Chicken Shawarma

The king of all Mediterranean street food – simple, savory Chicken Shawarma with a luscious lemon yogurt sauce – a treat for your taste buds!

Two Ways to Serve Shwarma

Shawarma is a traditional street food with its roots in the Middle East. A large meat skewer (usually beef, lamb, or chicken) is cooked rotisserie-style until tender and juicy on a vertical spit. Thin strips are then shaved off and served in a couple of different ways:

1. As a delicious dinner “plate” served with rice, salad, pita and hummus, or
2. It can be served as a wrap (flatbread or pita) with lettuce, tomato, and a tahini or yogurt dip/dressing on the side.

Other Recipes to Serve with Chicken Shawarma

• Syrian Rice is a savory side dish featuring butter, rice, pine nuts, and cinnamon. So so good!
• Tabouli s a simple, fresh salad that can be enjoyed on it’s own or in a pita or flatbread with shawarma!

Ingredients

Chicken: Boneless, skinless chicken thighs bring all the juicy flavor to this authentic shwarma recipe! Of course, you can use chicken breasts, but they won’t be as tender or flavorful.

Marinade: Yes, this is quite a list, but – trust me – worth every grain of goodness: sea salt, cumin, smoked paprika, turmeric, black pepper, cloves, cayenne, coriander, and cardamom, plus the juice of one lemon and a bit of avocado oil.

Yogurt Sauce: To make the yummy yogurt sauce, you’ll need plain Greek yogurt, full-fat sour cream, mayo, lemon juice, garlic powder, and cracked black pepper (optional).

Toppings: The chicken shwarma wraps will be assembled with soft flatbread, fresh lettuce, ripe tomatoes, red onion, and cucumber.

How to Make Chicken Shawarma

STEP ONE: Mix all the marinade ingredients in a large bowl or ziplock bag – avocado oil, fresh lemon juice, ground coriander, salt, ground cumin, ground cardamon, smoked paprika, ground turmeric, black pepper, ground cloves, and ground cayenne.

STEP TWO: Add in the chicken thighs and mix well. Allow to marinate in the refrigerator overnight (or at least 3 hours to soak up all the exotic flavors!)

STEP THREE: Make the sauce by mixing the Greek yogurt, sour cream, mayo, lemon juice, garlic powder, and black pepper in a small bowl. Cover the bowl and refrigerate until you’re ready to make the wraps. (This step doesn’t have to be done in advance, but doing so intensifies the flavors by allowing them to meld together beautifully.)

STEP FOUR: When cooking, remove the chicken from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature for about 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and line a baking sheet with foil and oil. Place the chicken thighs on the baking sheet and roast in the oven for 15 minutes. If you want charred edges, turn the oven to broil for a few minutes. Remove the chicken from the oven and set aside for 10 minutes before slicing it into thin strips.

STEP FIVE: Warm the flatbread and assemble the wraps with yogurt sauce, toppings (lettuce, sliced tomato, sliced red onion, chopped cucumber), and the shawarma. You’re going to flip for these!

Tips for Success

• Before marinating, place your chicken thighs between two layers of plastic wrap or parchment paper and pound until well tenderized. 
• Butter lettuce has the perfect taste and texture for adding to shawarma wraps!
• Warming the wraps for a minute just before assembling makes a huge difference in the enjoyment of this wrap!
• Always use a meat thermometer to ensure that chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 F to be fully and safely cooked.

What is Shwarma?

Shawarma is the barbecue of Middle Eastern cuisine! This incredibly popular dish starts with well-seasoned meats, traditionally lamb and mutton, cooked vertically on a rotisserie. The skewered meat is then sliced off into very thin strips and served with sides like rice, salad, tabouli, olives, flatbread, and hummus. 

Is Shawarma the Same Thing as a Gyro?

Gyro (from Greece) and shawarma (from Turkey) are rotisserie-cooked meats, but there are some differences! Gyro meat is usually made from a combination of beef and lamb and has mild, subtle seasoning, while shawarma can also use beef or chicken and features bold, bright spices to flavor the meat. Also, the gyro is always served on or with pita bread, usually with lettuce, tomato, onion, and tzatziki. Shawarma can be served with a variety of bread, like saj, saloon, or pita, and usually comes with tahini, hummus, pickled veggies, and French fries!

Other Marvelous Mediterranean-Inspired Recipes

• Greek Turkey Burgers
• Honey Mustard Chicken Kabobs
• Strawberry Feta Salad
• Mediterranean Crock Pot Chicken Thighs
• Souvlaki Salmon Skewers with Yogurt Feta Sauce
• Curried Couscous with Broccoli and Feta