Shawarma-Spiced Grilled Chicken Thighs, Cauliflower Rice, Maitake msuhrooms, and Baja Purple Cabbage Slaw
A whole Middle Eastern-style feast in one spice blend: juicy shawarma-spiced chicken and crispy, meaty maitake mushrooms, piled over cauliflower rice with a crunchy purple slaw, a bright cilantro green sauce, and a cool lemon-garlic yogurt sauce. It's colorful, fun to build at the table, and even better as leftovers.
Yield: 4-6 servings · Active: 55 min · Total: 1 hr 15 min (plus 30 min chicken marinade, ideally 4+ hours) · Year-round · Best eaten: early evening
Complete Menu
Shawarma-Spiced Grilled Chicken Thighs
Roasted Maitake Mushrooms
Cauliflower Rice
Baja Purple Cabbage Slaw with Coconut Aminos, Lime, and Cilantro
Zhoug-Style Cilantro Green Sauce
Lemon-Garlic Yogurt Sauce
Optional accompaniments: harissa or hot sauce, fresh mint, lemon wedges, sliced avocado, butter lettuce cups for wrapping, homemade preserved lemon.
Your Game Plan
4-24 hours ahead: Make the spice blend and marinate the chicken.
About 1 hr out: Heat the oven to 425°F. Make the slaw so it can rest, and blend the green sauce and yogurt sauce.
About 40 min out: Maitake goes into the oven. Pull the chicken from the fridge and rice the cauliflower.
About 25 min out: Grill or sear the chicken.
About 10 min out: Cook the cauliflower rice while the chicken rests, then finish the maitake with its garlic ghee.
Plate and set out the sauces.
A note on shawarma
Shawarma is the Levantine and Middle Eastern tradition of spice-marinated meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie, sliced thin, and wrapped in flatbread with tahini, pickles, and salads. Traditional shawarma spice blends vary by country and family but center on the same aromatic core: cumin, coriander, paprika, turmeric, cardamom, cinnamon, allspice, sometimes with cloves, ginger, or dried herbs added. The same spice blend works beautifully on both meat and vegetables, which is why it ties this whole meal together.
Using the same blend on the chicken and the maitake makes them taste like siblings on the plate rather than competing flavors.
Shared Shawarma Spice Blend
This spice blend is used in both the chicken and the maitake. It makes about 7 tbsp: half for each. Double it if you'd like extra on hand; it keeps for months.
Ingredients
2 tbsp ground cumin
2 tbsp sweet paprika
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp ground Ceylon cinnamon
1 tsp ground allspice
½ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
Method
Combine all the spices in a small bowl. Divide in half: half for the chicken, half for the maitake.
Recipe 1 — Shawarma-Spiced Grilled Chicken Thighs
Yield: 4-6 servings · Active: 15 min · Total: 40 min (plus 30 min marinade minimum, ideally 4+ hours)
Ingredients
2 lb pasture-raised chicken thighs (bone-in skin-on for the most flavor, or boneless skinless for a quicker weeknight)
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Zest of 1 lemon
5 garlic cloves, finely minced
Half of the shawarma spice blend (about 3½ tbsp)
1½ tsp Baja Gold sea salt
¼ cup whole-milk grass-fed yogurt (sheep's, goat's, or cow's milk; a traditional Middle Eastern tenderizer)
Method
Make the marinade. In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, half the shawarma spice blend, salt, and yogurt.
Marinate. Pat the chicken dry, add it to the marinade, and toss to coat every piece. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes (4-24 hours is ideal; the yogurt tenderizes and the spices sink in).
Take the chill off. Pull the chicken from the fridge 20 minutes before cooking.
Grill or pan-sear.
Grilling: Heat the grill to medium-high (about 425-450°F). Grill bone-in thighs 6-7 minutes skin-side down, then 8-10 minutes on the other side. Boneless: 5-6 minutes per side. The yogurt and spices char beautifully, but if flare-ups get fierce, move the thighs to a cooler spot for a minute.
Pan-searing: Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high. Sear bone-in thighs skin-side down 5-6 minutes, then transfer to the 425°F oven for 12-15 minutes. Boneless: 4-5 minutes per side.
Either way, cook to at least 165°F; thighs are even more tender at 175°F.
Rest. Transfer to a warm platter and rest 5-7 minutes.
Slice or leave whole. For shawarma-style presentation, slice the thighs against the grain into thin strips. For classic plating, leave them whole.
Garnish with fresh cilantro and lemon wedges.
Recipe 2 — Shawarma-Spiced Roasted Maitake Mushrooms
Yield: 4-6 servings (as a co-star with the chicken) · Active: 10 min · Total: 40 min
Ingredients
1½ lb fresh maitake mushrooms (also called hen-of-the-woods), separated into large florets or "steaks"
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp ghee or grass-fed butter, melted, divided
4 garlic cloves, finely minced
Half of the shawarma spice blend (about 3½ tbsp)
1½ tsp Baja Gold sea salt
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice (added at the end)
2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
Zest of ½ lemon
Method
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper.
Prep the maitake. Break the maitake into large florets or hand-torn "steaks" (2-3 inch pieces). Don't wash them; brush off any debris with a dry brush or a slightly damp paper towel. Excess water prevents browning.
Make the marinade. In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, 1 tbsp of the melted ghee, half the shawarma spice blend, and salt.
Toss. Add the maitake and toss gently to coat every surface without breaking the mushrooms.
Arrange. Spread them on the sheet pan in a single layer, cut-side down where possible. Don't crowd them; the mushrooms need space to caramelize rather than steam.
Roast. Roast 25-30 minutes, without turning, until the edges are deeply crispy and the mushrooms have shrunk and concentrated. They should look almost meaty, which is just the shawarma-style texture you want.
Make the garlic ghee. In the last few minutes, warm the remaining 1 tbsp ghee in a small pan over medium-low heat, add the garlic, and cook 30-60 seconds until fragrant and just golden.
Finish. Transfer to a warm serving platter. Drizzle with the garlic ghee, squeeze lemon juice over the top, and scatter with parsley, cilantro, and lemon zest.
Recipe 3 — Cauliflower Rice
Yield: 4-6 servings · Active: 10 min · Total: 15 min
Ingredients
1 large head cauliflower (about 4 cups riced)
2 tbsp ghee or extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely minced
½ tsp Baja Gold sea salt
Optional: ¼ tsp ground cumin and a pinch of turmeric, for a golden, lightly spiced rice
2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Zest of ½ lemon
Method
Rice the cauliflower. Cut it into florets and pulse in a food processor, in batches, until it looks like rice. Stop before it turns mushy.
Cook. Heat the ghee in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and optional spices for 30 seconds, then add the cauliflower and spread it out. Cook 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender with a few golden bits. Leave the lid off; covering it steams the rice soft.
Finish with the salt, parsley, and lemon zest.
Recipe 4 — Baja Purple Cabbage Slaw with Coconut Aminos, Lime, and Cilantro
Yield: 4-6 servings · Active: 15 min · Total: 25 min
A crunchy, tangy, jewel-purple slaw that brightens every bite of the rich, spiced chicken.
Ingredients
½ medium head purple cabbage (about 6 cups), very thinly sliced
1 medium carrot, julienned or coarsely grated
½ small red onion, very thinly sliced
½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Optional: 1 jalapeño, seeded and thinly sliced
Lime dressing
Juice of 2 limes, plus the zest of 1
2 tbsp coconut aminos
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp raw honey
½ tsp Baja Gold sea salt
Method
Make the dressing. Whisk together the lime juice and zest, coconut aminos, olive oil, honey, and salt.
Toss. Combine the cabbage, carrot, onion, cilantro, and optional jalapeño in a large bowl, pour the dressing over, and toss well.
Rest 10-15 minutes so the cabbage softens slightly and soaks up the dressing. It stays crunchy for a day or two.
Recipe 5 — Zhoug-Style Cilantro Green Sauce
Yield: about 1 cup · Active: 10 min · Total: 10 min
Inspired by zhoug, the bright, spicy Yemeni cilantro sauce. A spoonful wakes up everything on the plate.
Ingredients
2 cups fresh cilantro (leaves and tender stems), packed
½ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, packed
1-2 green chilies (jalapeño or serrano), seeded for milder heat
2 garlic cloves
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp ground cardamom
Juice of 1 lemon
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp Baja Gold sea salt
Method
Pulse the cilantro, parsley, chilies, garlic, spices, lemon juice, and salt in a food processor until finely chopped.
Drizzle in the oil. With the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil until you have a loose, slightly textured sauce. Taste and adjust the salt and heat.
Recipe 6 — Lemon-Garlic Yogurt Sauce
Yield: about 1 cup · Active: 5 min · Total: 5 min
Cool, creamy, and garlicky: the perfect counterpoint to the warm spices. Because it's never heated, the yogurt's live cultures stay intact.
Ingredients
1 cup thick whole-milk yogurt (sheep's, goat's, or grass-fed cow's milk)
1 small garlic clove, finely grated
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice, plus a little zest
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp fresh mint or dill, finely chopped
¼ tsp Baja Gold sea salt
Optional: 1-2 tbsp tahini, for a nutty yogurt-tahini sauce
Method
Whisk everything together until smooth. Taste and adjust the salt and lemon.
Rest 10 minutes for the garlic to mellow, then drizzle with a little extra olive oil to serve.
Plating the Complete Meal
Build family-style on a large warm platter: pile the cauliflower rice in the center as the base, then arrange the shawarma-roasted maitake and sliced chicken alongside each other. Serve the purple cabbage slaw in a separate bowl, and set out the green sauce and yogurt sauce in small bowls for drizzling. Add lemon wedges, fresh cilantro, and mint.
It's a festive, colorful spread: golden-crispy chicken and mushrooms, white cauliflower rice, deep purple slaw, bright green sauce, creamy white yogurt, and yellow lemon wedges. A real Middle Eastern feast.
Sourcing (essential picks)
Pasture-raised chicken thighs — from a local farm raising birds on pasture, or White Oak Pastures
Fresh maitake mushrooms (hen-of-the-woods) — from a farmers' market or a local specialty mushroom grower. Look for firm, dense, tightly ruffled clusters with no slime or brown spots. Wild maitake peaks in autumn (September-November), and cultivated maitake is excellent year-round. An honest note: only eat foraged mushrooms identified by an expert
Yogurt — raw sheep's or goat's milk yogurt from a local farm is the gold standard; Kalona SuperNatural whole milk yogurt (100% grass-fed, low-temp pasteurized, non-homogenized, no additives) or Bellwether Farms sheep's milk yogurt are the best widely available options
Spices — Burlap & Barrel and Diaspora Co., both of which source single-origin spices directly from small farms (Diaspora Co.'s turmeric and cardamom are exceptional). Buy whole seeds and grind them fresh when you can, and choose true Ceylon cinnamon from Sri Lanka
Coconut aminos — Coconut Secret (organic, made from just coconut sap and sea salt)
Purple cabbage, carrots, red onion, and cauliflower — organic, from a farmers' market
Green chilies — organic jalapeños or serranos
Fresh lemons and limes — organic (you're using the zest)
Fresh cilantro, parsley, mint, and dill — organic, from a windowsill pot or farmers' market
Fresh garlic — organic hardneck varieties
Ghee — Ancient Organics, or homemade from grass-fed butter. Clarified butter (samneh) is traditional across Middle Eastern cooking
Grass-fed butter — cultured butter from 100% grass-fed cows, or raw butter from a local dairy
Tahini (optional) — 100% ground sesame, stone-ground; Al Arz, from Nazareth, is a favorite
Raw honey — local, unfiltered
Single-estate extra virgin olive oil — harvest-dated within the past year, in dark glass
Baja Gold sea salt for cooking; fleur de sel de Guérande or Maldon for finishing
Storage
Cooked shawarma chicken: Refrigerated up to 4 days, sealed. Delicious shredded into lettuce wraps or over salads with the yogurt sauce
Roasted maitake: Refrigerated up to 3 days, sealed. Reheat at 400°F for 5-6 minutes to recrisp. Delicious cold over salad the next day
Cauliflower rice: Refrigerated up to 3 days; reheat in a hot skillet
Purple cabbage slaw: Refrigerated up to 2 days (it softens a little but stays tasty)
Cilantro green sauce: Refrigerated up to 5 days with a thin layer of olive oil on top to keep it bright
Yogurt sauce: Refrigerated up to 5 days
Shawarma spice blend: Room temperature up to 3 months in a sealed jar
Marinated chicken (before cooking): Refrigerated up to 24 hours. Freeze marinated raw chicken up to 2 months for easy meal prep
Leftover transformations: Tuck leftover shawarma chicken and maitake into butter lettuce cups with slaw and both sauces for lunch; add them to a simple soup with bone broth and cauliflower rice; slice them cold onto salad greens with sheep's milk feta and lemon vinaigrette; scramble with pastured eggs, a spoonful of green sauce, and fresh herbs for a Middle Eastern-inspired breakfast.
Support for the Female Infradian Rhythm
This meal is deeply supportive across all cycle phases and particularly restorative during the menstrual and luteal phases. Pasture-raised chicken delivers B12, complete protein, and iron for menstrual iron replenishment. Maitake mushrooms deliver beta-glucans (immune-modulating polysaccharides), ergothioneine (an antioxidant found in mushrooms in far higher amounts than in any other food), vitamin D (when they've been grown in or exposed to sunlight), and B vitamins. The full shawarma spice blend (cumin, coriander, paprika, turmeric, cardamom, cinnamon, allspice) delivers exceptional anti-inflammatory support. Turmeric's curcumin is especially helpful for menstrual cramping, and black pepper's piperine boosts its absorption dramatically (by up to 2,000% in one well-known study). Cardamom and cinnamon support blood-sugar stability during the luteal phase. Raw purple cabbage delivers sulforaphane (it forms as you chew) and anthocyanins for estrogen metabolism. The raw yogurt sauce brings live cultures that support the estrobolome. The warming, deeply spiced character of the whole meal matches the menstrual and luteal craving for grounding food.
Nourishment Notes
Pasture-raised chicken thighs — B12, choline, iron, complete protein. Dark meat carries more iron, zinc, taurine, and B12 than white meat.
Maitake mushrooms — beta-glucans, ergothioneine, vitamin D, immune modulation. Maitake (also called "hen-of-the-woods") is one of the most prized culinary mushrooms. Beta-glucans support immune function and healthy blood-sugar response. Ergothioneine is an antioxidant found in mushrooms in far higher amounts than in any other food, with documented antioxidant effects, especially on skin and cellular membranes. Wild-foraged maitake also delivers vitamin D (formed through UV exposure while growing) and B vitamins. Traditional across Japanese cooking for both food and restorative support.
Whole yogurt — in the marinade, its gentle lactic acid and calcium tenderize the chicken (the heat of cooking ends its cultures). In the raw yogurt sauce, the live cultures stay intact, along with calcium, K2, and, in sheep's and goat's milk, A2-type casein.
Full shawarma spice blend — anti-inflammatory aromatic oils and antimicrobial compounds. Cumin's cuminaldehyde; coriander's linalool; paprika's capsanthin and beta-carotene; turmeric's curcumin (with black pepper's piperine); cardamom's cineole (digestive-supporting); Ceylon cinnamon's cinnamaldehyde (blood-sugar supportive); allspice's eugenol; and cloves' eugenol (antimicrobial). Together, they deliver an exceptional load of bioactive compounds, traditional across Middle Eastern cooking as both flavor and medicine.
Cauliflower — glucosinolates, choline, vitamin C, vitamin K, fiber.
Purple cabbage — anthocyanins (the source of that jewel color), vitamin C, vitamin K, fiber. Eaten raw, it keeps its myrosinase enzyme, so sulforaphane forms as you chew.
Lime and coconut aminos — d-limonene and vitamin C from the lime; soy-free umami from aged coconut sap.
Green chilies — capsaicin and vitamin C.
Fresh garlic — allicin and organosulfur compounds. Delivers cardiovascular and antimicrobial support.
Fresh lemon — d-limonene and vitamin C. Concentrated in the zest, d-limonene supports Phase 2 liver detoxification.
Fresh herbs (cilantro, parsley, mint, dill) — vitamin K, chlorophyll, and aromatic oils. Cilantro is traditionally valued for heavy-metal binding; parsley delivers exceptional vitamin K; mint delivers menthol.
Grass-fed ghee and butter — CLA, K2, butyrate, and beta-carotene.
Extra virgin olive oil — oleic acid and polyphenols. Amplifies absorption of the fat-soluble curcumin, beta-carotene, and vitamin D across the meal.
Tahini (optional) — sesame lignans, calcium, magnesium. Stone-ground sesame delivers lignans (sesamin and sesamolin) that support hormone balance, plus calcium and magnesium.
— Anna aka Food Marshall