One-Pan Shawarma-Spiced Chicken & Rice
with Golden Raisins, Carrots & Cilantro Yogurt Sauce
- Milk
- Tree Nuts
Tonight’s spiced chicken has all the typical Middle Eastern-inspired flavors of shawarma, but it’s cooked in one pan. You’ll add carrots, garlic, rice, and raisins to your chicken, then mix it all together with a squeeze of fresh lemon, a drizzle of cilantro crema, and a garnish of almonds. It all adds up to a dinner that’s easy to clean up and even easier to gobble down.
Ingredients
10 ounce
Chicken Cutlets
1 tablespoon
Shawarma Spice Blend
9 ounce
Carrots
1 clove
Garlic
¼ ounce
Cilantro
1 unit
Lemon
½ cup
Jasmine Rice
1 ounce
Golden Raisins
2 unit
Chicken Stock Concentrate
2 tablespoon
Yogurt
(Contains: Milk)
1.5 tablespoon
Sour Cream
(Contains: Milk)
½ ounce
Sliced Almonds
(Contains: Tree Nuts)
Not included in your delivery
1 tablespoon
Cooking Oil
Salt
Pepper
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Pat chicken* dry with paper towels. Season all over with 1 tsp Shawarma Spice Blend (2 tsp for 4 servings), salt, and pepper. (You’ll use the rest of the Shawarma Spice Blend later.) • Heat a drizzle of oil in a medium, preferably nonstick, pan (use a large, preferably nonstick, pan for 4) over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until browned and cooked through, 3-5 minutes per side. • Transfer chicken to a plate; reserve pan.
• While chicken cooks, wash and dry produce. • Trim, peel, and dice carrots into 1⁄2-inch pieces. Peel and mince garlic. Finely chop cilantro. Quarter lemon.
• Heat a drizzle of oil in pan used for chicken over medium-high heat. Add carrots in a single layer; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, 3-4 minutes.
• Add a drizzle of oil to pan with carrots; add garlic, raisins, remaining Shawarma Spice Blend, and 1⁄2 tsp salt (1 tsp for 4 servings). Cook until fragrant, 1 minute. • Stir in 1 1⁄2 cups water (3 cups for 4), rice, and stock concentrates. Bring to a boil; cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has reduced by half, 3-4 minutes. Cover pan and reduce heat to low. Cook until rice is tender, 15-18 minutes. TIP: Add a splash of water if mixture seems dry. • Remove pan from heat; return chicken to pan. Let stand to warm through, 3 minutes.
• While rice cooks, in a small bowl, combine yogurt, sour cream, and half the cilantro. Stir in water 1 tsp at a time until mixture reaches a drizzling consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Transfer chicken to a cutting board; slice crosswise. • Fluff rice mixture with a fork and stir in a big squeeze of lemon juice to taste. • Divide rice mixture between bowls. Top with chicken and garnish with almonds and remaining cilantro. Drizzle with sauce. Squeeze juice from any remaining lemon wedges over bowls to taste. Serve.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Sep 2026- Flavor: The shawarma spice blend delivered warm, complex flavor that surprised many first-timers; some found it mild or one-note and wished the chicken had more seasoning.
- Ease of prep: The one-pan approach kept cleanup minimal and most found it easy to follow, though a few noted the rice took noticeably longer to cook than the recipe suggests.
- Suggestions: Use less carrots if you prefer a more balanced dish; add shawarma spice and lemon zest to the yogurt sauce for extra depth, as one reviewer found it really made the sauce pop 🌶️. A few also suggested toasting the almonds before serving.
- Leftovers: Several reviewers enjoyed this even more the next day, with one noting the flavors melded beautifully overnight.
- Raisins: Opinions on the golden raisins were split — some loved the sweet contrast; others preferred to use half the amount or skip them entirely. Consider adding them as a garnish rather than cooking them in if your household is raisin-skeptical.
Reviews from our home cooks
This dish was soooooo good! I'm so glad that I had decided to try it. I added some of the shawarma-spice to the yogurt along with a good bit of the lemon zest. It really made the sauce/dip pop. The rice was not only quick to make but so flavorful. I loved the sweet pop of the raisin. The almond help give it that crunch. The chicken came out so moist and tender. This was a dish that gave you everything. You get the sweet, savory, sour, salty and crunch all in one dish. Will definitely be making/ordering again.
I loved the preparation of everything in the same pan! I've never cooked rice in this manner, and loved the results. We especially enjoyed how the carrots came out within the rice pilaf, full of flavor and tender, without being mushy. As usual, the garnishes really elevate this meal, with the yogurt sauce and almonds adding welcome counterpoint and texture.
An easy and delicious meal, ideal when you need something quick and convenient. Love the one-pan convenience. Will definitely order again!
This doesn't need to be a one-pan recipe. The benefit from cleanup isn't worth how long it takes for the rice to cook. Also if you added oil every time the recipe tells you, it would be too oily.
Heavy spiced dishes can be hit or miss but this was quite good. I enjoyed how the cilantro helped to add a hint of light freshness to an otherwise deeply spiced meal.
Would order again! Very flavorful. Might consider chopping up the chicken into the rice versus having a cutlet on top.
Really enjoyed this. Seasoned the chicken before work, air fried the breasts when I got home. Was a quick weeknight meal especially using cauliflower rice.
Warm, comforting, and yummy! The rice took longer to cook than the recipe implies, but the result was great.
Absolutely loved the addition of the raisins to the rice. It was almost too flavorful.
Great taste-little confusing recipe making rice different than expected; cooked traditional way as I didn't want to risk undone rice in recipe. Good meal
