Easy Sheet Pan Chicken Shawarma Bowls with Veggies

easy-sheet-pan-chicken-shawarma-bowls-with-veggies

When you want all the cozy, warm flavors of Middle Eastern food with one-pan convenience, try these Sheet Pan Chicken Shawarma Bowls with a creamy cilantro-lime sauce. They’re made using just one pan so clean up is easy – and they’re packed with veggies like colorful bell peppers, riced cauliflower, crunchy cucumbers, and sweet grape tomatoes.

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That sheet Pan life chose You.

We know you love easy sheet pan meals and quick clean-up as much as we do so created this weeknight dinner gem to help make getting a delicious, veggie-packed meal on the table easier than ever.

These Sheet Pan Chicken Shawarma Bowls are like a burrito bowl, but with warm, Middle Eastern-inspired spices like cumin, coriander, paprika, and turmeric instead of Mexican-inspired flavors. Piled high with roasted veggies, crisp lettuce, crunchy cucumbers, and sweet cherry tomatoes then drizzled with a cilantro-lime sauce.

What makes these Sheet Pan Chicken Shawarma Bowls the absolute best is that aside from all that deliciousness packed into one bowl, they’re made entirely on one sheet pan, which we know you love, so clean up is a breeze.

Ingredients for Sheet Pan Chicken Shawarma Bowls

This delicious one-pan meal starts with wholesome, real food ingredients like:

  • Chicken thighs Boneless, skinless chicken thighs cook up nice and tender are are less prone to overcooking than chicken breasts
  • Garlic
  • Ground coriander 
  • Paprika
  • Ground cumin
  • Ground turmeric
  • Fine salt and black pepper
  • Avocado oil or Olive oil
  • Lemon juice
  • Red onion
  • Bell peppers – Any color with do!
  • Riced cauliflower – Use fresh riced cauliflower from the produce section (not frozen)
  • Romaine lettuce
  • Grape or cherry tomatoes
  • Cucumber, diced
  • Cilantro
  • Primal Kitchen Cilantro-Lime Dressing and Marinade* (See below for homemade options) 

These bowls can be made ahead on the weekend for an easy reheat-and-eat kind of meal (goodbye, boring lunches) or you can prep all of the veggies and marinate the chicken so it’s ready to bake when you need to get a hot meal on the table with next to no fuss.

How to Make Chicken Shawarma Bowls

  1. Make the marinade: Place the chicken in a zip-top bag or container with a lid. Combine the garlic, cumin, coriander, paprika, turmeric, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Add 2 tablespoons oil and juice of ½ lemon and stir to combine. 
  2. Pour the marinade over chicken and massage to coat well. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 48 hours. 
  3. When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 375℉. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. 
  4. Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard any excess marinade. Place the chicken in a single layer on one end of the baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
  5. While the chicken is baking, make the homemade Cilantro-Lime Dressing (if using, See Notes below for recipe). 
  6. After 15 minutes, remove the pan from the oven. Add the peppers and onions to the middle of the baking sheet and the riced cauliflower to the end opposite the chicken. Drizzle cauliflower with the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and toss gently to coat. Sprinkle veggies with a pinch of salt. 
  7. Return the pan to the oven. Bake an additional 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through (165℉ on an instant-read thermometer) and veggies are tender. 
  8. Remove thee pan from the oven. Serve the chicken and peppers over the cauliflower rice along with chopped lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers. Drizzle with Cilantro-Lime Dressing, sprinkle with chopped cilantro and serve with lemon wedges. 
Sheet Pan Chicken Shawarma Bowls: A black bowl filled with cauliflower rice, roasted veggies, sliced chicken thighs, lettuce, cucumbers, and cherry tomatoes and drizzled with a cilantro-lime sauce.

That sauce though.

By themselves, these Sheet Pan Chicken Shawarma bowls are amazing. But adding a drizzle of Primal Kitchen Cilantro-Lime Dressing & Marinade takes them over. the. top and ties all of flavors together perfectly.

Made with avocado oil, this dressing and marinade doubles as creamy sauce that delivers big flavor from cilantro and lime that pairs well with the spices in this dish and just about any kind of taco-y Mexican dish you can think of (like our Slow Cooker Carnitas, Slow Cooker Beef Barbacoa, One-Dish Chicken Fajita Bake, Taco-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes, and more). 

A sheet pan filled with marinated chicken thighs, bell peppers, red onions, and rice cauliflower along with a bottle of Primal Kitchen Cilantro-Lime Dressing and Marinade used to create Sheet Pan Chicken Shawarma Bowls.

Keepin’ it clean.

Did we already mention that these Sheet Pan Chicken Shawarma Bowls are easy on the dishes? Lining the baking sheet with parchment paper makes clean up even easier.

You know what else will be clean? Your plate!

Plus you’ll walk away satisfied and nourished thanks to a healthy dose of protein, fat, vitamins and fiber. We call that a win-win.

Sheet Pan Chicken Shawarma Bowls: A black bowl filled with cauliflower rice, roasted veggies, sliced chicken thighs, lettuce, cucumbers, and cherry tomatoes and drizzled with a cilantro-lime sauce.

Chicken Shawarma Bowls: FAQs

  • Are these Sheet Pan Chicken Shawarma Bowls Whole30 compatible?
    • Since the Primal Kitchen Cilantro-Lime Dressing and Marinade does contain honey, it’s not Whole30-compatible, but don’t worry, we’ve got you covered with a homemadeWhole30-friendly version in the recipe card below that features Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil Mayo.
  • Can these be bowls be prepped ahead?
    • Yes! The recipe can be made ahead on the weekend for an easy reheat-and-eat meal (goodbye, boring lunches) or you can prep all of the veggies and marinate the chicken so it’s ready to bake when you need to get a hot meal on the table with next to no fuss.
  • Can I freeze the leftovers?
    • Sure! We recommend freezing only the chicken, cauliflower rice, peppers, and onions. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat as desired before serving with chopped lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, Cilantro-Lime Dressing, and a lemon wedge. Leftovers may be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

More Bowl Recipes You’ll Love

Recipe

Sheet Pan Chicken Shawarma Bowls

Part salad, part entree, these Sheet Pan Chicken Shawarma Bowls with Cilantro-Lime Dressing are hard to beat when you’ve got a hankering for an easy, takeout-inspired one-pan meal.

Prep: 20 minsCook: 30-35 mins + Time to marinateTotal: 50-55 mins

Ingredients

  • lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander 
  • 1½ teaspoons paprika (may substitute smoked paprika)
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon fine salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil, divided (may substitute olive oil)
  • Juice of ½ lemon
  • ½ medium red onion, thinly sliced lengthwise
  • 2 small bell peppers, any color, sliced
  • 4 cups riced cauliflower (~16 ounces)
  • 4 cups chopped romaine lettuce
  • 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 small cucumber, diced
  • Handful of chopped, fresh cilantro (optional) 
  • ⅓ cup Primal Kitchen Cilantro-Lime Dressing and Marinade* (see below for homemade options) 

Instructions

  1. Make the marinade: Place the chicken in a zip-top bag or container with a lid. Combine the garlic, cumin, coriander, paprika, turmeric, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Add 2 tablespoons oil and juice of ½ lemon and stir to combine. 
  2. Pour the marinade over chicken and massage to coat well. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 48 hours. 
  3. When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 375℉. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. 
  4. Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard any excess marinade. Place the chicken in a single layer on one end of the baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
  5. While the chicken is baking, make the homemade Cilantro-Lime Dressing (if using, See Notes below for recipe). 
  6. After 15 minutes, remove the pan from the oven. Add the peppers and onions to the middle of the baking sheet and the riced cauliflower to the end opposite the chicken. Drizzle cauliflower with the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and toss gently to coat. Sprinkle veggies with a pinch of salt. 
  7. Return the pan to the oven. Bake an additional 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through (165℉ on an instant-read thermometer) and veggies are tender. 
  8. Remove thee pan from the oven. Serve the chicken and peppers over the cauliflower rice along with chopped lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers. Drizzle with Cilantro-Lime Dressing, sprinkle with chopped cilantro and serve with lemon wedges. 

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Notes

*Homemade or Whole30-compliant option: Combine  cup Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil Mayo, 1 clove of garlic, peeled and smashed, ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves, ¼ tsp. salt + more to taste, and the juice of ½ lime (about 1½ tsp.) in a blender or food processor and blend/process until smooth.

*Egg-Free Option (contains dairy): Combine  cup plain yogurt, 1 clove of garlic, peeled and smashed, ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves, ¼ tsp. salt + more to taste, and the juice of ½ lime (about 1½ tsp.) in a blender or food processor and blend/process until smooth.

Nutrition Information

  • Serving Size: ¼ recipe (includes dressing)
  • Calories: 435
  • Fat: 27g
  • (Sat Fat: 5g)
  • Sodium: 734mg
  • Carbohydrate: 22g
  • (Fiber: 7g
  • Sugar: 10g)
  • Protein: 33g

Dietary

© The Real Food Dietitians

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Overhead view of chicken shawarma bowls with cauliflower rice, roasted veggies, sliced chicken shawarma, and drizzled with cilantro-lime dressing.

This post was made possible by our friends at Primal Kitchen. Although we received compensation for this post, the opinions expressed here are – as always – 100% our own. Thank you for supporting the great companies we work with thereby allowing us to continue creating great recipes and content for you.

Photo Credit: The photos in this blog post were taken by Jess of Plays Well with Butter

Jessica Beacom

Jessica Beacom

Jessica is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist living in Boulder, CO with her husband and two daughters. She’s been described as a ‘real food evangelist’ and loves sharing her knowledge with others to help them break free of the diet mentality and find their own food freedom. In her spare time, she enjoys CrossFit, telemark skiing, mountain biking, and camping out under the stars.

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