Shawarma is a common middle eastern street food, often served in a pita, or with rice. Although this recipe uses chicken, Shawarma can also be made using beef or lamb. As one of the best comfort foods, I believe this dish is perfect to ease the stress of finals week. 

Step number one is to make a marinade. First, finely chop an onion, one clove of garlic, and a red pepper. Then, combine this mixture in a food processor along with one tablespoon of mayonnaise, two tablespoons of lemon zest, orange zest, and tomato paste. Yogurt can also be added, depending on personal preference. Blend these together until it creates a uniform paste.

On the side, mix a squeeze of orange juice and lemon juice, three tablespoons of olive oil, and a tablespoon of each of your spices together in a large bowl. I use a pre-made shawarma spice mix, but this can be done using individual ingredients. The spices required are salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, cumin, paprika, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and bay leaves. These spices provide the most flavor to the recipe, so make sure to add them all. Then, incorporate the mixture from the food processor into the bowl and mix well.

Next, coat your chicken in the marinade and place on skewers. Metal skewers work best, but wooden skewers can be used as a substitute. Place the skewers over a metal pan or dish, and cover with chicken skin. Then place the chicken into the oven for about 45 minutes. Once that is over, remove the skin and place the chicken back in the oven for 10 minutes, or until the chicken browns. 

Enjoy!