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.
Wow what a great recipe! My 15 month old son approves of it too! And that was the first time he was having a lot of those spices. It really does make a difference to do that last cooking step in the pan. I also made your matbucha recipe to eat with this and it was just perfect. Thank you and I love your site 🙂
Thank you for this awesome recipe.
Please could you help me with a recipe for the flat bread / wrap.
I experimented with pita bread and it tasted good, but then we ate shawarma at a local restaurant and their bread wrap tasted super soft (and was so nice and thin)…
Really hoping you can help me with a recipe for the wrap.
Love visiting your website, thank you for your creative recipes.
Hi Jessica, I will keep that in mind for a future post. Glad you like the shawarma recipe!
Hi,
I cannot thank you enough for this recipe! I had guests coming over for dinner and used another much more elaborate recipe, thinking more spices meant a better shawarma. There must have been 20 ingredients in it and I had it marinating overnight and everything was good…until it was cooked and the guests were due to arrive in an hour. I tasted the meat and it was so sour and bitter, no way on earth I was serving it. So I did a frantic search online and found your recipe. I read your post and going on good faith and trust that your taste in food was good, I mixed it up and had it cooked in record time. I didn’t marinate it for any period of time and only used chicken breast…Let me tell you, it was sooooo good my guests were raving about it even as they were leaving! Amazing stuff! And given how simple the recipe is, I was surprised at the flavour and punch it had! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for saving my dinner! This ones a keeper.
So very happy to hear that Hanan! 🙂
I’ve gotta say that I’m a new convert to your website. I have been wishing for a good chicken shawarma recipe for years after leaving my favorite Egyptian restaurant in Amsterdam, and found your site while looking for recipes that didn’t involve marinating in dairy. It certainly looked the ticket, and then I saw the recipe for the warm eggplant salad, so decided to try both tonight for shabbat–my wife was raised South African Orthodox, my brother-in-law was in town, and we had two other South Africans visiting us in San Francisco. In short, my wife says it was the best thing I’d ever made, and we do a *lot* of cooking. I can honestly rave about these two recipes, and those were just the first ones that we’ve tried. Your website looks amazing, and we’re delighted to have found all you’ve shared. Thank you so much!!!
My wife and I have been to several restaurants around town and here outside of Detroit Michigan, there is only ONE place that makes delicious shwarma wraps, do you have recipes on tahini or garlic sauce?
I am very surprised there is not fresh garlic, or more garlic in this recipe. The Chicken Shawarma in Louisiana is very garlicky. I am trying this weekend, as this is one of my favorite foods. We have a Lebanese restaraunt on every corner in Baton Rouge, but it sure would be wonderful to have it at home !
Feel free to add more garlic if you wish. The shawarma in Israel and in California (where I live) is not overly garlicky, so it must be a regional thing. 🙂 Enjoy!
We just tried this yesterday and it was delicious, we want to call it Tori’s SharWOWma! Thank you so much for this recipe and all of the others that you share!
I love that Karen! Haha so happy you liked it!
When I studied abroad in London we lived in an area with some of the most amazing Chicken Schwarma. I made this dish tonight and was instantly brought back to that wonderful time in my life. Thank you for your fabulous dishes!
Stacey, your comment warms my heart. I love bringing back happy memories through food. Thanks for writing!
Hi stacey, i love te shwarma in london, from Al-dar’s..and from Helen’s.. In edware rd. ad ive tried tonreplicate that flavour,to no avail.
Could u please tell me which shwarma place ur referrin to?
Thankou
Man, that was tasty. I have been craving shawerma since I’ve been away from Saudi Arabia for awhile, and your recipe hit the spot! Thanks again, and happy holidays!
I had a delicious dish called “arabic sphaghetti” in Nazareth at the Abuna Faraj Guest House. After taking a close look at the dish, it was schwarma chicken with some thinly sliced carrots & onions and spaghetti noodles. I’ve not attempted to make it yet, but this is going to be my starting point. Thank you for providing the schwarma chicken recipe!
I want to thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe. It turned out perfectly and was really well received by my husband. (I’ve had multiple requests for additional batches). Your blog has truly been an inspiration for me. My husband is Jewish and I’m not, so as I’ve sought to incorporate more traditional Jewish food into my cooking repertoire, I’ve heavily relied on your posts for guidance. Thank you for offering a window into your personal experiences and adventures. Your efforts are truly appreciated!
I made this last night for a sukkah party. I did 12x the recipe because we were have about 125 people over. Everyone raved about it and thought it was catered. We served it with tahini sauce, pita, yellow (turmeric) rice, and a Mediterranean marinated skirt steak that I grilled and cut into pieces like the shawarma.
Here’s a couple of notes of what i did differently to make it easier for a crowd. I kept the piece slightly bigger when I was marinating them so they’d be easier to grill. In fact, I bought at Costco the packs of fresh boneless thighs and chicken breast tenders. I cut the thighs twice but the tenders didn’t need to be cut at all. Then, starting 1.5 hours before the party, I grilled the chicken on my charcoal grill and the pieces were big enough that I didn’t need to skewer them. They also cooked much quicker than I expected — 4 or 5 minutes a side or less.
Maybe next time I’d grill it even earlier, chop it, and refrigerate it until right before the party when we could saute it.
Terrific recipe. Huge success. Thank you!
Hi Sam,
How much chicken did you use for 125 people? I am looking to make enough for about 50 or so people. Thanks!
I made this and husband was AMAZED on how GOOD this tasted he lived since 7yrs old in Israel, and always craving and trying to find the place with the “close enough” taste to all the foods from his hometown … Thank you so much for sharing this and making our tummys SUPER HAPPY with DELICIOUS food 😉
Hi,
I know it’s weird, but… any idea how to do it with seitan, please?
Thanks a lot in advance
Just made this tonight. Served with a lime yogurt sauce. Absolutely amazing !
Another terrific recipe ….we had a feast tonight! The chicken Shawarma was delicious and super easy, the blend of spices worked really well and the aroma had me drooling as it cooked. I also made baba ghanoush – with mayo not tahina (just how we used to eat it on kibbutz), cruv adom, hummus, matbucha (your fabulous recipe that I can’t stop making), a few fries, some other raw veg and warm pita. Oh and to follow we had Lokshen Kugal – your recipe too Tori…also yummy. Once again you scored huge points in our house.
So happy you liked the recipes Nicola! I really appreciate you taking the time to comment.
How do I make the white sauce shown in the picture?
Here’s a link to the recipe: https://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/2010/01/tahini-sauce/
Do you gave any ideas for cooking beef or lamb shawarma without a spit? Our family loves lamb. Your chicken shawarma sounds great think I will make tonight. Thanks, Linda
Hi Lisa, I’m working on the beef/lamb version, I’ll let you know… enjoy the chicken! 🙂
My naturopath put me on the Repairvite diet–a diet for people who have a lot of food allergy issues–and it’s tough finding good recipes on this highly restrictive diet, but yours fits perfectly! I’m going to make up a batch today and I’m so excited to have found something spicy that seems it would go well with fermented foods too, which is a big part of the Repairvite diet. Thank you for the awesome recipe and great directions on how to make it!
I’ve also been experimenting but mine never looked quite as delicious and authentic as the one depicted above.
Thanks for this recipe, can’t wait to try it.