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 made this and it’s so good! I cut my pieces smaller and was able to skip the skillet step. I also used only chicken breast and it wasn’t dry at all. We have a favorite restaurant that serves this over hummus or in a wrap.
Thank you, I put the marinated chicken breast and thighs in the Fridge. It looks, smells and tastes really good. I made a couple of very small changes, light on the cayenne and added a dash of crushed mint. Will post results.
Do you have an approximate weight for the chicken used?
The required weights are listed in the recipe above Ben.
wow can’t totally flew over my head. Thanks!
No prob! 🙂
I don’t know how I missed this, but I just read the e-mail and am really excited to try this. I had the REAL thing in Israel, and I mean I ate schwarma just about every day I was there!
This recipe is fantastic. I am completely hooked! Thanks so much for posting.
Do u think i can stir fry up leftover chicken with the spices and it will taste good?
Thanks for the recipe Tori. I am definitely going to try this as soon as possible. I wonder though if you have a recipe for the salad you would expect to get with the chicken. When I was in Jerusalem in 2008 I couldn’t stop eating shawarma’s but I really loved the spicy diced tomato concoction that came with it. Any ideas on how to recreate that?
Thanks, Roddy
Hi, stumbled onto your page while looking for Shawarma recipe, I am in Australia, my husband is Dutch I am Australian he has been asking me too make Shawarma for years as he grew up with it in Holland, I am making it for lunch today,
Will let you know what he thinks.
Karen
After spending time last week in Dearborn, I came back home to Reno with a goal of trying to reproduce what I was treated to there. This was a great recipe! For a first shot, it turned out just fine.
BTW I used some yoghurt and dialed back on the olive oil. It was really good. Thanks for posting!
Great Meghan!
This was an excellent recipe and the dish from the recipe was dam close to the dish I get at the local Lebanese restaurant.
what is all spice?
Indonesia 😀
Hi Tori,
Am planning to try this out for my dad’s Eid celebration and was wondering what exactly is in an ‘allspice’, since such mix may not be readily available in this part of the world?
Thanks so much!
What country are you in Avigayil? Allspice goes by many different names in different countries, including Jamaica pepper, myrtle pepper, pimenta, pimento and newspice.
I have made this several times and we all loved it! I followed the recipe exactly! Thank you!
hands down the best shawarma recipe i’ve tried!
We were really hoping this receipe tasted like the Greek Restuarants around my area, however, it tasted nothing like the Chicken Shawarma that we normally eat. It was still good, but it just wasn’t what we were expecting.
This is Middle Eastern-style shawarma, which is explained in the blog introduction. It’s not Greek-style. If you’re referring to the Greek meat that is used in gyros, which is sometimes referred to as shawarma, the spices here aren’t the same. Greeks also generally use a mixture of beef and lamb for their gyros… here I’m using chicken. So yes, it would be quite different.
Just got back from deployment in Jordan and chicken sharamas were the best thing we ate. Hope this comes close to it
Thank you for your service Chris! Hope it lives up to your expectations. Lots of my readers love it, as you can see from the comments.
I’ve been striving to follow the Mediterranean lifestyle for the last year for health reasons, never had chicken shawarma before, but gave this a try. Wow, this was awesome! Followed the recipe exactly, I was sure I was eating restaurant quality food! Served on a pita with onion, tomato, romaine lettuce and Tzatziki sauce (wife and I have not developed a taste for Tahini yet). Made a bulgur wheat with veggies side dish and, of course, a glass of red wine! What a great meal, thank you for the recipe, it’s a keeper!
My husband and I just made this for my birthday. We could not BELIEVE how good it was! It was even better than our go-to shawarma place; I’m afraid now we won’t be frequenting them as often. Thanks for this easy and delicious recipe!
Hi,
I am from the Philippines. I’ve been selling sandwiches to coworkers at my office and i tried this recipe and it was a hit! They ask me over and over to make this for them. Even my husband loves it. There are a lot of Shawarma places here in the Phils but this is the best I have ever tasted! Even my coworker who everytime takes a bite of her shawarma, makes a sound and says it’s orgasmic! 🙂
THank you and more power!