Who knew it was this easy to make oven-roasted chicken shawarma at home? You don’t need a special machine or spit to make juicy, crisp Middle Eastern shawarma. I have developed a simple marinade and cooking technique that results in a delicious batch of chicken shawarma. My Mediterranean recipe can easily be made in the oven or on the grill. I’m excited to share it with you!
What is Chicken Shawarma?
Shawarma is a delicious meat dish that is popular throughout the Mediterranean and the Middle East. True shawarma is cooked with stacked, spice-marinated meats such as lamb, turkey, chicken, beef, or a mix of meats on a vertical rotisserie machine or spit.
The shawarma turns and slowly roasts for hours and hours, basted in fat and its own juices. Thin slices of meat are then shaved from the surface and served, either on their own or tucked inside a warm flatbread with fresh veggies, topped with tahini or garlic sauce.
Shawarma-style chicken might be a better name for this recipe. It doesn’t cook on a spit. However, it’s got all the flavor that you might expect from your local Middle Eastern restaurant!
Ingredients and Notes
I tried to replicate the flavor of chicken shawarma at home for months, playing with different spice combinations and cooking methods. At first, I tried buying pre-made spice blends from the Middle Eastern markets. None of them made my mouth happy. I needed more spice, more flavor, more oomph. So I began to experiment. Then, finally, I found what I consider to be the perfect balance!
- Chicken – I use a combination of light and dark meat (chicken breasts and chicken thighs) for this recipe to keep it a little leaner without missing out on any flavor.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil – I use this to replace the fat found in chicken skin, adding extra flavor and a boost of omega fats, which are a staple in the Mediterranean diet.
- Spices – A combination of cumin, paprika, allspice, turmeric, garlic powder, cinnamon, cayenne, and black pepper creates a bold, savory flavor with lots of depth, just like you’d find with traditional recipes.
Please be sure to scroll down to the recipe card for the complete details!
How to Make The Best Shawarma Chicken Recipe
You have two choices for cooking this Mediterranean recipe– in the oven or on the grill. To be honest, both cooking methods taste great. There really isn’t a big difference between the two.
- Marinate. Slice the breasts into pieces, and transfer them to a marinating dish or large plastic bag. Whisk olive oil and spices in a small bowl, and pour the mixture over the chicken. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least an hour or ideally up to overnight.
- Cook. Arrange the chicken in a single layer on a baking sheet, and bake in the oven. Or, thread it onto skewers and cook it on a grill. Either way, you’ll want to use a meat thermometer to ensure the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit, meaning it’s fully cooked and safe to eat.
- Sear. Let the chicken cool slightly. Then, slice it into thin pieces. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat, and sauté the chicken pieces until brown and crisp, working in batches so as not to overcrowd the skillet.
- Enjoy. Add extra salt and pepper as needed, and enjoy.
My Favorite Ways to Serve
This recipe goes great with hummus and toum or tahini sauce. If you’re not keeping kosher and don’t mind combining dairy with meat, tzatziki sauce or yogurt sauce are both great accompaniments as well.
I like to serve over a salad or grain bowls with saffron rice or lemony saffron couscous for a boost of protein, or in a pita bread pocket or wrap. Add fresh parsley, lemon juice, cucumbers, red onion, lettuce, or tomato to make your pita sandwiches even more filling.
Video by Entice Films
Chicken Shawarma
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts (2 large breasts)
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs (4 large thighs)
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 3/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 pinch cayenne
- Salt and black pepper
- Nonstick cooking oil spray
You will also need
- Grill or baking sheet, tongs, skillet, spatula, plastic wrap.
Instructions
Prepare Marinade
- Slice the chicken breasts into 5-6 pieces each and the thighs into 3-4 pieces each. Place them in a marinating dish or large plastic zipper bag.
- In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup olive oil, the spices, 3/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper (if you are salt sensitive, use 1/2 tsp of salt). Pour the spice marinade over the chicken pieces. Stir with a spoon till all the chicken pieces are evenly coated in the marinade.Cover the marinating dish with plastic wrap, or close the zipper bag. Place chicken in the refrigerator and let it marinate at least 1 hour, up to overnight.
Oven Cooking Method
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray the baking sheet with nonstick cooking oil. Place the chicken pieces on the sheet, evenly spaced.
- Place the chicken in the oven. Let it roast for about 15 minutes until cooked through, turning the chicken pieces once with tongs halfway through cooking.
- Take chicken out of the oven and let it cool slightly. Use a sharp knife to slice the meat into small, thin shawarma-like pieces.
- Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a skillet on the stovetop over medium. Pour half of the chicken into the skillet and saute for 3-4 minutes till the smallest pieces of chicken turn brown and crisp. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste, if desired.
- Remove the cooked chicken from the skillet. Heat another 1 tbsp of oil and saute the remaining chicken in the same way. Serve warm.
Grill Cooking Method
- Spray the grill with nonstick cooking oil and preheat to medium heat. Thread the marinated chicken pieces onto wooden skewers.
- Cook the chicken for about 20 minutes, giving a quarter turn every 5 minutes, until cooked through (slice into the thickest piece of meat to check for doneness).
- Let the chicken cool slightly, then remove it from the skewers. Use a sharp knife to slice the meat into small, thin shawarma-like pieces.
- Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a skillet on the stovetop over medium. Pour half of the chicken into the skillet and saute for 3-4 minutes till the smallest pieces of chicken turn brown and crisp. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste, if desired. Remove the cooked chicken from the skillet. Heat another 1 tbsp of oil and saute the remaining chicken in the same way.
- Serve warm. Goes great with toum – a creamy Middle Eastern garlic sauce – or tahini sauce. It also makes a great pita bread sandwich, garnished with cucumbers, tomato, lettuce, red onions, and Middle Eastern pickles.
Nutrition
tried this recipe?
Let us know in the comments!
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FAQs
Yes, this recipe stores and reheats well. So, I like to make a large batch for meal prep and enjoy it for several days. Leftovers will keep fresh in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. Or, store them in the freezer for 2-3 months.
To serve, thaw your shawarma in the fridge overnight. Then, reheat it in the microwave or in a pan over medium to medium-high heat.
This recipe is lighter than options you might find at a local restaurant, thanks to the skinless chicken. As a result, it makes for a fairly healthy option, full of high-quality lean protein.
You can even lighten the recipe even further by skipping the sautèing, which will reduce the amount of oil needed. It won’t taste exactly like shawarma, but it will still be tasty! Of course, please consult your doctor with any specific questions or concerns.
I just learned this tip: Use skewers even in the oven. Cuts down turning time!
(I was looking for metal skewers in a hurry but the foodstore I went only had a pack of 100 bamboo skewers which worked great. (Downside: wasteful vs metal because bamboo are one-time-only use but presumably recyclable – sorry I digress.) Thank you for a wonderful, beautiful, family-filled community and delightful, heart-felt recipes I hope to try soon. ??
I love this recipe. Instead of putting it on a baking sheet I cut an onion in half as a base and skewer the thighs (my family doesn’t like white meat) standing up like a traditional shawarma and then put it in the 400 f oven on convection for an hour. It comes out perfect. All we have to do it shave it off the skewer and chop it up and it’s ready to eat.
Amazing. I have family in Dearborn, MI (aka lil’ Lebanon). I have always had shawarma growing up. We moved to Alabama and there isn’t a single restaurant that makes it. You simply cannot get it where we live. (I wait for family to visit and bring me trays!) Anyway, I found this and I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. I’m so so happy with this recipe! Throw on the Arabic pickles, make your toum recipe and voila! It’s absolutely perfect! Thank you!
This recipe sounds really great but id add a few more ingredients to the marinade. I’m Middle Eastern and what we do at home is add the following:
Yogurt
Juice of a lemon
Vinegar
These will help moisten and break down the chewy fibers of the chicken.
We also boil the breasts for 5mins along with an onion, black pepper, bay leafs.
After that we shred/cut the chicken into shawarma bits and throw then in the marinade for an hour or two with the onion we used to boil the chicken and the lemon zest of the lemon juice we added.
After that we throw the chicken bits along with the marinade into a skillet. Now likecu said we shouldn’t worry about over cooking the chicken by cooking it twice because we already restored its moisture with the vinegar and yogurt.
For the garlic sauce:
It’s so easy..
Mayonnaise
Clove of a crushed garlic
Lemon juice
Thats it.. Enjoy.. Excuse me for making an addition to ur recipe but I thought you’d like to try mine as well..
Fatema, can you tell me how much yogurt and how much vinegar you use for 2 pounds of chicken? Also what kind of vinegar do you prefer? Thanks for letting me pick your brain.
Jake.
I love that you added how you do it in the middle east. Being an Israeli living in Detroit, I shop in the markets in Dearborn and always ask them how THEY would cook this or that dish. I go home and try it out. Sometimes it’s great, sometimes, not so much. I will try making it both ways.
BTW… in Israel, you will also find we stuff Shuarma into a pita add Israeli salad, (like Tabouli without the parsley), then top it with Tahina. Yum! Beteavon. Shalom!
I love that garlic sauce that they serve with shawarma or grilled chicken! im a Filipino working in the Emirates and I just love the food here.
thanks for sharing that sauce recipe, didnt realize it was THAT simple.
sounds great; but it wont be kosher (chicken with yogurt) fyi 🙂
I thank you because I liked her receipy a lot but as I read I was thinking I want to add something else, I’m trying to impress my Jordanian girlfriend with this dish I hope she likes it and brings her a little closer to home and of course to me. 🙂 thanks
Yum,that sounds great,Fatema?
Excellent addition! Loved both yours and the original. Garlic Sauce was very good!
Thank you for adding your advice. I’m trying this tomorrow for the first time and I’ll take on board your additional comments. It’s especially nice to read the reasons why.
Sounds amazing, def. going to take your suggestions.
This was an incredibly simple and delicious recipe to make. I only marinated for 1 hr but still had lots of flavour! YUMM! This page is bookmarked and will be a regular addition to my meals 🙂 thank you for posting.
Tasty stuff.
The only thing I did differently was to add about 6-7 smashed and minced garlic cloves. Although it’s not as authentic as what my partner and I ate in Dubai, I cut up some red onions and roasted them along with the chicken in the oven and then included them in the pan crisping for more flavor. I also threw in a teaspoon of cardamom I picked up in my travels last month. Overall, awesome, but I doctored it up a bit to try to match the flavors we got in UAE.
Any advice on how to remove turmeric stains from the cookie sheets, counter top and place mats?? 🙂
Thanks again for this!
Bleach.
Spray bleach on counter stains. Let sit for a few mins. Wipe away. It’ll be as good as new.
Hi Tori. Thanks so much for this recipe. Just made it for the first time although decided to initially cook it on the barbeque instead of oven or grill. Was so tasty and will definitely be doing it again.
Loved it. My son had shawarma at a restaurant recently and loved. He asked if we could try to make it at home. Found your website. Turned out really well. We even used the marinade over some cubed tofu for my vegetarian husband and that was good also. Also made Toum from your website to go with it.
My husband is Israeli and he was amazed how good this Shawarma was. I didn’t change anything. Served it with cucumber and tomato salad and tahini sauce. Thumbs up again. Can’t wait to try another recipe! Thank you!
Loved it. I didn’t have any all spice so that was missing and i didn’t do the post oven pan fry and it turned out GREAT. Will be making this again. So glad you took the time to figure this out.
Well,
Living in a city where there are practically more shawarma places than Tim Hortons outlets,i am pretty well versed in Shawarma sampling and i have to say that this recipe blows away quite a few places to be honest.My daughter had it Friday,Saturday and Sunday evening(Hard to get her to eat chicken) so that definitely says something.I think this may become a Friday night staple in the household…Thank you for sharing this wonderfull recipe!
Totally forgot to rate..wish there were 10 stars 😉
Just made this for dinner….delish!!!! Used lettuce to wrap instead of pita…homemade hummus, tehina & Israeli salad…perfect…you’re right about the extra salt…added a little extra! Yum!
Thanks Ruthie. Great idea with the lettuce, pita is unhealthy food as good as it taste.
Tori- I grew up in Detroit and was always able to enjoy chicken shawarma easily. Move to SC and can’t find it down here. Have tried half a dozen or so shawarma receipts to limited success until we stumbled onto yours. The combination of spices and preperaption NAILS IT!! It is on the top of our list when we entertain now! Thank you!!!!! JCH
Same thing as John says. I moved from the Detroit area to the border between North and South Carolina. You can’t find a place that serves Shawarma. So I’m just going to make this myself. 🙂
Just made this, it was delicious! I had shawarma for the first time off a food truck in SLC, I thought it tasted like an Indian gyro. Very close to the food truck flavor, I think maybe they used a little more cumin and possibly a bit of garam masala. Thanks!
Excellent recipe I love middle East food and I finally decided to try it at home,you made it easy
Amazing! This was so delicious! We’re definitely adding this to our weekly meal prep at least once per month. Paired this with homemade baba ganoush, garlic rice, and a fresh cucumber mint salad. Thank you for sharing!!
This absolutely delicious. I skipped the cinnamon just preference. And because of time constraints only marinated the chicken for 15 minutes. I barbecued the chicken breasts whole and then chopped them and served it in a pita with an undressed Greek salad because that was what I had on hand. And drizzled the equally delicious garlic sauce over top. My family loved it and asked that I make it again soon 🙂 thanks for posting.
Yum!!!
I made it out of turkey breasts, just because that’s what I had around and we ate it with salad in a lafa.
It was a treat for the family!!!
This is good to cook when you don’t feel like cooking. The aroma is wonderful. It tastes great, too. I live in a ethic restaurant desert and had never had shawarma but was attracted by the spices when I saw the recipe.