Chicken Roll with Toasted Garlic Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 kg Chicken thighs and drumsticks or chicken wings (Use bone-in; the recipe also allows substitution with chicken wings.)
• 1 Lemon (Sliced, for cleaning and flavoring the chicken.)
• 1 cup Full-fat plain yogurt (For the marinade.)
• 3 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil (For the marinade.)
• 1 tbsp Sweet or smoked paprika
• 1 tsp Ground cumin
• 1 tsp Garlic powder
• Salt (To taste.)
• Black pepper (To taste.)
• 1 Red onion (Cut into petals.)
• 1 head Garlic (Peeled cloves for the sauce.)
• Olive oil (Enough to cover the garlic cloves; approximately 120 g are estimated for the preparation, although some will be drained.)
• 1 cup Greek yogurt or mayonnaise (Choose Greek yogurt or mayonnaise for the sauce.)
• 2 tbsp Tomato paste or concentrated tomato purée
• 1 tbsp Sumac
• 0.5 Lemon (Juice of half a lemon.)
• Salt (A pinch, for the sauce.)
• 6 Flatbread, thin pita bread, wheat tortilla, or lavash (One per roll; the quantity is estimated for six servings.)
• Crispy French fries (Amount to taste; approximately 300 g are estimated for six rolls.)
• Pickles (Sliced and to taste; approximately 180 g are estimated.)

Steps

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Place the chicken in a baking dish and clean it with water and the lemon slices. Make small shallow cuts in the pieces to help the marinade penetrate.

2. 2

   In a bowl, mix the plain yogurt, 3 tbsp of olive oil, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Stir until you have a uniform marinade.

3. 3

   Pour the marinade over the chicken and coat all the pieces. Distribute the red onion petals over the top.

4. 4

   Cover the baking dish first with parchment paper and then with aluminum foil, sealing the edges well. Roast for approximately 45 minutes, until the chicken is very tender and comes away easily from the bones.

5. 5

   While the chicken is roasting, place the peeled garlic cloves in a small saucepan. Add enough olive oil to cover them.

6. 6

   Cook the garlic over low heat until the cloves are golden and tender. The oil should bubble gently without allowing the garlic to darken too much.

7. 7

   Drain the garlic cloves, reserving the juices from the baking dish for brushing the rolls. Mash the toasted garlic until it forms a paste.

8. 8

   Mix the garlic paste with the Greek yogurt or mayonnaise, tomato paste or purée, sumac, the juice of half a lemon, and a pinch of salt. Taste and adjust the salt if necessary.

9. 9

   Remove the roasted chicken from the baking dish. Once it is cool enough to handle, remove the bones and shred the meat, keeping it coated in the juices and roasted onion.

10. 10

    Place a flatbread on the work surface. Spread a generous portion of the toasted garlic sauce in the center, leaving space around the edges for folding.

11. 11

    Add a portion of shredded chicken over the sauce. Top with crispy French fries and sliced pickles.

12. 12

    Fold the sides of the flatbread inward and roll it tightly like a burrito, keeping the filling securely enclosed.

13. 13

    Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Brush the outside of each roll with some of the juices left in the baking dish.

14. 14

    Place the rolls in the hot skillet, seam-side down, and brown on both sides until crispy with golden grill marks. Serve immediately, with extra sauce if desired.

Notes

The bread options are interchangeable. The oil used to confit the garlic is partially drained before incorporating the garlic into the sauce. For food safety, cook the chicken until it reaches 74 °C in the center of the thickest part. Serve the rolls immediately after browning to preserve the crispiness of the fries and bread.

Nutrition per serving

• main course
• Middle Eastern food
• shawarma
• wrap
• chicken
• roasted
• crispy
• garlic sauce