Recipe: Chicken shawarma from Fast Feasts by John Gregory-Smith

Chicken shawarma is one of my favourite dishes, but it can be hard to replicate that lip-smacking kebab-shop vibe at home.

To nail it, I use a very quick and easy marinade: baharat and garlic provide flavour while yogurt and lemon tenderise the meat. Then I layer up the chicken in a loaf tin. This keeps it super-succulent in the oven. You’ll really notice the difference when you dive into your kebab.

Serves 4

• 3tbs olive oil
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 50g Greek yogurt
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2tsp baharat
• 600g boneless, skinless chicken thigh fillets
• 1 red onion, cut into rings
• 250g hummus (see below)
• 4 flatbreads
• 1 little gem lettuce, shredded
• Sea salt
• Pickles and chilli sauce, to serve

Preheat the oven to 200°C fan. Put 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, the juice of half a lemon, the yogurt, garlic, baharat and a good pinch of salt into a mixing bowl and mix well. Add the chicken and toss in the marinade. Layer the chicken into a 14 x 25cm non-stick loaf tin. Put the onion on top and drizzle over the remaining oil. Roast for 30-35 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and tender.

Slice the chicken into bite-sized pieces and put in a serving dish. Squeeze over the remaining lemon juice and add some salt. Spoon over a few tablespoons of the cooking juices and toss together.

Slather the hummus onto the flatbreads and top with the lettuce, chicken and onions. Serve immediately with pickles and chilli sauce at the table.

Hummus

• 1 x 400g tin of chickpeas
• 1 garlic clove
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 120g tahini

Drain the chickpeas over a bowl so you keep the liquid. Chuck the chickpeas, garlic, lemon, tahini and a good pinch of salt into a food processor. Pour in 100ml of the reserved chickpea water and blitz until smooth and creamy. Add an extra splash of chickpea water if it needs it, about 2 tablespoons should do it.