Author Notes
If you come to metro Detroit for the first time, what’s the one thing you have to eat or drink? Answers will vary, from coney hot dogs to Faygo Red Pop to apple cider from our area’s many cider mills. If you ask me, I would tell you that you must have a chicken shawarma pita sandwich. Shawarma is very similar to gyros in preparation – the meat is marinated and roasted on a spit, or grilled. It is then served as a platter, or stuffed in soft pita bread slathered with garlic sauce.
Why is this uniquely Detroit? Thanks to our large Arab-American population, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Lebanese restaurants dot nearly every corner of our metro area. Many of them have names like Mr. Pita, Mr. Kabob and Kabob House. I never tire of chicken shawarma pitas, and here, I’ve adapted those flavors into a party-perfect dip. With seven layers of chicken shawarma meat, hummus, yogurt sauce, feta cheese, lettuce, onion and tomato, this Detroit-inspired dip will be a hit wherever you serve it! —foxeslovelemons
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Ingredients
- Chicken Shawarma
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4
garlic cloves, minced
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1/2 pound
boneless, skinless chicken thighs
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2 tablespoons
fresh lemon juice
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1 teaspoon
cumin
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1 teaspoon
dried oregano
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1 teaspoon
paprika
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1/2 teaspoon
coriander
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1/4 teaspoon
cinnamon
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1/8 teaspoon
ground cloves
- Yogurt Sauce & Seven Layer Dip Ingredients
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3/4 cup
Greek yogurt
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1/4 cup
shredded cucumber
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1 tablespoon
chopped fresh dill
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1 tablespoon
fresh lemon juice
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Pinch of kosher salt and ground black pepper
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1 cup
prepared hummus
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1/2 cup
crumbled feta cheese
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1/4 cup
chopped red onion
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1 cup
shredded romaine lettuce
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2
Roma tomatoes, chopped
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Pita chips, for serving
Directions
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Make Chicken Shawarma: In large ziploc bag, combine garlic, chicken, lemon juice, cumin, oregano, paprika, coriander, cinnamon and cloves. Seal and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Place chicken on rimmed baking pan and transfer to oven; cook 14 to 16 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F, turning once halfway through cooking. Let cool; then coarsely chop chicken
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Meanwhile, make Yogurt Sauce: In small bowl, stir together yogurt, cucumber, dill, lemon juice and salt and pepper.
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In trifle dish or large bowl, layer hummus, cheese, onion, chicken shawarma, yogurt sauce, lettuce and tomato. Refrigerate until ready to serve, up to 2 hours. Serve with pita chips.
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