Almost-as-Good-as-a-Restaurant's Chicken Shawarma

Juice from 1 lemon

¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil

1½ teaspoons sea salt

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons sweet paprika

½ teaspoon turmeric

1/8 scant teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more to state)

2 pounds boneless, skinless organic chicken thighs (about 8)

1 large red onion, peeled and cut into 8 pieces

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Make the marinade: Add lemon juice, ¼ cup olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, turmeric, cinnamon and red pepper flakes to a 1-gallon zipper-lock bag; seal and then shake to combine. Unseal the bag, add chicken, press out as much air as possible and seal the bag. Massage the chicken in the bag to coat well with the marinade. Refrigerate for 2, and no more than 12 hours.

One hour before roasting, remove marinating chicken from the refrigerator.

Place the oven rack in the center position and begin heating the oven to 425 degrees. Coat a rimmed sheet pan with the remaining tablespoon of oil. Unseal the chicken marinade bag, add the quartered onion, seal the bag and massage the chicken and onion together to coat the onion. Evenly distribute the bag's contents onto the prepared sheet pan.

Roast the chicken until it reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees and is lightly browned, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and rest for 5 minutes.

The chicken can be served in whole pieces; drizzled with some pan juices and dusted with parsley or sliced and, using oven-warmed pita, made into sandwiches.

Nutrition values per thigh with pan juice: 213 calories (48.6 percent from fat), 11.5 g fat (2.1 g saturated fat), 4.2 g carbohydrates, 1 g sugars, 0.8 g fiber, 23 g protein, 94 mg cholesterol, 536 mg sodium.

Shawarma sandwich side suggestions: homemade tzatziki, diced tomato, thin-sliced English cucumber, olives, or feta.

Based on a recipe by Sam Sifton