Oven-Roasted Chicken Shawarma

Method

1. 1Make the marinade. Grate or crush the garlic, then whisk it with the olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, coriander, paprika, turmeric, allspice, cinnamon, cayenne and salt. The mixture should smell sharp and look brick orange, with no dry spice pockets left in the bowl.
2. 2Marinate the chicken. Open each thigh flat and trim only loose pieces of fat, leaving the thin edges that will crisp later. Coat every surface with the marinade, cover and refrigerate for 240 minutes. Do not leave it longer than 12 hours because the lemon will soften the outside of the meat too far.
3. 3Heat the oven and pan. Put a heavy rimmed baking sheet on the upper-middle rack and heat the oven to 240°C for 20 minutes. Slice the onion into 8 mm wedges while the pan heats. A hot metal surface starts browning immediately instead of letting the chicken steam in its juices.
4. 4Roast in a single layer. Carefully spread the onion over the hot pan and lay the thighs flat on top without overlapping them. Roast for 18 minutes, then turn each piece and roast for 8 minutes more. The thickest thigh should reach 74°C and the onion tips should be dark brown rather than pale and wet.
5. 5Broil the edges. Switch the oven to its highest broiler setting and move the pan 10 cm below the element for 3 minutes. Watch continuously; the marinade should blister in scattered black-brown spots, not burn into a solid crust. This short blast supplies the char that a home oven otherwise misses.
6. 6Rest and slice. Move the chicken to a board and leave it untouched for 6 minutes so its juices settle. Slice across the grain into 8 mm strips, then toss the strips through the roasted onion and pan juices. If you want more crisp edges, return the sliced mixture to the pan under the broiler for exactly 2 minutes.
7. 7Warm and serve. Heat the pita breads for 2 minutes in the switched-off oven, wrapped loosely in foil so they bend without drying. Spread each pita with toum, add hot shawarma and pickled cucumbers, then roll firmly. Serve at once while the meat edges are still crisp and the bread is warm.