Chicken Shawarma

This chicken shawarma recipe is a must try for grilling season! The shawarma meat is marinated in aromatic spices, grilled, and tucked into a warm pita. Then it is topped with crisp vegetables and garlicky Greek yogurt sauce.

Chicken Shawarma

Chicken shawarma is very similar to a gyro. It is traditionally prepared on a vertically rotating pit with spiced meats stacked on it. The meat can rotate for hours slowly gathering juices and flavor, yum! It is then thinly shaved and served on its own or stuffed inside a warm flatbread along with a garlicky yogurt sauce, tomatoes, onion, lettuce, ect. Obviously, average folks like I don’t own a snazzy machine like that, so we opt for the closest thing to it. Which is the glorious grill!

This post has Amazon affiliate links for tools we used to make this recipe.

How to make chicken shawarma 

• Combine chicken thighs, greek yogurt, onion, garlic, black pepper, salt, cayenne, cumin, coriander, paprika, and olive oil into a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate for about 4 hours in the refrigerator.
• Then place two metal skewers beside each other. Now roll up each marinated chicken thigh and slide it evenly onto both skewers.
• Bring the heat of your grill to high heat and cook the skewered chicken on both sides until fully cooked. This will take about 10 minutes per side.
• Go ahead and slice off your desired amount of meat and place it into a warm pita. Top the chicken shawarma with your favorite toppings. I like to use Romain lettuce, cherry tomatoes, red onion, cucumber, and of course Greek yogurt sauce.

Chicken Shawarma Ingredients

• boneless skinless chicken thighs
• Greek yogurt
• onion
• garlic
• black pepper
• salt
• cayenne
• cumin
• coriander
• paprika
• olive oil

 How to Make Chicken Shawarma in the Oven

• Simply Marinate the chicken as you would for the grilled chicken shawarma recipe, but place the chicken on a baking dish. (line the baking dish with foil for easy clean up).
• Bake at 425 Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes. Then broil for another 2-3 minutes to achieve a nice and crisp outer layer.

What to serve with chicken Shawarma

• The most common way is to stuff shawarma into a warm pita and load it up with vegetables and some sort of yogurt sauce.
• Or you can omit the pita and enjoy it as a salad for a low-carb version.
• Or you can eat the chicken alone with rice.

Love grilled meat? Gives grilled dinner recipes a try!

Grilled Teriyaki Chicken– Marinated in a simple Asian dressing.

Pork Ribs on the Grill– With a 6 ingredient homemade barbecue sauce.

Grilled Chicken Kebabs- The easiest and best chicken for any barbecue.

Note:

Like I’ve said before, the grill plays a huge roll in adding smoky flavor to meats. Once you pull the garlicky spiced chicken off the grill, the aroma that fills your home is unreal. I’ve come to love this chicken so much I’ve actually included it into my weekly meal prep a few times. You can either throw it into a Greek salad like I do, or tuck it into a warm pita. However you chose to enjoy shawarma, it’s grilling season, so take advantage!

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Chicken Shawarma

Prep Time

4 hrs 10 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Total Time

4 hrs 30 mins

 

This Turkish Spiced meat is grilled and tucked into a warm pita with crisp vegetables and yogurt sauce.

Course: Main Course

Keyword: chicken shawarma

Servings: 6

Calories: 91 kcal

Author: Dina from SimplyHomeCooked.com

Ingredients

• 2 lb boneless skinless thicken thighs
• 3-4 tbsp Greek yogurt
• 1 tbsp onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 1 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Instructions

1. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
2. Place two skewers beside each other. Roll up each marinated chicken thigh and slide it onto both skewers.
3. Grill both sides of the skewered chicken thighs on high heat until fully cooked through (about 10 minutes per side).
4. Using a sharp knife, slice off a desired amount of chicken and place it into each pita. Top with your favorite toppings. I like to use Romain lettuce, cherry tomatoes, red onion, cucumber, and of course Greek yogurt sauce.

Nutrition Facts

Chicken Shawarma

Amount Per Serving

Calories 91 Calories from Fat 81

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 9g 14%

Saturated Fat 1g 5%

Sodium 295mg 12%

Potassium 41mg 1%

Total Carbohydrates 1g 0%

Protein 1g 2%

Vitamin A 6.5%

Vitamin C 0.9%

Calcium 1.7%

Iron 3.4%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.