authentic chicken shawarma

A simple delicious recipe for chicken shawarma that can be grilled or baked - full of Middle Eastern flavor. Serve with homemade pita bread and tzatziki or over Israeli Salad.

Chicken Shawarma Recipe

cumin

coriander

garlic cloves,

salt

olive oil

cayenne pepper

turmeric

ginger

black pepper

allspice

Place all marinade ingredients in a bowl and mix, or pulse in a food processor to make a paste.

Rub chicken on all sides with the marinade and let sit at minimum 20 minutes (or up to 24-48 hours for the best flavor, refrigerated). You can also cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes and marinate for skewers.

Grill chicken on a pre-heated grill, on medium-high heat, closing the lid to the BBQ, until all sides have nice grill marks, about 8 minutes each side.

Move to a cooler part of the grill or finish cooking chicken in a 350 F oven until cooked all the way through ( 170F) , about 10 minutes. 

* Alternatively, you can bake the chicken thighs in a 375 F oven for 30-40 minutes or use a grill pan on the stovetop. 

Enjoy the chicken shawarma over Israeli salad, tabouli, Lebanese Slaw, or with Middle Eastern rice and veggies, or as a sandwich with tahini yogurt,  tzatziki,  pita bread,  tomatoes, cucumber, and red onion.

My white sauce did not work at all - came out as an oily liquid instead.  Any advice?

Fantastic flavors! I skewered 1+ inch pieces of chicken together to grill, which made for an appealing  presentation. I served the skewers with both tzatziki and green tahini dressing, both of which were great with it.

Shawarma, where have you been all my life? I had some cauliflower to use up and also so much pheasant in our freezer (to sub for chicken) and came across your recipes for this chicken shawarma as well as the cauliflower shawarma. I served these with zhoug (amazing), tahini sauce, Middle Eastern Rice, Israeli Salad, and pita bread. There were lots of options for everyone to build their bowls, wraps, or pockets. What an amazing combination of flavors! Everyone raved and I know we will make this again and again.

I made this exactly as written and then cooked it on a plancha. It came out perfect - really moist and super tasty. Plates were licked clean and the guests went home with the recipe!  Thank you!

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/GQJJIpRx.mp4

 GRILLED CHICKEN SHAWARMA

Thin strips of flavorful chicken make this ever popular Middle eastern dish. This homemade version of chicken shawarma wraps is great for busy night dinner or meal prep.

(100 grams) Small onion, quartered.

(12 grams) Large garlic cloves.

(70 grams) Large red bell pepper (.)

Tablespoon mayonnaise.

tomato paste.

(120 grams) plain yogurt.

orange zest.

lemon zest.

Orange juice (freshly squeezed no sugar added.)

Lemons (juiced about 6 Tablespoons.)

Tablespoon white vinegar

olive oil.

cardamom.

ground cinnamon.

cloves.

black pepper.

paprika.

cumin.

Cayenne pepper (optional or add to your liking.)

salt (or

bay leaves.

chicken thighs.

mayonnaise.

plain full fat yogurt.

Large garlic clove, (minced.)

Salt and pepper

In the food processor add onion, garlic and red bell pepper. Pulse twice.

Add mayonnaise, tomato paste lemon zest, orange zest and yogurt then pulse until combined.

In a deep bowl, pour lemon juice, orange juice, vinegar, olive oil and all the spices crumble bay leaves on top and mix.

Add the ingredients in the food processor and mix well.

Add thighs and toss to coat well.

Refrigerate for at least 6 hours or better overnight.

Preheat oven to 430F.

Divide chicken into two equal piles.

Fold one piece of chicken in half and thread it into two metal skewers. Repeat with the remaining chicken until you are done with one pile. Note1

Repeat with the second pile of chicken.

Choose a pan or a baking sheet that is smaller than the skewers but can contain the drippings from the chicken while being cooked. Line with tin foil.

Arrange the metal skewers over the pan as shown above.

Place chicken skin over the skewers to cover chicken.

Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes.

Remove skin and brown the chicken for about 10 minutes each side.

Remove pan from oven, cover with foil, make a vent and let it set for 5-10 minutes.

Remove skewers and cut chicken into thin slices. Note2

In a small bowl. mix the sauce ingredients well

Serve with rice or as a wrap with white sauce, cucumber slices, thinly sliced ice berg lettuce, pickles, onion rings, hummus and much more.

This was FANTASTIC!! I missed the part (my fault) that it needed to marinate for 6-8 hours until I made the marinade haha so we ate it the next day and it was SOOO good! Thank you for sharing this recipe with the rest of us so we can all enjoy it and appreciate your culture! It tasted exactly like the Mediterranean restaurants we love! SO HAPPY!  I also made to Toum garlic sauce to go with It and WOW! Another 5 star! I can't wait to eat this meal again! THANK YOU!

Here’s the fully translated version:

Dear Amira,

I tried making your recipe for the shawarma. Somehow, I always had the story you told about it in my mind — that this was the shawarma you ate as a child. Was that in Egypt? I ask because I’ve never eaten shawarma like this in Egypt. Anyway, you didn’t overpromise — it tasted so amazing to me, to all of us. We absolutely loved it! The aroma in our home was incredible. I’m going to set aside the recipe I’ve been using until now and only use this one from now on.

I did make two small changes: instead of bell peppers, I used roasted peppers, and instead of lemon juice and zest, I used preserved lemons.

Thank you for sharing such a wonderful recipe!

Your egyptian follower from Germany 
Lina

Hi can I substitute some kind of beef instead of chicken?  What beef has the best results?

looks great but i  do not have the time to make but do use many of your recipes

. My second time to make it. It is the BEST!! Love it!

This is excellent. Does this recipe work if I want to make beef shawarma as well? Or would I have to change anything?

This is so delicious! I love learning how to cook tasty meals from other cultures, and this is at the top. I had never tried shawarma in my life and now I'm hesitant to try any other shawarma recipe. Thank you so much for this recipe, my family and I love it very much and eat it often.

This was amazing! Adding this to my recipe rotation for sure.

This was delicious! I am coeliac and this worked with my gluten free requirements. I served it in gf wraps. Definitely will make this again.

This recipe is absolutely delicious. It tastes as good as the chicken shwarma from my favorite restaurant!

I used to live in a town where there were multiple shawarma places. Since I moved I haven’t been able to find a shawarma place close to me. I have tried multiple recipes to satisfy my craving for shawarma. This recipe is absolutely amazing. It is delicious and tasted like something I’d get from a restaurant. I’ve made it twice already. We’ve done shawarma wraps and a salad. Amazing. Thank you for sharing this recipe. Next I’m going to try the beef shawarma recipe you have.

Amazing! I loved it. I will be making this again and again!!

https://mediavine-res.cloudinary.com/video/upload/t_original/v1561784809/tmtygfh8ih7auovxrqxu.mp4

Chicken shawarma recipe with the best authentic marinade ever. You’ll be amazed by the smell and the taste of this recipe. Finally, a shawarma recipe that is seriously shawarma and not just spiced grilled chicken.

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Chicken Shawarma Recipe

Chicken Shawarma Recipe

Top 2 authentic chicken shawarma recipes from across the web

The most viewed authentic chicken shawarma recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

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Chicken Shawarma Recipe

Chicken Shawarma Recipe

The most viewed authentic chicken shawarma recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine