
- Assemble the salad. Once the chicken is charred and cooked through (you can cut into a piece to check), chop it into bite-sized pieces. Add it to a large mixing bowl (or the bowl you’d like to serve the salad in), along with the diced cucumber, tomatoes, scallions, diced red onion, flat-leaf parsley and crispy halloumi cheese. Pour the crispy rice on top, then pour over most of the tahini dressing. Toss to combine, then serve, with the remaining tahini dressing on the side.
Notes
TIMINGS NOTE: The timings I’ve given for the prep and cooking time here are based on using an air fryer and having cooked rice – it will take a little longer to cook if you’re using an oven and need to cook your rice first.
PREP AHEAD: While this is a brilliant salad to make and enjoy throughout the week, the rice will lose its crispiness once mixed with the salad and dressing. So it’s best only to add the rice when you’re ready to serve. It will keep well for four days in the fridge. I love this for easy lunches throughout the week and don’t mind that the rice softens up!
INGREDIENT NOTES: This is a great one to play around with, based on what you have on hand. Adding chopped pickles, red bell pepper or red onion is great. You could also skip the halloumi if you can’t find it – or I love to crumble in creamy feta to serve. Sprinkling nutty dukkah on top is also an excellent idea. For ease and speed, you can use a packet of microwave rice here too – microwave it first, then mix it with the seasoning before adding it to your air fryer or oven to crisp up. You could also use a rotisserie chicken if you like to speed things up!
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 30
- Category: salads
- Method: air fryer
- Cuisine: mediterranean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 200g
- Calories: 668
- Sugar: 4.9g
- Sodium: 1416.2mg
- Fat: 36.9g
- Saturated Fat: 10.1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 22.2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 46.3g
- Fiber: 4.8g
- Protein: 40.7g
- Cholesterol: 139.7mg
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