Chicken Shawarma with Tomato Relish and Tahini Sauce

The hubby and I had a lovely Labor Day weekend, although we did have to wait two whole days to eat the birthday cake. It was worth it. My lands, that is some good chocolate cake. We also celebrated the hubby's birthday with his family and with mine, and I attended a family reunion barbecue with my dad's family. (Just for the record, those Erickson women can seriously cook.)

Unfortunately, the hubby got pretty sick on Sunday, and he's still recuperating. He couldn't eat much, which meant I didn't cook much. When I'm sick, I eat a lot of scrambled eggs with jelly toast. When the hubby's sick, I eat a lot of scrambled eggs with jelly toast.

In other random news, we're at T minus 30 days until baby is scheduled to arrive. I'm still feeling pretty well, especially for a narcoleptic who's not getting any sleep. I even manage to take the pups on decently long walks each morning. But I'm not really a fan of meat. Or supper. Or meat for supper.

The hubby is, however, and it's more fun to cook for him, anyway. So tonight I made an adapted recipe from bon appetit for chicken shawarma, versions of which I've made before. But instead of serving this with the usual tzatziki sauce, the good folks at bon appetit recommended a salsa-like tomato relish and a lemony tahini sauce. We have plenty of fresh tomatoes, courtesy of my mother-in-law, and the relish was bright and fresh with a little kick from the serranos. And the spice mixture for the chicken and onions was fabulous -- easily one of the best that I've tried.

Chicken Shawarma with Tomato Relish and Tahini Sauce
Serves 4

1-1 1/4 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 onion, cut in 1/4" thick rounds
1/2 Tbsp. turmeric
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. white pepper
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
4 Tbsp. olive oil, divided (I think I used about 2 instead of 4)
4 whole pita breads

Tomato Relish
1 lb. ripe tomatoes, finely chopped, including seeds and juices
1/3 c. finely chopped red onion
1/8 c. chopped fresh parsley
1/8 c. olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp. minced serrano, seeded

Tahini Sauce
1/2 c. tashini (sesame seed paste)
1/4 c. fresh lemon juice
1/4-1/2 c. hot water

1. Arrange chicken and onions each in a separate dish. Combine turmeric, salt, coriander, cumin, and peppers in a small bowl.

2. Sprinkle onion slices with 1 Tbsp. spice mixture and drizzle with 2 Tbsp. olive oil, turning to coat both sides.

3. Sprinkle chicken breasts with remaining spice mixture and 2 Tbsp. olive oil, turning to coat both sides.

4. Cover and chill onions and turkey at least 4 hours, or up to a day beforehand.

5. Grill chicken and onions over medium heat until chicken is cooked through and onions are tender, about 10 minutes.

(I used a grill pan on the upper rack for the onions.)

6. Meanwhile, combine tomato relish ingredients in a medium bowl.

7. Combine tahini sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Start with 1/4 c. water and add more until sauce is of desired consistency.

8. Toast pita breads quickly on grill. Don't get distracted by playing fetch with your puppies and forget about the bread, because it will burn.

9. Cut chicken and onions into bite-sized pieces, and serve on pita bread with tomato relish and tahini sauce.

I was sort of distracted by playing fetch with my puppies and I burned my bread. But I think this was worth a little burnt bread.