So I’m not going to lie…I was skeptical about this one.  Shawarma in the slow cooker?  But we love the dish, and with a crazy horse show schedule, wildness at work, life, and the universe, the slow cooker is our friend right now.  So we gave it a try and were pleasantly surprised! This is not traditional shawarma, but it is a close approximation in the flavor category.  We gobbled it up for sure.  We made this with toum and Moroccan spiced steamed carrots (our own from the garden!) as a side – pretty delish dinner!  I’d do this one again with very little tweaking beyond double the amount of chicken at the start for more leftovers, and decrease the liquid a hair.  I might also try bone-in chicken next time for a bit more flavor.

• 3-4 chicken breasts (if bone-in, remove the skin)
• 1 tsp sumac
• 1 tsp each salt and pepper
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1 1/2  Tbsp cumin
• 3 cloves garlic chopped finely
• 1 Tbsp ginger
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tsp cardamom
• chili pepper (to taste, add more if you like heat, omit if you don’t)
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
• chicken stock

Place the sumac, salt and pepper garlic, turmeric, coriander, cumin, ginger, cardamom and chili pepper in a bowl and mix.  Add the chicken breasts and toss to coat.

Add the vegetable oil to the bottom of the slow cooker, then add the chicken mixture.  Pour the lemon juice on top and add enough water to almost cover the chicken about 3/4 of the way up.

Cook on low heat for 8 hours, until the chicken is falling apart, keep on warm until just before serving  A few minutes before eating, transfer the chicken and liquid to a large pan.  Shred the chicken with forks, and serve with toum for dipping.

Toum:

• 12 cloves garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

Add garlic, salt, and lemon juice to the food processor and process until fine (pulsing would be better).  Scrape sides and slowly add oil through the feeder.  Taste for salt and lemon juice, adjust if needed.