Chicken Shawarmalaya - some recipe I created (pics inside)

I'm a big fan of chicken shawarma...jambalaya too, of course. I came up with a recipe of cooking chicken shawarma with rice similar to like you would a jambalaya. I'm not claiming any authenticity to the marinade for the shawarma. I'm sure it could be improved, but I like this one. Outside of the marinade, you basically follow the same process that you would for cooking jambalaya.

Ingredients:
• 2/3 cup fresh lemon juice (you'll need several lemons. I used 5 or 6 I think)
• 2/3 cup olive oil
• 4 teaspoons ground cumin
• 4 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 medium zucchini cut into ½-inch cubes
• 2 1/2 cup rice - I use Jasmine or Basmati
• 32 oz chicken stock
• 1 bunch of fresh parsley, chopped (1/2 is cooked in and 1/2 is a garnish)
• 2 cucumbers chopped (for serving)
• 2 medium plum tomatoes chopped (for serving)

White sauce ingredients (optional)
• 3 tablespoons mayo
• 3 tablespoons greek yogurt (plain)
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• Salt to taste

Instructions
1. Marinate the chicken: Combine the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, cumin, paprika, turmeric, cinnamon and red pepper flakes in a large bowl, and whisk to combine. Add the chicken and toss well to coat. I didn't cut my chicken up into pieces at this point, but I think it would be better to do that next time. Cover and store in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 12 hours.



2. Get your cast iron pot very hot. Remove the chicken from the marinade, and let it fry in the pot until you have browned it down really good. I would have browned mine a little more but I was in a bit of a rush.



Remove from pot when done and set aside.

3. Add the onion to the pot and scrape up all the browned bits at the bottom. Let this cook down about 5 minutes.



4. Add the zucchini to the pot and let it cook down a couple minutes. You don't want to cook too long, else it will get mushy.



5. Cut the chicken up (if you haven't already done this) into whatever size pieces you want. I did strips.



6. Add the rice, chicken stock, chicken, the leftover marinade, and half the parsley. Bring to a simmer and cover on very low heat for 25 minutes.



7. While its cooking, prep the topping: Toss the cucumbers and tomatoes with olive oil and salt (and a splash of lemon juice, if desired). For the white sauce, just whisk together all ingredients in a bowl.

8. Turn off the heat, uncover and roll the rice from the bottom to the top. Cover and let sit 10-15 minutes.



9. Serve shawarmalaya into a bowl.



Scatter the cucumber-tomato topping over it and drizzle white sauce. Chili garlic sauce is also very good with this.



I also sprinkle some fresh parsley on top as well.



Enjoy fellas.