Chicken Shawarma

This chicken shawarma recipe tastes like takeout but is so easy to make at home. Enjoy it on salads, grains bowls or a dinner plate with sides, or in a pita sandwich.

 
 

Chicken and shawarma are a perfect match. I love Mediterranean style meals all year long, regardless of season, so this recipe is a real gem. Shawarma is a Middle Eastern dish and is traditionally made by stacking thinly sliced meat and slow roasting. This recipe is much simpler; you can roast or grill the chicken without stacking on a spit.

I’ve been making this shawarma recipe for months and tend to have it in some variety a couple times a week. It makes for a really satisfying, flavorful and easy dinner on both weeknights and weekends. The shawarma seasoning can be used in different ways too. Chicken is the obvious choice, but you can use it with tofu and tempeh for a plant based dinner.

The chicken for shawarma can be chicken breast, thighs or ground chicken. I love doing a quick sauté on weeknights with ground chicken mixed with the spices, or making them into burgers to grill or sauté on the stove. You can make the spice mixture into a chicken shawarma marinade by massaging it onto chicken thighs with olive oil and allowing to sit for a few hours before cooking on the grill or roasting.

 
 

Chicken Shawarma Spices

Sea Salt

I use about a teaspoon of fine sea salt per pound of raw chicken. This can be adjusted to your preferences.

Black Pepper

Aside from adding great flavor, ground black pepper enhances the absorption of curcumin in turmeric.

Turmeric

A spice with potent health benefits, turmeric adds a vibrant color and delicious earthy flavor to the shawarma seasoning recipe.

Cumin

Cumin is commonly used for Mexican style recipes but it works great in other cuisines as well, and compliments the turmeric perfectly.

Garlic & onion Powder

The garlic and onion powder add so much flavor to the seasoning mix, and they surprisingly retain some nutritional benefits too.

Smoked Paprika

Smoked paprika adds great flavor to this recipe, but you can easily substitute with regular paprika if that’s all you have or prefer to use.

Aleppo Pepper

Aleppo pepper can be omitted without affecting the flavor of the chicken shawarma seasoning too much, but it adds a mild spice and pepper notes to the mixture if you have it. (I use the Frontier brand).

How To Serve Chicken Shawarma

With Garlic Sauce

Garlic sauce might be one of the best parts of a gyro, platter or pita. I’m sharing a healthier version of garlic sauce below, made with Greek yogurt (more protein and no refined seed oils!). This sauce is a great addition to any of the ways you’d serve the chicken.

Salad

Chicken shawarma is a great addition to a Mediterranean salad. Toppings can include tomatoes, onion, cucumber, olives, feta and even roasted vegetables like bell peppers and zucchini.

Grain Bowl

A grain bowl with a base of farro, brown rice or quinoa and topped with hummus, feta, arugula, roasted vegetables, tomatoes and/or onion is a tasty way to serve the chicken shawarma.

Dinner Plate

A dinner plate or platter can be an easy way to enjoy this shawarma recipe. Pair it with a side like roasted broccoli, and nourishing carb side like my garlic couscous recipe.

Pita Sandwich

Make you own gyro style sandwich by adding shawarma, lettuce, tomato and onion with garlic sauce, in a pita, lavash or a wrap.

Recipe For ‘Chicken Shawarma”

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30-40 minutes

Ingredients (for 1 pound of Raw chicken)

  • 1 tsp fine sea salt

  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 tsp turmeric

  • 1 tsp cumin

  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder

  • 1/2 tsp onion powder

  • 1/4 smoked paprika (or regular paprika)

  • 1/4-1/2 tsp Aleppo pepper flakes

  • extra virgin olive oil as needed

*Use a heaping measurement for a stronger flavor!

Directions

  1. If using ground chicken, mix the seasoning mixture with raw chicken until evenly distributed. Form into burgers for the grill/stove top or do a simple sauté on the stove.

  2. If using chicken thighs or breasts, trim as needed. For chicken breasts, cut into thinner or smaller pieces to increase surface area for seasoning. Massage a drizzle of olive oil and the seasoning mixture with the chicken and allow to marinade for a few hours or overnight. Cook as desired, either on the grill or roasted in the oven.


Garlic Sauce for Shawarma

Stir together the following ingredients:

  • 1 small container of 5% Fage yogurt

  • 1 small (or a bit of a bigger one) garlic clove, grated with fine microplane (sub garlic powder to taste if desired)

  • a small pinch of sea salt

  • ~1/2 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice


Food, Meal Prep Protein, Recipe, Weeknight DinnerKate Martinoshawarma ingredientsComment