This Chicken Shawarma Recipe is loaded with flavor and is one of the easiest and most delicious Mediterranean recipes to make at home. Chicken marinates in a simple spice blend and cooks in the oven or on the grill until perfectly tender, juicy and golden brown.
Make the absolute best Chicken Shawarma Wrap for lunch or dinner with this easy to make non-yeast homemade Flatbread Recipe!
Chicken Shawarma is by far one of my favorite chicken recipes to make for weekly meals and my go-to dinner party dish. This crowd pleasing Middle Eastern recipe delivers lots of flavor with very little effort. What can be better than that?
Shawarma can be served with rice pilaf or can be made into the most amazing Chicken Shawarma Wrap alongside yogurt garlic sauce, hummus and your favorite fresh veggies.
What is Shawarma?
Authentic Chicken Shawarma is cooked by stacking spice-marinated chicken on a vertical spit, like a roaster. While the meat rotates, it gets basted with fat and its own juices until tender and juicy.
Shawarma is then shaved right from the spit and served, tipically piled up on pita bread with yogurt garlic sauce, hummus or tahini sauce and different toppings. Shwarma can also be made with beef, lamb, turkey, and veal.
Chicken Shwarma Ingredients
- Chicken: Boneless and skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs.
- Olive Oil: I use extra virgin olive oil.
- Lemon Juice: Freshly squeezed lemon juice is a must.
- Shawarma Spices: Ground cumin, paprika, allspice, garlic powder, turmeric, salt, a pinch of ground cinnamon, cayenne pepper (optional) and ground black pepper.
Yogurt Garlic Sauce (optional)
- Plain Greek Yogurt
- Fresh Garlic
- Fresh Lemon Juice
- Ground Cumin, Salt and Ground Black Pepper
How to Make Shawarma Chicken
- Making Swarma Chicken at home couldn’t be any easier. Simply mix all the marinade ingredients together in a bowl or a resealable plastic bag (which makes for easy clean up). Add the chicken and marinate for at least 20 minutes or overnight.
- If you want to grill the chicken, heat the grill to medium high heat. Grill the chicken until nicely charred, about 4-5 minutes on the first side. Flip and grill for about 3-4 minutes or until cooked through. The second side usually takes less time to cook. Remove from the grill and allow the chicken to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
- If you prefer to cook the chicken in the oven, preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the chicken in a baking dish and bake for about 30-40 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Chicken Shawarma Wrap
These Swarma wraps are my version of the popular Middle Eastern street food. I love serving this perfectly seasoned sliced chicken on homemade flatbread or pita bread smothered with hummus or creamy shawarma sauce (yogurt garlic sauce). Sometimes I add both!
When it comes to the wrap toppings, the sky is the limit! Fresh vegetables like sliced cucumbers, lettuce, sliced onions, tomatoes, bell peppers and avocados are great options. Some feta cheese and chopped fresh herbs like parsley and mint make these wraps out of this world delicious!
Besides making Shawarma wraps, you can make a Shawarma plate with rice pilaf and veggies. You can also top your favorite salad with slices of this tasty Mediterranean chicken.
Yes! You can marinate the chicken and freeze it in a freezer safe resealable bag for up to 2 months. Thaw the chicken in the refrigerator overnight. The chicken will marinate while thawing.
You can also cook the chicken up to 3 days ahead and store it in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
The exotic combination of spices makes this Middle Eastern chicken incredibly flavorful but not overpowering. The Shawarma seasoning is very well balanced with hints of warming spices like cumin and allspice.
Where Does Shawarma Originate From?
Shawarma originated in the Ottoman Empire (roughly modern day Turkey). A quick search on the internet shows shawarma as a Levantine dish. The Levant region centers around modern Syria, Israel, Lebanon, the Palestinian territories, Jordan and parts of Turkey.
What Is Shawarma vs Gyro?
The main difference between shawarma and gyro is the place of origin and the spices that are used to season the meat.
- Shawarma is a Middle Eastern dish vs Gyro which is a Greek (Mediterranean ) dish.
- Shawarma meat is seasoned with turmeric and warm spices like cinnamon and all spice vs Gyro meat which has a lighter seasoning made with rosemary and oregano.
- Both recipes can be made with chicken, beef, lamb, etc., but Gyros made from lamb are by far the most popular.
What Do You Eat With Chicken Shawarma?
Shawarma is usually served on pita bread with an array of veggies like tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce and is topped with a creamy sauce like garlic sauce (and if I have Tzatziki sauce handy, I smother some of it instead!). If you would like to serve a side dish with this tasty wrap, you could serve it with rice (check my easy tutorial on how to make rice perfect every time), couscous, sweet potato fries, roasted potatoes or this Moroccan Rice Pilaf!
Is It Better To Use Fresh or Frozen Chicken When Making Shawarma Chicken?
To make shawarma, you can use fresh chicken or defrosted (thawed out) chicken. If your chicken is chilled from the fridge, allow it to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before baking it in the oven. Room temperature chicken cooks more evenly than refrigerator cold chicken.
Shawarma Chicken Tips
- This Chicken Shawarma recipe is perfect for entertaining big groups of people. It is easy to make, easily doubled, budget friendly and can be made ahead of time!
- You can oven bake or cook the chicken in an indoor grill pan.
- Although you can marinate the chicken for 20 minutes, it is best to marinate it for at least an hour or overnight for extra flavor.
- If marinating in the fridge, always allow the chicken to come to room temperature before cooking.
- To prevent over cooking, always check the chicken temperature with an instant read thermometer. The chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F before consuming.
Other Delicious Easy Recipes:
- Avocado Hummus
- Baba Ganoush Recipe
- Greek Lemon Roasted Chicken Thighs
- Cod with Moroccan Chermoula Sauce
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Chicken Shawarma
Ingredients
FOR THE CHICKEN
- 2 lbs boneless and skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 4 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 tablespoon water
- ½ lemon juiced
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon salt
- pinch each of ground cinnamon cayenne and black pepper
FOR THE YOGURT GARLIC SAUCE
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- Salt and black pepper to taste
TO MAKE WRAPS
- 4-6 Flatbreads Pita bread or Naan can be used
- 8 ounces hummus store bought or homemade
- 1 head of romaine lettuce chopped
- 1 cup of cherry tomatoes cut in half or 2 tomatoes, sliced
- 1 cucumber sliced
- 1 avocado sliced (optional)
- About ½ cup sliced red onion (optional)
- Parsley roughly chopped
- 8 ounces feta cheese crumbled
- Lemon wedges optional
Instructions
- In a bowl or a large Ziploc bag, add the olive oil, water, lemon juice, cumin, paprika, allspice, garlic powder, turmeric, salt, cinnamon, cayenne (optional) and black pepper. Add the chicken. Cover or seal and marinate for at least 20 minutes (marinate overnight for fullest flavor)
- Prepare the garlic yogurt sauce by combining all of the ingredients in a small bowl and stirring well. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- If grilling, heat the grill or grill pan to medium high.
- Grill the chicken for about 8-10 minutes per side or until lightly charred and cooked through, turning once. Remove the chicken from the grill and let it rest, covered for 5 minutes. Slice.
- If baking, preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, place the chicken into a baking dish and bake in the oven for about 35 -45 minutes or until cooked through. Remove chicken from the oven and let it rest covered for about 5 minutes. Slice.
- To Serve: Slice the chicken and put it on a plate with the flatbread, veggies and yogurt sauce.
- To Make a Wrap: Warm up the flatbread (you can use the grill, grill pan, oven or toaster oven). Spread each piece of flatbread with hummus, top it with sliced chicken and veggies and drizzle it with the yogurt sauce. Top it with Feta cheese and parsley. Wrap and enjoy.
Chef’s Tips
- Although you can marinate the chicken for 20 minutes, it is best to marinate it for at least an hour or overnight for extra flavor.
- If marinating in the fridge, always allow the chicken to come to room temperature before cooking.
- To prevent over cooking, always check the chicken temperature with an instant read thermometer. The chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F before consuming.
Nutrition
This post was first published in 2018 and has been updated to provide the reader with additional information. The recipe remains the same.
Amy Ebert says
It was really a good meal that was simple to make!
Kathy says
Thanks Amy! I am happy to hear you liked it.
Kelly Mahan says
Wow, I’d love to try this oven roasted version. Seems so good!
Kathy says
It’s so easy and the oven does all the work!! 😉
Kathy says
Thank you Kelly! It’s a winner for sure The oven does all the work and the chicken is tender, juicy and so flavorful!
Michele says
Schwarma always intimidates me… but this was effortless and nothing less than spectacular! My nieces LOVED it and we ate every single bite of it!
Kathy says
Thank you. I am so glad everyone
liked it!
Kylee from Kylee Cooks says
oh. my. goodness!!
This is exactly what I’ve been craving. This looks like a great recipe for my family
Kathy says
Thank you. It’s so tasty!