Vegan Chicken Shawarma Bowls
These Vegan Chicken Shawarma Bowls are layered with hummus, couscous salad, pickled red onions, and chicken shawarma made out of soy curls.
These bowls have the perfect combo of flavors. From the creamy hummus, to the pickled onions to the crunchy vegan chicken, it is a party in a bowl! It might seem like a lot of ingredients, but I promise you, it comes together quickly and is totally worth it!
How to make vegan chicken shawarma
You already know my love for soy curls after I shared my Vegan Orange Chicken recipe. And I have so many more ideas to use these little guys. Today’s recipe was on the top of my list. I feel like the soy curls have the perfect texture to replicate crispy chicken and they take on the shawarma seasoning extremely well.
First step is to rehydrate the soy curls. Just cover them in hot water and let them sit for 10 minutes. While that is happening, you can get together the marinade. Grab your seasonings, lemon, olive oil, vegan chicken bouillon, garlic and agave.
Once the soy curls are rehydrated, squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Place them in a bowl with all of the marinade ingredients and toss to combine. Cover and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
When you are ready to eat, heat some oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add the soy curls and cook until browned on both sides.
How to make couscous salad
The other main component of these bowls is the couscous salad. Start out by cooking the couscous according the package instructions. Transfer to a bowl and place in the fridge until chilled.
Right before serving, combine the chilled couscous, sun-dried tomatoes, drained chickpeas, fresh herbs, garlic, arugula, olive oil, salt, pepper and oregano. Give everything a good toss. This salad is good enough to eat on its own, but will taste even better with the soy curl shawarma!
How to make Vegan Chicken Shawarma Bowls
Now it is time to bring everything together. To each bowl add a smear of hummus. Top it off with the couscous salad, soy curl shawarma, pickled red onions and olives.
Serve with warm pita bread on the side for a totally filling and delicious bowl. The leftovers from these bowls make the best lunch the next day. Eat it cold, or reheat the soy curls. Either way is great!
Need more recipe inspo? Check these out:
Vegan Chicken Shawarma Bowls
Ingredients
FOR THE VEGAN CHICKEN SHAWARMA
- 4 oz soy curls dry
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- cayenne to taste, optional
- 1/2 teaspoon vegan chicken bouillon* or salt, to taste
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic diced
- 1 tablespoon agave or maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons olive oil plus more for cooking
FOR THE COUSCOUS SALAD
- 1 1/3 cup pearl couscous dry
- 1 can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes roughly chopped
- 1 clove garlic diced
- 4 tablespoons fresh herbs I used basil & parsley
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 handfuls arugula
- salt & pepper to taste
FOR THE BOWLS
- hummus
- pickled red onions
- olives
- warm pita optional
Instructions
- Add the soy curls to a bowl and cover with boiling water. Allow to sit for 10 minutes. Drain the soy curls and rinse with cold water. Use your hands to squeeze out as much water as possible. Place in a large bowl.
- Combine the vegan chicken bouillon and little bit of water in a bowl and stir until dissolved. Add the mixture to the soy curls with the rest of the marinade ingredients. Stir to combine and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook the couscous according to the package instructions. Transfer to a large bowl and place in the fridge to cool. Once chilled, add the rest of the salad ingredients to the bowl and toss to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Place in the fridge until ready to serve.
- To cook the soy curls, heat a couple tablespoons of oil in a pan. Add the soy curls to the pan and cook until browned on both sides (working in batches if needed). Remove from the heat.
- To assemble, add a layer of hummus to each bowl, followed by couscous salad, soy curl shawarma, pickled red onions and olives. Serve with pita bread on the side.
Notes
This post may contain affiliate links. If you click on one and make a purchase I will receive a small percentage of the sale. Please know I would never link a product unless I have personally used it and loved it!
If you make any of these recipes be sure to snap a photo + post it + and tag #thissavoryvegan and @thissavoryvegan!
I would love to make this, but we have a soy allergy in our family. Any recommendations for an alternative?
You could still make the sauce and then braise chickpeas in it on the stove!
So I was running low on time and forgot the hummus and greens, and didn’t do the pickled onions or olives. I still thought it was an amazing multilayered flavorful meal! I will add some of the other things to the leftovers. Note I did need to add some extra acid to the soy curls to brighten up the flavor
So glad you liked it!