Description
Spice up your life - or at least your lunch or dinner - with these healthy, flavor-packed Low FODMAP Grilled Chicken Shawarma Quinoa Bowls! This low FODMAP version of shawarma is made with marinated chicken grilled on a barbecue or grill pan, served alongside crunchy veggies over nutritious quinoa, and topped with cooling low FODMAP tzatziki. Low FODMAP, gluten-free, and lactose-free (when the feta garnish is omitted).
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1.75 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
Low FODMAP Chicken Shawarma Marinade:
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons garlic-infused olive oil
- 1/3 cup lemon juice (freshly squeezed (from 1 large lemon)
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest (from 1 large lemon)
- 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne (optional*)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Dressing:
- A full batch of my Low FODMAP Tzatziki recipe
Produce:
- 1 cup red bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, sliced and then the slices halved horizontally
- 1/2 of a large English cucumber, sliced and then the slices halved (use the other half in the tzatziki)
- 1/2 cup scallions, green tops only, chopped
Quinoa:
- 3 cups cooked quinoa (such as from my Low FODMAP Instant Pot Quinoa recipe)
Garnish (optional):
- 1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled (omit to keep lactose-free)*
- 2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley
- Lemon slices
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken: The evening prior to cooking, put the chicken thighs in a large Ziplock bag and set aside. In a small bowl or measuring cup, add the marinade ingredients and whisk until well combined. Seal bag tightly and shift the bag around with your hands until the chicken thighs are evenly coated. Place bag in the refrigerator and marinate overnight.
- Prepare the tzatziki: Meanwhile, prepare the low FODMAP tzatziki. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Stir before serving.
- Chop the produce: Chop the red bell pepper, cucumber, and scallions. Cover and refrigerate.
- Cook the quinoa: Once the chicken thighs have marinated overnight and you are ready to start cooking, cook quinoa, either using my Easy Low FODMAP Instant Pot Quinoa instructions or by following the instructions on the package for the stove top.
- Grill the chicken: Preheat your grill (I use a natural gas grill) or grill pan on medium heat and allow the temperature to rise to 350°F. Place marinated chicken onto a plate, shaking off the excess marinade into the plastic bag (this will help mitigate flare-ups). Using grill tongs, place the chicken top side down on the grill grate. If there are parts of the bottom side of the chicken that didn't get marinated, use a basting brush to add marinade to any bare spots. Discard remaining marinade. Grill chicken for 5-6 minutes per side until a temperature of 165°F is reached per an instant read thermometer or iGrill thermometer. Remove chicken from the grill. Allow chicken to rest for 5 minutes. Then, slice the chicken into 1/2-inch slices, and place on a platter.
- Assemble the bowls. To assemble the bowls, add ¾ cup of cooked quinoa to each bowl. Then, place a quarter of the shawarma, red bell pepper, cucumbers, and scallions on top of the quinoa. Top with low FODMAP tzatziki. Garnish with crumbled feta, chopped parsley, and lemon slices (optional, see note).
Notes
- Update 3/4/22: Red bell pepper quantity updated to reflect Monash University's new low FODMAP serving sizes.
- Meal prep: This Low FODMAP Grilled Chicken Shawarma Quinoa Bowl recipe works great for meal prep. For the best results, marinate the chicken the night prior to cooking. You can also make the tzatziki, chop the produce, and cook the quinoa the night prior and simply reheat the quinoa in the microwave the next day (or eat it cold if that is to your liking).
- Cayenne: while generally believed to be low FODMAP in small quantities, cayenne contains capsaicin, which can trigger symptoms in some people with IBS.
- Feta cheese: Feta only contains trace amounts of the FODMAP lactose; however, if you want to keep this completely lactose-free, just omit the feta. It’s an optional garnish and the shawarma still tastes fabulous without it.
- Cooking times and nutritional information only includes that for the chicken shawarma and chopped produce and does not include information for the tzatziki and quinoa. Please see those respective posts for cooking time and nutritional information.
- Keto / low carb option: Make this recipe keto / low carb by substituting leafy greens for the quinoa! Macros without quinoa: Fat: 29g; Protein: 42g; Total carbs: 10g; Net carbs: 7g
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Salads and Bowls
- Method: Grill
- Cuisine: Levantine-Inspired
