Here’s how I came up with this Satisfying BBQ Shawarma Burger recipe. I love Shawarma, and I love burgers. I’ve never seen the two cross before. In a crazy experiment, I worked to create a burger with the elements of Shawarma. Of course, it wouldn’t incorporate the integral rotating component, but I tried to capture the flavors. I made up a recipe for the burger patty and homemade garlic sauce, and I’ll split up the directions to make it easy. So here it is: BBQ Shawarma Burger!
If you don’t know what Shawarma is, it’s a middle eastern dish that tastes awesome and is super garlicky. Now, as for where it originates from exactly, many argue Lebanon, Turkey and many other Mid East Countries. The word Shawarma actually comes from the Turkish word çevirme, which means to rotate. It’s prepared on a vertical spit where a stack of meat (often chicken, beef or lamb) slowly rotates while it is roasted for several hours. The meat is then shaved off the stack and served on a plate with sides or served in a pita as a Shawarma sandwich.
Satisfying BBQ Shawarma Burger
Ingredients
TO MAKE THE GARLIC SAUCE:
1 cup Greek yogurt - plain
4 cloves garlic - chopped
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 pinch salt - to taste
TO MAKE THE PATTIES
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 dash cinnamon
1 dash red pepper flakes- 4 cloves garlic - minced
1 pound ground chicken (minced chicken)
2 cups breadcrumbs
½ cup milk - low-fat
Instructions
- Let’s first make the garlic sauce. Simply put all ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth. The sauce has a tendency to break, so it’ll have to sit for a little while in the fridge.
- Next, place the chicken in a large bowl.
- Add the spices, bread crumbs, and then the milk.
- Mix thoroughly and form the patties into even sizes, and place on a tray.
- Heat the grill to medium heat and coat the grill with non-stick spray. If you’re afraid of the patties melting through the grill, you can always heat a cast-iron skillet or griddle with a bit of olive oil and cook that way. I used a skillet to just crisp the outside to make it sturdier.
- Cook 5 minutes per side.
- Once they’re done, place on a bun or pita and dress with garlic sauce, hummus, lettuce, tomato, pickle, pickled turnip if you can find it, hot peppers and whatever else you like to get on your Shawarma. There you have it, a Shawarma style burger! Let me know what you think, and don’t forget to share with your friends and pin whatever you like!
