Easy Chicken Shawarma
by Chungah
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The best homemade shawarma recipe using the most amazing (and easy!) spice mixture. Great for salads, wraps + bowls!
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Why You’ll Love This Chicken Shawarma 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 Chicken 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.
How to make chicken shawarma
- Prep the marinade. Whisk everything together in a large enough bowl to add the chicken for convenience and less dishes (or combine everything in a gallon size Ziploc bag).
- Add the chicken and marinate. Marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight – the longer it sits, the better!
- Preheat the grill. Preheat the grill for at least 10-15 minutes to prevent sticking and for those perfect sear marks. If a grill is not accessible, a cast iron grill pan or a large cast iron skillet can be used instead.
- Cook the chicken. Cook the chicken until golden brown, reaching an internal temperature of 165°F. For optimal juiciness, remove the chicken at 155°F–160°F, allowing it to rest for 5 minutes as the carryover heat will bring it to the final safe temperature of 165°F.
- Let it rest. Let the chicken rest for carryover cooking (as mentioned above) and maximum juiciness!
- Serve. Serve in bowls, wraps, platters, or salads.
How to serve chicken shawarma
Chicken shawarma bowls
Serve the diced chicken in bowls on a bed of rice and/or greens, tomatoes, cucumbers and crumbled feta cheese, drizzled with tzatziki sauce or hummus.
Classic pita wraps
Slice the chicken shawarma and serve in warm pita bread (to prevent tearing) with cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, and tzatziki sauce.
Family style
Serve the chicken platter style alongside pita bread, salad, and tzatziki sauce.
Best Sides 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!
To ensure juicy, moist chicken, marinate the chicken for at least 1 hour, avoid overcooking (use an instant-read thermometer) and let it rest prior to slicing and serving.
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
Video
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
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.
Notes
- 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. Ensure that the grill is properly cleaned (to prevent sticking) and preheated prior to grilling. This will allow for a better sear for those grill marks and evenly cooked chicken.
- 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!
- Use an instant-read thermometer for the most accurate results. The internal temperature should reach 165°F.
- Let your meat rest. Let your chicken rest for at least 5 minutes prior to serving, allowing the juices to redistribute – this will allow for maximum flavor and juiciness.
- Reheat in the oven. Leftover chicken can be rubbery when reheated. For best results with leftovers, reheat in the oven at 350°F, covered in aluminum foil, until warmed through.
- 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.
Did you make this recipe?
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I made this for dinner with no changes to the recipe and it was better than our favorite Indian restaurant!
It was OUTSTANDING!!
Thank you for putting together such great flavors in this recipe.
Wow, this was pretty simple to prepare and the flavors were excellent. The “marinade” is more like a paste so I added a little extra water and lemon juice. It was still pretty thick (is a spice bomb for sure) and so I used my massage skills to make sure each chicken thigh was properly coated. Marinated for 7 hours. I brushed each with vegetable oil and cooked on super hot BBQ grill. The thighs cooked pretty quickly and the oil really helped with grill marks and slightly charred flavor. My son (who is a bit of a foodie) and wife said the taste was just excellent. Thanks for a wonderful recipe.
Thank you for this recipe! I love Shawarma so much! A local restaurant makes a fattoush salad that is just divine and I get ot with the chicken. Can’t wait to try it! Now all I need is the pomegranate dressing recipe!