Easy Chicken Shawarma
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The best homemade shawarma recipe using the most amazing (and easy!) spice mixture. Great for salads, wraps + bowls!
Featured Comment
why i love this recipe
- The chicken is marinated overnight. This allows all the lovely shawarma spices to infuse overnight, allowing for even deeper flavors.
- No special equipment needed here. A vertical rotisserie would be great but it’s absolutely not necessary here. By using a cast iron grill pan or large cast iron skillet, you’ll have perfectly seared, tender, juicy perfection here.
- This freezes beautifully. The chicken can easily be frozen in the marinade for up to 3 months, ideal for meal prep for quick and convenient dinners for months to come.
- Served in so many ways. Chicken shawarma can be served in wraps, grain bowls or salads – something for everyone in the family to enjoy.
what is shawarma
Shawarma, originating from the Ottoman Empire, is a very popular street food item from the Middle East, made from marinated meats such as lamb, beef or chicken, slow-roasted on a vertical spit, basting in its own juices, and thinly sliced. Shawarma is often times wrapped in pita or served over rice.
tips and tricks for success
- Use a cast iron grill pan or cast iron skillet. Cast iron skillets retain heat much better than a nonstick skillet, allowing for even cooking and a better sear.
- Grill outdoors. When the weather permits, use an outdoor grill for even more smoky, charred flavors.
- Marinate for at least 2 hours. Allow the chicken to marinate as long as possible (up to 1 day) – the longer it marinates, the more flavorful it will be!
- Freeze as needed. Chicken shawarma is a great recipe to freeze in its marinade in an airtight, resealable freezer bag, thawing overnight. Label, date and freeze up to 3 months.
what to serve with chicken shawarma
Tools For This Recipe
Cast iron grill pan or large cast iron skillet
Easy Chicken Shawarma: Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, chicken breasts can absolutely be used here but chicken thighs have more dark meat and a higher fat content which will yield juicier, more flavorful chicken when thrown on the grill.
Chicken shawarma is typically served as a wrap (in a flatbread such as pita bread). We personally love to serve this with a side of tzatziki sauce.
No grill, no problem. A cast iron grill pan or a large cast iron skillet will work beautifully here, especially during those winter months when it’s too cold to grill out!
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Yes! The chicken shawarma can be frozen in the marinade prior to cooking in an airtight, resealable freezer bag up to 3 months, thawing overnight and cooking as directed.
Easy Chicken Shawarma
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 ½ tablespoons canola oil
Equipment
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together olive oil, water, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, coriander, paprika, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, ginger, cayenne pepper, cardamom, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
- In a gallon size Ziploc bag or large bowl, combine chicken and olive oil mixture; marinate for at least 2 hours to overnight, turning the bag occasionally. Drain the chicken from the marinade.
- Preheat grill to medium high heat.
- Brush chicken with canola oil; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Add chicken to grill, and cook, turning occasionally, until chicken is completely cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 10 minutes.
- Serve immediately with tzatziki sauce.
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Can you add in air fryer cook time and temperature for chicken thighs? IF you do recommend this as an option instead of grilling….January here and 22 degrees outside 🙂
Love, love, love! Marinated overnight and used cast iron pan on stovetop to cook. Great flavor!
Exquisite! A fusion of flavors that my family thoroughly enjoyed. Homemade naan and tzatziki sauce complemented the dish perfectly. I will undoubtedly prepare it again!
Excellant on salad! Many thanks for this easy recipe!
This is my new favorite meal, and in regular rotation at our homel The marinade is easy to make and the spices are perfect! Grilling the chicken takes it over the top, with a nice sear. I serve it with a cucumber, tomato, red onion & feta salad, and serve tzatziki sauce and baba ganoush on the side, along with naan or pita. SO damn delicious! Another banger from this site, thank you!
Looks and sounds wonderful. Wanting to make this for friends, one of which does not like chicken. What other meats would be appropriate.Love all of your recipes.
Thank you
Hi, thank you for this recipe! I’m new to cooking and I was wondering: should I make shallow cuts in the chicken/ poke holes in it with a fork before marinating or should I leave it whole? Various sources online say it is best to cut the chicken or poke holes in it, but they mention not to do it if the marinade is acidic. Given that this recipe contains lemon juice, I am on the fence about what to do. Any help is greatly appreciated! 🙂
No need to poke holes or anything. Just put it in a ziplock and make sure you rub the spices on all the pieces. You’ll do great.
Oh my goodness, sorry for the late reply! I didn’t realize how this website’s comments work and thought I’d get a notification via email Thank you so much for your help, I’ll be sure to follow your advice. Have a good one 🙂
One of my favorite recipes! I use chicken breasts; I brine the breasts before marinating them to keep them juicy. Then, I serve them with lemon spinach cous cous and curry cauliflower. Very flavorful!
I’ve made your recipe twice this week already and love it! The only thing I did differently was add more lemon juice because I like the extra tang.
Delicious! This went over really well with all at my house!
We discovered Shawarma Chicken at Trader Joe’s. I knew I could make it better with even better cuts of chicken. This recipe is amazing! So flavorful! I make it 3 batches at a time and use my Food Saver to vacuum seal individual meals for our family. Highly recommended!!
Could I mix up the marinade and chicken then put it in the freezer to cook at a later date?
Yes! This is all I do. I use my Food Saver and vacuum seal individual meals for my family. Lots of seasonings – so I set up a station with several bowls… just go down the line. Mix everything well. I even use a spatula at the end to get all that marinate goodness in the bag.
Was awesome
What vegetable side(s) would you recommend for this dish? I’m not accustomed to making middle eastern food, and this sounds delicious!
I usually put mine over rice and top with diced cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, purple onion, and feta. I top with a pretty good amount of vegs so I don’t make a side but a (spinach) salad would go well.
Could you make these in a slow cooker?
So good! I wasn’t ready for the flavor! I had all of the ingredients except the tuner IC in my cabinet. I marinated the chicken overnight, turning occasionally like the recipe suggests. It did not disappoint. I cannot wait to eat the leftovers!
Just made this for dinner and everyone loved it! Thank you.
If we don’t have a grill, can you modify this same recipe to either pan fry or bake the checken?
This is truly the best chicken I have ever made. We had a salad bowl and I made the tzatziki recipe linked here too, It was so refreshing a just DAMN DELICIOUS!!!! I have made several of you recipes and they are always great.
So so good!!! Made with boneless skinless chicken thighs and by far my favorite marinade of all time. Trying with boness, skinless chicken breasts tomorrow because that’s all I had in the freezer. Hoping it comes out as good.