Elevate your weeknight dinner with juicy chicken shawarma meatballs atop fluffy rice, fresh veggies and creamy tahini yogurt sauce! Bursting with bold middle eastern spices, these easy ground chicken meatballs bake up in the oven in just 20 minutes. A super flavorful, protein-packed meal idea perfect for prepping ahead. (Psst I double the recipe to make enough for two nights!)
Scrumptious chicken shawarma but make it meatballs! We’re so fun.
I’m such a sucker for filling bowl recipes complete with carbs, protein, veg, healthy fats, and a killer sauce.
And if you’ve made my skillet chicken parm meatballs, you know meatballs are my love language for weeknight dinners because they’re quick, you don’t have to pound them like chicken breast, and they’re SO satisfying.
I have strong hunch that this gorg meal with bangin’ shawarma-spices, cooling tahini Greek yogurt sauce, tangy feta, and crisp veggies is going to make a regular appearance on your dinner rotation like it has mine!
Starring ingredients (and why)
- Ground chicken: I developed this recipe with 93% lean ground chicken (you want some fat or they’ll be dry). These would also work well with ground turkey or beef!
- Panko: A non-negotiable in this meatball recipe. I tested this with oats and they didn’t absorb enough moisture.
- Spices: It took a few tries to get the spice mixture just right, but I’m obsessed with the shawarma flavor here. I use more cinnamon than other recipes because I love the warmth it adds, and I go for smoked vs sweet paprika because I love the depth it adds.
- Olive oil: I find a lot of baked meatball recipes dry, so to ensure these are nice and juicy, I love to add a splash of EVOO to the mix. Extra healthy fats, too!
- Tahini yogurt sauce: This 5-minute creamy yogurt sauce fills the need for a creamy, cool sauce to balance the bright, warm shawarma flavors.
- Veggies: Cool veggies add that much-needed fresh, crisp bite to complement all the cooked components.
- Rice: I love these with cooked white rice but if you’re feeling more of a sandwich vibe, you could always ditch the rice for a pita.
Let’s make ’em!
Storing leftovers
Store all components separately in the fridge for up to 5 days. The meatballs freeze very well. I make a double batch so we have enough for two nights, but you could also freeze half!
I hope you’re as obsessed with this fun twist on chicken shawarma as I am!
I’d be super grateful if you’d take a moment to leave a quick star rating and review below. Comments mean the world to me and your honest feedback helps me to continue to share recipes you’ll crave!
Chicken Shawarma Meatball Bowls With Yogurt Tahini Sauce
-
Prep Time:
20 minutes -
Cook Time:
20 minutes -
Total Time:
40 minutes -
Yield:
4 servings 1x -
Category:
Bowls -
Method:
Oven -
Cuisine:
Middle-Eastern -
Diet:
Gluten Free
Description
Elevate your weeknight dinner with juicy chicken shawarma meatballs atop fluffy rice, crisp veg and creamy tahini yogurt sauce! Bursting with bold middle eastern spices, these easy ground chicken meatballs bake up in the oven in just 20 minutes. A super flavorful, protein-packed meal idea perfect for prepping ahead. (Psst I always double the recipe to make enough for two nights!)
To make these super fast, you can use frozen rice, store-bought tzatziki or hummus, and simple chopped fresh veggies or pickles.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
For the meatballs:
For the bowls:
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
- Place egg, olive oil, onion, garlic, panko, salt, cumin, smoked paprika, turmeric, cinnamon and pepper in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. Add ground chicken and use your hands to gently combine the mixture. Try not to over-mix or meatballs will be tough.
- Form into golf ball sized meatballs (I got 16). Place evenly spaced on baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare rice (I do this in my Instant Pot**). Make tahini yogurt sauce and cucumber tomato salad, if using (or simply slice tomatoes and cucumbers).
- To assemble bowls, scoop some rice into a shallow bowl. Top with meatballs, veggies, a big drizzle of yogurt sauce, and plenty of feta for tang. A sprinkle of fresh parsley and/or sumac is beautiful here if you have them!
Notes
*If you don’t love the flavor of cinnamon in savory meals, you can cut it down to ⅛ tsp.
**How I make Instant Pot rice (we do this weekly!): Place 2 cups basmati rice in Instant Pot with 2 cups water, 1 tsp kosher salt, and a drizzle of olive oil. Cook on “Manual” for 4 minutes. If using long grain white rice, cook for 3 minutes. Cooking time is ~22 minutes for brown rice.
