Chicken Shawarma Panini with Garlic Toum
Juicy yogurt-marinated chicken thighs, seared with a warm shawarma spice blend, are layered with tangy pink pickled turnips, parsley and a fluffy, fiercely garlicky toum, then pressed on ciabatta until crisp and golden.
- Prep
- 40 min
- Cook
- 26 min
- Wait
- 1 hr 5 min
- Total
- 2 hr 11 min
- Makes
- 4 panini (plus about ¼ cup leftover toum)
Steps
Before you start
- The chicken needs at least 1 hour in the marinade (up to 12 hours in the fridge), so start there. You can make the toum while it marinates.
- Toum is made with raw garlic and oil. Keep it refrigerated and use it within 1 week.
- Have everything for the toum measured before you start. The oil must go in as a very thin stream, so you can't pause to measure.
- Use a food processor with at least a 3-cup (700 ml) bowl. A tiny chopper tends to split the toum.
- Pat the pickled turnips dry on paper towels so the panini don't turn soggy.
Mix the marinade
- In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil, 2 tbsp (30 ml) lemon juice, grated garlic, cumin, coriander, paprika, turmeric, cinnamon, allspice, cardamom, black pepper, cayenne (if using) and 1½ tsp salt until it forms a smooth, thick, orange-gold paste with no dry spice pockets.
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Ready when: Marinade is uniformly colored and spreadable like thick pancake batter.
Tip: Taste a tiny dab of the marinade. It should taste boldly salty and spiced, because it seasons the whole chicken.
Marinate the chicken
- Pat the chicken thighs dry, add them to the bowl and turn until every piece is thickly coated.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 12 hours.
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Ready when: Chicken is evenly coated and has taken on a deep golden color.
Tip: Don't marinate longer than 12 hours. The lemon juice and yogurt will make the meat mushy.
Make the toum
- In a food processor, blend the garlic and ½ tsp salt for about 1 minute, stopping to scrape down the bowl twice, until it forms a fine, sticky paste.
- Add 1 tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice and process 20 seconds.
- With the motor running, add the oil in a thread as thin as a pencil lead, taking about 3 minutes for the first ½ cup (120 ml).
- Add another 1 tbsp lemon juice, then drizzle in the remaining oil.
- Finish with the last 1 tbsp lemon juice and the ice water.
- Scrape the bowl and blend 15 seconds more.
- Refrigerate in a lidded jar.
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Ready when: The toum is bright white, thick and fluffy like mayonnaise and holds a spoon upright.
Tip: If the toum looks oily or starts to separate, stop adding oil. Blend in 1 tbsp ice water and continue more slowly. Adding the oil too fast is the main cause of splitting.
Prep the fillings
- Toss the sliced red onion with the sumac (if using) in a small bowl and let it sit while you cook.
- Pat the pickled turnips dry and the tomato slices dry.
- Pick the parsley leaves.
- Keep everything separate so you can assemble quickly.
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Ready when: Onion slices are slightly softened and deep pink from the sumac.
Tip: Salted tomato slices release water, so blot them with a paper towel just before assembling.
Sear the chicken
- Heat a 12-inch (30 cm) cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat for 2 minutes.
- Add 1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil.
- Lift the chicken from the marinade, letting excess drip off but leaving the spice coating.
- Lay the pieces in a single layer without touching, working in 2 batches if needed.
- Cook 5–6 minutes without moving, until the underside is deeply browned, then flip and cook 4–6 minutes more.
- Reduce the heat to medium if the spices begin to smell acrid.
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Ready when: Both sides are dark golden-brown with charred edges and an instant-read thermometer in the thickest piece reads 175°F (80°C). The minimum safe temperature is 165°F (74°C).
Tip: Crowding the pan steams the chicken instead of browning it. Use two batches if the pieces touch.
Rest and slice
- Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and rest for 5 minutes so the juices settle.
- Slice across the grain into thin strips about ¼ inch (6 mm) wide, and toss with any juices from the board.
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Ready when: The slices are juicy and opaque all the way through with no pink.
Prepare the bread
- Split the ciabatta rolls and spread about 1 tbsp of toum on each cut side, going all the way to the edges.
- Brush the outside of the rolls lightly with the 2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil for even browning.
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Ready when: Cut sides are fully covered and the outer crust has a light sheen of oil.
Tip: If the rolls are very tall, gently pull out some of the soft interior crumb so they press down flat.
Assemble the panini
- On the bottom half of each roll, layer a quarter of the sliced chicken, 2 tomato slices, a quarter of the pickled turnips, a quarter of the sumac onions and a handful of parsley.
- Close with the top half and press down firmly with your palm.
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Ready when: Fillings are even and don't overflow the edges.
Tip: Put the tomato between the chicken and the pickles, not against the bread, to keep the crust crisp.
Press until crisp
- Heat a panini press, or a 12-inch (30 cm) skillet or grill pan, over medium heat.
- Press 2 sandwiches at a time for 5–6 minutes.
- In a skillet, weigh them down with a heavy pan and flip once halfway.
- Repeat with the remaining 2 sandwiches.
- Slice each panino in half on the diagonal and serve at once with extra toum for dipping.
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Ready when: Crust is deep golden with visible grill marks, crunches when tapped, and the sandwich is hot in the center and flattened to about half its height.
Tip: If the bread browns before the middle is hot, lower the heat slightly and press 1–2 minutes longer.
Good to know
Tips
- Make your own shawarma spice in bulk: multiply the dry spices by 4, store in a jar for up to 6 months, and use 2 tbsp plus 1 tsp per batch of chicken.
- For the most authentic char, finish the sliced chicken in a very hot dry skillet for 1 minute, so the edges crisp like rotisserie-cut shawarma.
- Toum is potent. If it's too sharp for you, use only 6 garlic cloves and keep the same amount of oil and lemon.
- Cut the sandwiches while they are hot but give them 1 minute to settle, so the fillings stay put.
Make ahead
"Marinate the chicken up to 12 hours ahead. The toum keeps in the fridge for up to 1 week, and its garlic flavor mellows after 24 hours. Cook and slice the chicken up to 2 days ahead, then reheat it in a skillet for 2 minutes before assembling."
Storage & reheating
"Pressed panini are best eaten fresh. Wrapped in foil, leftovers keep at room temperature for up to 2 hours. Refrigerate cooked chicken in an airtight container for up to 3 days, and toum in a sealed jar for up to 1 week. Freeze cooked sliced chicken for up to 2 months, thawing overnight in the fridge. Reheat panini in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 8–10 minutes or in a skillet over medium-low heat, covered, for 4–5 minutes per side. Do not freeze toum."
Substitutions
- toum → Garlic mayonnaise: stir 2 finely grated garlic cloves and 1 tsp lemon juice into ½ cup (120 g) mayonnaise. Faster, but milder and creamier. Toum is airier and sharper. Use the same 1 tbsp per roll side.
- pickled turnips → Dill pickle slices or quick-pickled red cabbage. Gives similar acidity and crunch. Drain well and pat dry.
- ciabatta rolls, about 4 × 5 inches (10 × 13 cm) each → Large pita or flatbread folded around the filling, or a baguette cut into 4 portions. Pita presses faster, about 3–4 minutes. A baguette needs 6–7 minutes.
- boneless, skinless chicken thighs → Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved horizontally into thin cutlets. Cook to 165°F (74°C) and no higher, about 4 minutes per side. Breast dries out quicker than thigh.