Try this twist on a roast chicken, or make our classic roast chicken recipe here.
Ingredients
- whole chicken 1.5kg
- red onion 1 large, cut into thick discs
SHAWARMA SPICE BLEND
- black peppercorns 2 tsp
- cardamom pods 1 tsp
- cloves 1 tsp
- ground allspice 2 tsp
- garlic salt 2 tsp
- ground cinnamon 1 tsp
- dried oregano ½ tsp
- mild chilli powder ½ tsp
- paprika ½ tsp
- olive oil 3 tbsp
- lemon 1, juiced
TAHINI SAUCE
- tahini 2 tbsp
- natural yogurt 6 tbsp
- garlic 1 clove, crushed
- lemon 1 juiced
TO SERVE
- flatbreads or pittas warmed
- pickled turnips and chillies
- red onion slices
- cucumber slices
- tomato wedges
- shredded lettuce
- chilli sauce
Method
-
Step 1
Grind the whole spices with a spice grinder or pestle and mortar, then mix with the rest of the spices, olive oil and lemon. Rub over the chicken (including the cavity). Marinate overnight in the fridge (take out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking) or, if short on time, leave for an hour at room temperature.
-
Step 2
Heat the oven to 160C/140C/gas 3. Put the onions in the bottom of a roasting tin and sit the chicken on top. Cook for 21/2 hours, covering with foil if the chicken is catching (it will go dark with the spices).
-
Step 3
Mix together all of the tahini sauce ingredients and season. Rest the chicken for 20 minutes then pull into chunks and pile onto flatbreads with the accompaniments.
*This recipe is gluten free according to industry standards
Check out our other roast chicken recipes here

Nutritional Information
- Kcals 381
- Fat 26.9g
- Saturates 6.7g
- Carbs 6.5g
- Sugars 5.6g
- Fibre 2.1g
- Protein 27.4g
- Salt 1.4g