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Chicken Shawarma Recipe + Shawarma Seasoning

Chicken Shawarma is like the Middle Eastern gyros or tacos. They are packed with amazing flavors and you can customize it with all the favorite toppings, side dishes and sauces. I love to serve it with a fresh tabbouleh, garlic sauce and pita or naan

 

Chicken breasts and onion slices in shawarma spice, baked.

 

You can't go wrong with this blend of spices. And better yet - this chicken shawarma recipe is so easy!

 

What is Shawarma?

 

Shawarma is a Middle Eastern dish that is similar to the kebab or kabobs. It is thinly cut meat that is stacked and placed on a rotisserie. Shawarma was originally made with lamb or mutton, but it's more common with chicken these days. Thin slices are cut off the rotisserie while it is rotating. Homemade shawarma is usually grilled or baked, like in this recipe.

 

Chicken shawarma on a wooden plate.

 

Shawarma is one of the most popular street foods, especially in - you guessed it - the Middle East. Egypt and the Levant countries, like Lebanon and Turkey, and the Arabic countries. Fun fact: the Mexican dish tacos al pastor came to life due to Lebanese immigrants. Small, but delicious world!

 

It's only in the recent years I've really opened up to Middle Eastern cuisine. It is one of the greatest things I've done with my life. Middle Eastern food is packed with flavor, and shawarma is no different.

 

Shawarma spice mix in a blue bowl. Flatlay.

 

What to Serve with Chicken Shawarma?

 

BREAD: Chicken shawarma is often served in a pita bread or flatbread to make a chicken shawarma wrap. I like to serve it with simple garlic cilantro naan on the side. You could also make this flatbread without the toppings. If you like to spice it up some extra, why don't you try Za'atar Date and Pomegranate Naan!

 

VEGETABLES: Chicken shawarma does include onion, but not much else. It would be too meat heavy without any fresh vegetables on the side. My favorite side dish is this fresh and herby tabbouleh salad.  It is also often served just with tomatoes and cucumbers, but why don't you try this fresh tomato salad instead. Other dishes that sound incredible with shawarma: Middle Eastern Bean Salad, Israeli Salad and Egyptian Farro Salad.

 

How to serve chicken shawarma: with tabbouleh on a wooden plate.

 

SAUCES: The chicken has itself a wonderful marinade, but I like to add more sauce. Sauce is life, right! I think the best is this garlic yoghurt sauce (see below), or even a tzatziki or raita could work, although not completely Middle Eastern. But I am not here to judge, I love fusion dishes. Other popular sauces to try are hummus and baba ganoush, or why don't you try muhammara?

 

Chicken Shawarma Marinade Ingredients

 

The chicken shawarma itself doesn't require many ingredients, and most of them are spices anyway!

 

  • Chicken breasts
  • Yellow onion
  • Shawarma spice blend (see below)
  • Garlic
  • Salt
  • Lemon
  • Olive oil

 

And once you make the shawarma spice blend, it will be even easier the next time.

 

Chicken breasts and onion slices in shawarma sauce, unbaked.

 

How to Make Homemade Shawarma Seasoning

 

It's not really a how to, because all you do is gather all the ingredients and mix them together. Mix together all the spices and store in an airtight container. This recipe is adapted from Little Spice Jar's recipe. It will last a really long time. All that will happen is that it may be less potent in a couple of months, but it's still fine a year after.

 

Shawarma seasoning in a blue bowl, unmixed.

 

I use about 2 tablespoon of shawarma seasoning for 1 lb of meat, but less is also totally fine. I like things spiced up! That is the beauty of not adding salt to your spice blends, you can really add as much as you want to get the oomph you're looking for without getting a salt overdose.

 

Mixed shawarma spice blend in a blue bowl with a vintage spoon.

 

How to Make this Chicken Shawarma Recipe

 

Let's begin with the marinade. It's just mix and forget really. But we need to make the shawarma blend first (You should also begin cooking quinoa for the tabbouleh, see below). Recipe is based on Jo Cooks'.

 

To make the chicken shawarma marinade: add all the spices, lemon juice, garlic and olive oil to a bowl. Whisk well and toss in the chicken. Make sure the chicken is completely coated in the marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

 

Chicken shawarma and caramelized onions, close up.

 

Pre-heat the oven to 425F (220C). Add sliced onion to the bowl with the chicken and toss around. Add everything to a 9x13 inch (20x30 cm) baking dish. If you still have a lot of marinade floating around, leave it behind. But the longer the meat is marinading, the more it will absorb.

 

Bake until chicken is done, around 18-23 minutes for medium sized chicken breasts. However, really big chicken breasts need up to 28-30 minutes. If you have a thermometer, they should reach an internal temperature of 165F (74C). Once done, let them rest at least 5 minutes before slicing.

 

Chicken shawarma on a wooden plate. Baking dish in the corner.

 

Incredibly Easy Garlic Yoghurt Sauce

 

Meanwhile the chicken shawarma is baking, we'll make this incredibly easy garlic yoghurt sauce. Whisk all the sauce ingredients together and taste and adjust seasonings accordingly. If you want you can add grated cucumber (squeezed free of water) to make more of a tzatziki or finely chopped red onion for raita.

 

You should also remember to make all the other sides you want to serve this chicken shawarma recipe with. As I've mentioned many times, I think tabbouleh is a must! To serve the chicken shawarma, add sliced chicken breast to the plate, along with cooked onion. Fresh tabbouleh and drizzle everything with the garlic yoghurt sauce! Serve with pita or naan. Fresh parsley and lemon wedges are also great tasty garnishes.

 

Chicken shawarma on a wooden plate, close-up. Tabbouleh in the background.

 

Enjoy this healthy flavor-bomb comfort food! If you want a different take on shawarma, why don't you try my newest orange shawarma chicken naan as well. 

 

Liked this Recipe? Check out these Middle Eastern Recipes!

 

 

What's your favorite Middle Eastern recipe? Anything I'm sorely missing? Let me know!

 

I'd love to hear your thoughts, either in the comment section below or tag me @thegingerwithspice on Instagram. And don't forget to Pin it for later!

 

In order to keep the blog up and running this post contains affiliate links, it will be at no extra cost to you, please read the disclosure for more information.

 

This recipe was originally published on March 18th 2018, but updated on August 20th 2019 for better photos and content.

📖 Recipe

How to serve chicken shawarma: with tabbouleh on a wooden plate.

Chicken Shawarma + Homemade Shawarma Spice

Yield: 4 people
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Marinating: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

This Chicken Shawarma is made with easy ingredients and is packed with delicious Middle Eastern flavors. Simple yet exotic weeknight dinner made in the oven!

Ingredients

Chicken Shawarma

  • 1 lb chicken breasts, 450g. Or 3 breasts.
  • 2 tablespoon shawarma seasoning, see below
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • pinch chili flakes, optional
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced or grated
  • 2 lemons, juice only
  • ⅓ cup olive oil, 80 ml
  • 1 yellow onion, large, sliced

Shawarma Seasoning

  • 2 tablespoon ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 2 tablespoon ground allspice
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon ground cardamom
  • 1 tablespoon ground cloves
  • 1 tablespoon ground nutmeg
  • 1.5 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1.5 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika, optional
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric, optional

Garlic Yoghurt Sauce

  • ½ cup natural yoghurt, 125ml
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder, or 1 clove minced
  • ½ teaspoon cumin
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

Serve with

  • tabbouleh, recipe below
  • garlic yoghurt sauce, see above
  • pita wraps
  • parsley and lemon wedges, optional

Instructions

Shawarma Seasoning

  1. Mix: Mix all the ingredients for the shawarma spice blend and store in an airtight container (and if you're making your own tabbouleh, start by cooking the quinoa or bulgur, because it needs to cool.)

Chicken Shawarma

  1. Shawarma marinade: Add all the spices, lemon juice, garlic and olive oil to a bowl. Whisk well and toss in the chicken. Make sure the chicken is completely coated in the marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for around 1 hour.
  2. Add the onion: Pre-heat the oven to 425F (220C). Add sliced onion to the bowl with the chicken and toss around. Add everything to a 9x13 inches (20x30cm) baking dish. If you still have a lot of marinade floating around, leave it behind. But the longer the meat is marinating, the more it will absorb.
  3. Bake: Bake until chicken is done, around 18-23 minutes for medium sized chicken breasts. However, really big chicken breasts need up to 28-30 minutes. If you have a thermometer, they should reach an internal temperature of 165F (74C). Once done, let them rest at least 5 minutes before slicing.

Sides

  1. Meanwhile: While the chicken is marinating, baking and so on - you'll make the sides. The garlic sauce is made in around 30 seconds - just whisk everything together, taste and season more if you want. The tabbouleh salad is also very easy, but you need to cook and cool the quinoa, while you chop and measure the rest of the ingredients (recipe in link below).
  2. Serve: Heat some pita wraps, spread with garlic yoghurt sauce, tabbouleh and top with shawarma chicken. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1 grams
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 283Total Fat: 15.9gSaturated Fat: 2.4gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 77mgSodium: 657mgCarbohydrates: 9.8gFiber: 2.3gSugar: 4.6gProtein: 26.1g

Based on that 50 ml of olive oil will be absorbed into the chicken. Nutrition information is an estimate and is provided for informational purposes only. If you have any specific dietary concerns, please consult with your healthcare practitioner.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or tag @thegingerwithspice on Instagram, I'd love to see!

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Jenni LeBaron

Monday 23rd of September 2019

I love a good chicken Shawarma and this recipe looks killer. I appreciate all of your ideas for what to serve this with and agree that a little sauce such as yogurt can go a long way to elevating everything!

Stine Mari | Ginger with Spice

Monday 23rd of September 2019

I always serve this with a yoghurt sauce, thank you so much!

Anna Mazlin

Sunday 18th of March 2018

Did you say tacos and middle eastern food? What an amazing combination of 2 of my favorite foods. Can't wait to try this recipe!

Stine Mari | Ginger with Spice

Sunday 18th of March 2018

Ohh yes I did! I love anything that comes in pitas or tortillas. Hope you'll like it as much as I did, Anna!

Lisa

Saturday 17th of March 2018

This looks so delicious! I've never tried shawarma before but now I think I need to!

Stine Mari | Ginger with Spice

Sunday 18th of March 2018

Thank you, Lisa! I know right, I hadn't until recently either, and it was so yummy! Especially with a tangy tabbouleh :)

Nicole - Cookies & Carrot Sticks

Friday 16th of March 2018

Love all those spices. The boys love shawarma too, I'm sure they would love this chicken version a lot.

Stine Mari | Ginger with Spice

Sunday 18th of March 2018

Thank you, Nicole - I hope they do!

Jacqueline Debono

Friday 16th of March 2018

I could so eat this for my lunch today! I'm going to restock my spice cupboard and try this out!

Stine Mari | Ginger with Spice

Friday 16th of March 2018

Yay, Jacqueline! I'd love to hear your thoughts on it later!

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