Can I make the chicken shawarma salad in advance?

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.

Can I cook the rice and chicken in the oven instead?

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 400°F (200°C) and the chicken at 450°F (250°C) for 20 minutes until charred and beautiful, adding the halloumi for the last five minutes.

What else could I add to the chicken shawarma salad?

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.

Juicy Chicken Shawarma Crispy Rice Salad

Name: Juicy Chicken Shawarma Crispy Rice Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Cuisine: mediterranean
Ingredients: 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; 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; 4oz (100g) halloumi cheese, diced; 1 cucumber, diced; 10oz (300g) tomatoes, diced; 2 scallions (spring onions), finely chopped; 1 red onion, finely diced; Handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped; 1/2 cup tahini; 1 tablespoon lemon juice; 1 teaspoon salt; 2 garlic cloves, crushed; Water, to thin

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

Units Scale

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 -

4oz (100g) halloumi cheese, diced
1 cucumber, diced
10oz (300g) 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

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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 them 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 450°F (230°C fan). 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 baking sheet 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 400°F (200°C), then add the halloumi and cook for another 5 minutes.
Make the crispy rice (oven instructions). Line a separate baking sheet 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 400°F (200°C) 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 – just use it straight from the packet. 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