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!
Chicken Shawarma
Ingredients
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
- Place two skewers beside each other. Roll up each marinated chicken thigh and slide it onto both skewers.
- Grill both sides of the skewered chicken thighs on high heat until fully cooked through (about 10 minutes per side).
- 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
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Julie glass says
Hi does the Greek yogurt go in the marinade or is that for dipping when eating. Thanks
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Julie, there is 3-4 tbsp of Greek yogurt that is used in the marinade. Also, I talk about and refer to a Greek yogurt sauce that you can make and use for dipping or put on many different recipes. It is a link to another recipe. I hope that helps clarify and I hope you love this Chicken Shawarma recipe 🙂
Jaquetta Eubanks says
Hi! Can I also use this same recipe using chicken breast?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Jacquetta, you can definitely use chicken breast in this shawarma recipe, but the meat will be a little drier than chicken thighs.
Debra Daniel says
Hey,
Thank you for shawarma recipe, I really really like the way you explained it, Me and my family like shawarma when we ate it in asian restaurant so i’m going to try this one in upcoming weekend where we set together once in a week so this will be amazing can you please tell me if i use persian saffron in it ? this will be perfect or not give me some suggestion
Thanks
Debra
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Debra, I hope you enjoy this recipe!:) I’ve never used saffron in shawarma, so I can’t say too much about how it will affect the taste.
Stephbrigg says
What do you mean by roll up the chicken thighs how would I roll it
simplyhomecooked says
By rolling up the chicken I mean bunch it together. I hope that helps clarify.
Loretta says
My mouth is watering just looking at the picture. I can hardly wait to try it. Thanks for the recipe
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you Loretta! 🙂 Let me know how it turns out!
Katy | Her Cup of Joy says
Yum! This chicken looks so delicious and easy to make. My favorite season is grilling season and I will definitely add this to my list.
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you Katy! It’s so flavorful, you’ll love it! 🙂