This Chicken Shawarma recipe is going to knock your socks off! Just a handful of every day spices makes an incredible Chicken Shawarma marinade that infuses the chicken with exotic Middle Eastern flavours. The smell when this is cooking is insane!
Chicken Shawarma
This is one of my signature recipes that will be very familiar to all my friends because I make this so often. It’s off the charts for effort vs output: just a handful of everyday spices, garlic, a splash of lemon and olive oil transforms into the most incredible flavour.
When this chicken is cooking, the smell is incredible. Incredible!!!
This Chicken Shawarma is how I met most of my neighbours when I lived in a townhouse complex. The courtyard was out the front and when I had friends round for a BBQ, random people I had never met before popped their head up over the fence, wanting to know what on earth I was making. They were elated when I handed out samples!
Great food for gatherings
This, along with the Vietnamese Noodles with Lemongrass Chicken, are two of my most frequently made foods when I’m cooking for a crowd because it’s easy to make loads, they are both great “lay it all out and let everyone serve themselves” type foods (I’m a big fan of food like that), and it travels well. I’ve made this multiple times on camping trips (along with the Vietnamese Noodles and Greek Gyros!).
Plus, there are always willing blokes around to take control of the BBQ (beer in hand) while us girls sit back sipping wine. That’s an arrangement that suits me great! 😉
How to Serve Chicken Shawarma
There are two main ways to serve Chicken Shawarma. As Chicken Shawarma wraps – with tomato, lettuce, and a simple yoghurt sauce on the side. Other optional extras include: red onion, cheese (query authenticity? But that’s ok!!), hummus, hot sauce / chilli sauce.
And the other way is with rice and salads on the side. Thought I usually do serve pita bread or another type of flatbread as well, just because it’s very on theme. ☺️ Here, the Chicken Shawarma is pictured with Mejadra which is a Middle Eastern lentil rice (seriously so good you can / will want to eat it just by itself!) and a Middle Eastern Chickpea Salad (I skip the spicing of chickpeas otherwise there’s just too much kapow spices going on).
A few other things that would be very much at home alongside Chicken Shawarma:
- Lemon Rice Pilaf
- Rice Pilaf with Nuts and Dried Fruit
- Chickpea Rice Pilaf
- Juicy Greek Salad – the flavours in Greek salad pair really well with Middle Eastern food
- Middle Eastern Shredded Cabbage, Carrot, Mint Salad
- Middle Eastern Roasted Vegetables with Tahini Drizzle
This recipe was part of a 7 course Arabian Feast menu that I shared 2 years ago. I didn’t get around to redoing all the recipes, but I will one day! I love that menu because so much of it can be prepared ahead, and there’s lots of common ingredients. Get yourself organised, eliminate distractions and commit to your kitchen temporarily being a war zone and you’ll get most the prep done in 1 hour. 🙂
Be prepared for the amazing smells when you’re cooking this Chicken Shawarma! – Nagi xx
PS Try your hand at making your own flatbreads. My recipe is made without yeast so they’re super easy!
Chicken Shawarma
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Chicken Shawarma recipe video! You can almost smell the heady aroma through the screen….almost!!!?
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
Chicken Shawarma (Middle Eastern)
Ingredients
- 2lb /1 kg chicken thigh fillets , skinless and boneless (Note 3)
Marinade
- 1 large garlic clove , minced (or 2 small cloves)
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp ground cardamon
- 1 tsp ground cayenne pepper (reduce to 1/2 tsp to make it not spicy)
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp salt
- Black pepper
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 3 tbsp olive oil
Yoghurt Sauce
- 1 cup Greek yoghurt
- 1 clove garlic , crushed
- 1 tsp cumin
- Squeeze of lemon juice
- Salt and pepper
To Serve
- 6 flatbreads (Lebanese or pita bread orhomemade soft flatbreads)
- Sliced lettuce (cos or iceberg)
- Tomato slices
Instructions
- Combine the marinade ingredients in a large ziplock bag (or bowl).
- Add the chicken and use your hands to make sure each piece is coated. If using a ziplock bag, I find it convenient to close the bag then massage the bag to disperse the rub all over each chicken piece.
- Marinate overnight or up to 24 hours.
- Combine the Yoghurt Sauce ingredients in a bowl and mix. Cover and put in the fridge until required (it will last for 3 days in the fridge).
- Heat grill/BBQ (or large heavy based pan on stove) on medium high. You should not need to oil it because the marinade has oil in it and also thigh fillets have fat. But if you are worried then oil your hotplate/grill. (See notes for baking)
- Place chicken on the grill and cook the first side for 4 to 5 minutes until nicely charred, then turn and cook the other side for 3 to 4 minutes (the 2nd side takes less time).
- Remove chicken from the grill and cover loosely with foil. Set aside to rest for 5 minutes.
To Serve
- Slice chicken and pile onto platter alongside flatbreads, Salad and the Yoghurt Sauce.
- To make a wrap, get a piece of flatbread and smear with Yoghurt Sauce. Top with a bit of lettuce and tomato and Chicken Shawarma. Roll up and enjoy!
Recipe Notes:
* Chickpea Rice Pilaf- slightly less spiced than Mejadra
* Middle Eastern Chickpea Salad (a Yotam Ottolenghi recipe, skip the spicing of chickpeas to keep it fresher)
* Also see 7 Course Arabian Feast (summary below recipe)
* 5. BAKING: Cooking on a BBQ or stove is best to get the caramelisation. Baking doesn't yield quite the same flavour - but still very good! Bake at 425F/220C for 20 - 25 minutes until a browned. 6. Nutrition for chicken only because flatbreads vary so much in size and calories.Assuming 6 servings.
Nutrition Information:
Originally published December 2014, updated with fresh stories, fresh photos and a recipe video!
Arabian Feast Menu
Here is a summary of the Arabian Feast Menu that I shared 2 years ago! I haven’t updated all the recipes yet – I’ll get to them eventually!
To Nibble: Classic Hummus, Herb Chili Feta, Chargrilled Vegetable Platter
For the Men to Grill: Lamb Koftas, Chicken Shawarma (this recipe)
Because we must have Greens (and cater for Vegetarians): Shredded Red Cabbage Carrot Salad, Spiced Chickpea Salad
LIFE OF DOZER
This shot pretty much encompasses how utterly predictable Dozer is:
✅ Skulking near a big pile of meat
✅ Squeezing himself under a tiny table laden with said food
✅ Eyes sparkling at the possibilities
✅ Licking his lips in anticipation
Hi there thank you for the e- books but I can’t download them I have no computer Do what can I do your recipe is amazing thank you 🙏
Hi Sophia, do you have a laptop or phone to view them on? N x
Great recipe, Nagi! No leftovers, even though I made heaps extra. I’m looking forward to making this for a crowd soon.
Make this last night and loved it. Used chicken breast tenderloins because that is what I had. Came out great. Thank you very much!
Holy moly this is good!! I can’t wait to make this again. I made it with chicken breast following the chicken breast instructions and marinaded over night. I also only had cardamom pods on hand so ground them up. Will buy ground cardamom for next time to make putting it together faster. Also I added some cucumber to the yogurt sauce. Thank you so much for such a great recipe!
Great recipe Nagi! The spice blend worked very well, thank you. Excited to try more of your recipes!! 🙂
Thanks so much for the great feedback Navitha! N x
I did not have the ground ingredients. I had to grind the seeds for the Cumin, Cardamon and coriander. I let them marinate overnight. The only thing I did is I added onions sliced in the marinade and cooked it along the chicken pieces. Served with rice, hummus. I am so happy to have found your recipe. It’s delicious and am still eating as I am writing this. Thank you!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Nicole, that’s greta to hear! N x
I just made this recipe, I didn’t have ground cardamom so used the pods. I used the same amount as ground and all I can taste is cardamom. It’s awful!
Hello, how many whole cardomoms should I use instead of cardamom powder? Thanks!
Thanks, Nagi! I made this today exactly as you posted and it was delicious. I made it with your flatbread recipe and I think it was even better than our local shawarma shop! So good!
Loved loved loved this recipe!! Fabulous
Thanks so much!! N x
This recipe is top notch, it has re-ignited my love of cooking. Just like the Sharwama I have eaten in Egypt and Lebanon! Amazing thank you!
I usually don’t write reviews but this one really made me write one , i made shwarmas using the same recipe last night and the spices were so good and the aroma was beautiful , although I didn’t had time to marinade it overnight or leave it for few minutes but shwarmas turned out really delicious. Thankyou for sharing your recipe
Just checking is your recipes measurement for 3 thighs? So if I did 6 boneless skinless then I would double all the ingredients correct? Making this tomorrow is night
Hi Karen – the recipe is based on weight of the chicken as the size of thighs differ – you’ll need 2lb /1kg of chicken as listed in the ingredients 🙂 N x
Thanks Nagi, the recipe was delicious albeit a little spicy. I to save money I bought shwarma spice that had cardamom, cinnamon and coriander and salt, I just used the same ratios as you had suggested for each spice so 4tbsp and 2 tsp.
How could I make it less spicy but still maintain the great flavor? I kept every other spice ratio the same, except the cayenne pepper which I put an 1/8 of a tsp
I’m new at cooking and was wondering if I could leave out cayenne pepper? Can’t wait to try out this recipe! Grew up with middle eastern food
Yes you sure can Annica 🙂 N x
I have marinated the Chicken this morning and was planning on cooking tonight but now may be cooking tomorrow evening or possibly the evening after 36-50 hours later. It’s sealed in the fridge and the chicken would still be by it’s use by date. Will it still be safe to eat?