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Meet your new Sunday routine: juicy shawarma-spiced chicken, oven-crisped sweet potato fries, and a cool, herby yogurt sauce. Build the bowls once, enjoy happy lunches all week.

Everything gets prepped on a couple of pans, then layered with greens and grains for color, crunch, and staying power. Cozy flavors, simple steps, very make-ahead friendly.

Meal Prep: Chicken Shawarma and Sweet Potato Fry Bowls | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Watch the How To Video Here:

They have texture, layers of flavor, and SO much color. A few months ago when I was writing the HBH cookbook manuscript, there was day after day of non-stop writing. No joke, non-stop writing. Typically, my days are filled with cooking and writing at night, so this was a bit of an adjustment for me, since I was basically doing zero cooking all week-long. This is when I turned to Sunday meal prep. That way, come lunch and dinner, I actually had food other than avocado toast and eggs to eat…not that there’s anything wrong with avocado toast and eggs, but you know, variety is occasionally needed in one’s diet.

I’m not sure why it took me so long to do something like this, but honestly, I am so excited about it! I love the idea of making a healthy delicious meal that can be enjoyed throughout the week.

Meal Prep: Chicken Shawarma and Sweet Potato Fry Bowls | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Meal Prep: Chicken Shawarma and Sweet Potato Fry Bowls | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Meal Prep: Chicken Shawarma and Sweet Potato Fry Bowls | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

OK, here’s how this whole meal prep thing works…or at least here’s how I do it. First, I highly recommend investing in some pretty glass storage containers. Not only are these convenient, but for me, they make the process a little more fun. And yes, I am so weird, but I like pretty things! I just ordered these Rubbermaid Glass Storage Containers on Amazon. I think they would be great for this recipe, and they clean up really nicely, which is always a huge bonus.

Second task, grocery shop! Look carefully at your recipe, read the ingredients closely, and then make your list! Once at the grocery store, try to physically cross off all of your items as you go. Most of us at one time or another, have gotten home only to realize that we forgot the most important ingredient! That is the worst…like the worst.

Once home, put everything away, get organized and then it is GO time. To prep for this recipe, you’ll need a couple of baking sheets and a pot for the couscous (or quinoa if that’s more your thing). Pretty simple.

The first step is to marinate the chicken for half an hour or so. If you’re short on time, you can definitely skip marinating, but I find it really tenderizes the chicken, making it much more moist and juicy. <–sounds really weird saying that out loud, but it’s true. I always start with the chicken, then while it’s marinating, I prep all the veggies.

The next step is to arrange the marinated chicken on one sheet pan and the sweet potatoes fries and asparagus on another. Then throw them all in the oven and roast. While those are cooking, I like to make the couscous. Sometimes I’ll use quinoa, but couscous is very middle eastern, so it fits more with the this recipe and its middle eastern roots. During this time I’ll also make the garlic tahini yogurt and then gather all the toppings, storing each in their own little container for easy access. When everything is done cooking, I let it all cool, then store everything in separate glass containers. I prefer to store ingredients separately so I can easily assemble my bowls when getting ready to serve. However, if you’re planning on taking these to work as lunch or you need your dinner completely assembled (maybe to take to a potluck), you can assemble the bowls like you see in the photos, just leave the avocado and lettuce off, as those are best to add right before eating.

Once everything is packed up, throw it in the fridge and DONE. How easy was that? Probably about an hour of work for a weeks worth of healthy lunches or dinners.

Um, yes please!

Meal Prep: Chicken Shawarma and Sweet Potato Fry Bowls | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Honestly, these bowls saved the day while I was writing the book. Now I am kind of hoping they will save yours too! And guys, if you’re not into meal prepping and you are simply in need of an easy dinner, this recipe is pretty dang good for that too.

Swaps & Variations

  • Protein: Chicken thighs ↔ breasts; tofu or chickpeas for a veg version (press tofu dry; roast chickpeas until light crackle).

  • Carbs: Quinoa, farro, or cauliflower rice (lighter, less starchy) in place of rice.

  • Sauce: Dairy-free? Use tahini + lemon + water to thin; extra herbs for brightness.

  • Add-ins: Quick pickled onions, cucumber, tomatoes, or feta for crunch/zing.

FAQ:

Can I marinate the chicken overnight?
Yes—longer marinating deepens flavor. Drain excess marinade before cooking to encourage browning rather than steaming.

Can I roast the chicken and fries on one pan?
Only if it’s a very large pan; crowding leads to pale chicken and soggy fries. Split across two pans or cook in batches for best texture.

What’s a good dairy-free sauce?
Whisk tahini with lemon, garlic, water, and salt until creamy; add chopped herbs. It’s bright and nutty without the yogurt.

Meal Prep: Chicken Shawarma and Sweet Potato Fry Bowls | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Chicken Shawarma and Sweet Potato Fry Bowls

Author: Tieghan Gerard
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings: 6 servings
Calories Per Serving: 998 kcal

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

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Ingredients

Garlic Tahini Yogurt

Instructions

  • 1. In a large gallon size zip-top bag, combine the chicken, honey, paprika, cumin, salt, pepper, lemon juice, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, and 2 tablespoons olive oil, toss to combine. Seal and chill for 30 minutes or up to 12 hours.
    2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
    3. Place the sweet potatoes on a large baking sheet and toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper. Transfer to the oven and cook for 15-20 minutes, then flip and bake for 15-20 minutes more.
    4. Place the asparagus on a baking sheet and toss with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, kosher salt and pepper. Transfer to the oven and roast for 10-15 minutes. 
    5. Place the marinated chicken on a large baking sheet and spread in an even layer. Transfer to the oven and roast for 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. 
    6. Divide the couscous among 4-6 storage containers and arrange the chicken, sweet potatoes, asparagus, olives, and sun-dried tomatoes on top. Alternately, you can store the couscous, chicken, and veggies in separate containers and assemble when ready. Food will keep in the fridge for up to 1 week. 
    7. Before serving, warm each bowl if desired and top with garlic yogurt (see below) and your desired toppings.

Garlic Tahini Yogurt

  • 1. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking. Keep stored in the fridge for up to 1 week. 
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Meal Prep: Chicken Shawarma and Sweet Potato Fry Bowls | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

AND it’s healthy too. You see, the bestest!

ps. while naan is not pictured, I highly, highly recommend it along side these bowls.

This post was originally published on March 1, 2017
3.95 from 528 votes (497 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  1. I didn’t get into meal prep until recently and I have to say, I LOVE it. Even when you work from home, it’s still so nice to have food ready and prepped for you.

    Reply

    1. I LOVE having it ready to go! I love the cooking part but when i’m hungry its so nice for it to be all ready! Thanks Gina (:

      Reply

  4. This is such a great and inspiring idea, Tieghan! Thanks, I know I’ll be trying it!

    Reply

  6. You know, this reminds me that I had been meaning to make a request! I’ve found a lot of “roundups” of make-and-freeze recipes online to do some meal prep. (I know this recipe above is not for the freezer) But the problem with a lot of them is that they frequently don’t align with my idea of healthy eating, often involving lots of ketchup or canned soup, etc. I would love to see your take on this kind of freezer-to-crockpot thing! A roundup, some new recipes, several recipes, a book??? A girl can dream…

    Reply

  7. I would eat this for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I work as a professional meal planner. I create a custom menu, do all the meal prep, and leave clients with instructions. This, is going to be a perfect addition to the menu. Thanks for all of your thought of meal prepping. I love how everything is on a sheet pan. Cooking in the oven is my favorite!

    Reply

  8. Funny to wake up to this post this morning. I am trying to do more meal prep, and the last time I made your Winter Vegetable Chicken Noodle Soup, I doubled it and put it in freezer bags in my freezer. Lo and behold, I woke up this morning with my second cold in 2 weeks! Man, I really wanted that soup and I was SO HAPPY that all I had to do was take it out of the freezer and pop it into a stockpot! I’m going to try both of these…YUM!

    Reply

    1. Ah thats such a bummer about the cold! SO sorry to hear that. Happy the soup helped (: Hope you feel better Nikki!

      Reply

    2. That is SO awesome! Well, not the sick part, but the soup part. So happy you enjoy the recipe. Thank you! 🙂

      Reply

  10. This looks so good – I am obsessed with sweet potato at the moment! x
    Izzy |http://www.pinchofdelight.com

    Reply

  12. all these flavors sound delicious together! if i made this, i’d probably store the fries separately from everything else, then re-toast/bake them to crisp them up a little more (:

    Reply

  15. Omg, looks amazing! You made me hungry and it’s still breakfast time here in the UK! Love love love all your recipes, you are truly inspirational, I don’t know how you do it.

    Reply