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.
Shawarma Ingredients
- boneless skinless chicken thighs
- Greek yogurt
- onion
- garlic
- black pepper
- salt
- cayenne
- cumin
- coriander
- paprika
- olive oil
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.
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!
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.
This Turkish Spiced meat is grilled and tucked into a warm pita with crisp vegetables and yogurt sauce.
- 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
- 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.
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.
Thank you Katy! It’s so flavorful, you’ll love it! 🙂
My mouth is watering just looking at the picture. I can hardly wait to try it. Thanks for the recipe
Thank you Loretta! 🙂 Let me know how it turns out!