A simple blend of dry spices makes a tasty marinade that coats the chicken with Middle Eastern flavors so that you can enjoy this street food favorite whenever you like! It smells so amazing, and tastes even better!
What is Chicken Shawarma?
Chicken Shawarma is a popular dish in the Middle East, typically offered as street food from carts or small shops. Shawarma is normally made on a rotisserie that rotates vertically, and then slices of deliciously spiced meat are shaved off to order, to create wraps or platters with fresh sides like lettuce, tomato, and onion. In this recipe, we don’t need to feed the whole neighborhood, so we will bake Chicken Shawarma in the oven instead. You can also cook this shawarma recipe on the grill if you like. While shawarma can be made with any kind of meat, chicken is always my favorite. Middle East shawarma often adds these flavors to lamb, mutton, or beef as well! Marinating chicken to tenderize it is a popular method in Middle Eastern and Indian cuisines. For more examples of this method, try my easy Yogurt Marinated Chicken with lemon and garlic, or one of my personal favorites, this Lebanese Shish Tawook, also marinated with yogurt and warm spices.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Want to use your Instant Pot Today? Try my Instant Pot Chicken Shawarma Recipe instead!
Chicken Shawarma Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make this deliciously spiced chicken:
Boneless Chicken: Here I’m using chicken breast, but it works perfectly with boneless, skinless chicken thighs as well. Olive Oil and Lemon Juice: These ingredients add moisture to the marinade, and tenderize the meat. Garlic: Fresh minced garlic adds a rich, savory flavor. Use 6 whole cloves in this shawarma marinade – I promise it’s not too much garlic! Spices: Salt, ground cumin, your favorite paprika, freshly ground black pepper, ground cardamom, and ground cinnamon will do the trick to season your homemade shawarma.
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
How To Make Shawarma at Home
Recipe Tips
Grab my recipe for Toum Garlic Sauce, it’s perfect on chicken shawarma wraps and simple to make from scratch with just four ingredients! You can also make a similar but less complicated yogurt sauce for shawarma by mixing a cup of plain Greek yogurt with 1 clove of finely minced garlic, a squeeze of lemon juice, and a bit of salt and pepper. Try my other Shawarma Seasoning. It’s a fully authentic middle eastern spice blend made with ten different spices that are all ground fresh! If you make it, use 2 ½ tablespoons of it in place of the seasonings listed in the recipe. Marinate as long as possible. One hour of marinating time is barely enough to really get the flavors into the chicken. I suggest stretching that time to 3-4 hours, or even longer. Use the grill. Instead of baking the chicken, cook it over medium heat on your outdoor or indoor grill. Use a thermometer. The exact amount of time that it takes to fully cook the chicken will depend on how large your pieces are. An instant-read thermometer, inserted into the thickest part of the chicken should read 165°F (74°C) when chicken shawarma is done. Skip the slicing if you want to serve the chicken as a traditional main dish.
Storing Tips
Cooked chicken shawarma can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Leftovers make wonderful lunches, and are great for meal prepping!
How to Serve Chicken Shawarma
There are two main ways to enjoy this middle eastern shawarma.
As a Wrap: As you see here, sliced chicken shawarma makes a delicious wrap. I love mine with pickles and sliced onion! You can set out all of the toppings and let your family make their own.
As a Plate or Platter: Arrange the chicken with middle eastern salads and side dishes, with a pita or flatbread on the side.
Other Middle Eastern dishes that pair really well with chicken shawarma include hummus, falafel, tabbouleh salad, pearl couscous salad, or mujadara, which is a delicious traditional spiced rice and lentil dish.
This recipe makes enough chicken shawarma to serve 4 people, but you can stretch the chicken to serve up to six, especially if you’re making wraps.
Using this recipe for Chicken Shawarma is the easiest way to enjoy this tasty street food at home! Pin the recipe to save it for later, or make this right now!
© Little Sunny Kitchen
