Incredibly tasty chicken shawarma recipe that will transport you to the Middle East. Best authentic marinade with exotic Middle Eastern spices that will make your shawarma not like any other, one that does not taste like just spiced grilled chicken.
Next time, try this beef shawarma too.
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Shawarma is probably the second most popular Middle Eastern food in the whole world, right after falafel. This is the best chicken shawarma recipe, trust me, and I am not making this claim lightly.
I've tried many shawarma recipes before that I've lost count of, and this one here reminds me of the shawarma I grew up with. The flavor is absolutely divine with great results.
Take it from a Middle Eastern girl: shawarma should be tangy with a slight sweetness, all combined with a special spice blend and cooked slowly with an umbrella of fat. This is the shawarma I am used to.
Almost all of the recipes I could find online do not give that taste that I know. They all ended up for me under the category of very well-spiced grilled chicken, but unfortunately, not my shawarma.
Ingredients
- Chicken, I like using chicken thighs, but if you have to, chicken breasts will work too.
- Yogurt, as this is a yogurt-based marinade.
- Mayonnaise will actually release the powerhouse flavors of the many spices we are using.
- Orange zest, orange juice, lemon zest and vinegar these are what will give your shawarma much needed acidity and a hint of sweetness.
- Shawarma spice mix, a bunch of spices that I bet are already there in your home. Detailed below.
- Onions and garlic, necessary basic flavors.
Shawarma Spice
Here are the spices that you are going to need. I do not want you to be intimidated by the long list, as they are most probably there in your spice rack anyway.
Chicken Shawarma Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 (100g) Small onion, quartered.
- 5 (12g) Large garlic cloves.
- ½ (70g) Large red bell pepper .
- 1 Tablespoon mayonnaise.
- 1 Tablespoon tomato paste.
- ½ cup (120g) plain yogurt.
- 1 teaspoon orange zest.
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest.
- ¼ cup Orange juice freshly squeezed no sugar added.
- 2 Lemons juiced about 6 Tablespoons.
- 1 Tablespoon white vinegar
- ⅓ cup olive oil.
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom.
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon.
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves.
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.
- ½ teaspoon paprika.
- ½ teaspoon cumin.
- ½ teaspoon Cayenne pepper optional or add to your liking.
- 2 teaspoon salt or to taste.
- 2 bay leaves.
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs.
Quick shawarma white sauce
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise.
- ⅓ cup plain full fat yogurt.
- 1 Large garlic clove, minced.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
Instructions
- In the food processor add onion, garlic and red bell pepper. Pulse twice.
- Add mayonnaise, tomato paste lemon zest, orange zest and yogurt then pulse until combined.
- In a deep bowl, pour lemon juice, orange juice, vinegar, olive oil and all the spices crumble bay leaves on top and mix.
- Add the ingredients in the food processor and mix well.
- Add thighs and toss to coat well.
- Refrigerate for at least 6 hours or better overnight.
- Preheat oven to 430F.
- Divide chicken into two equal piles.
- Fold one piece of chicken in half and thread it into two metal skewers. Repeat with the remaining chicken until you are done with one pile. Note1
- Repeat with the second pile of chicken.
- Choose a pan or a baking sheet that is smaller than the skewers but can contain the drippings from the chicken while being cooked. Line with tin foil.
- Arrange the metal skewers over the pan as shown above.
- Place chicken skin over the skewers to cover chicken.
- Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes.
- Remove skin and brown the chicken for about 10 minutes each side.
- Remove pan from oven, cover with foil, make a vent and let it set for 5-10 minutes.
- Remove skewers and cut chicken into thin slices. Note2
- In a small bowl. mix the sauce ingredients well
- Serve with rice or as a wrap with white sauce, cucumber slices, thinly sliced ice berg lettuce, pickles, onion rings, hummus and much more.
Video
Notes
- Use Orange juice. The slight sweetness I told you about actually comes from the use of orange juice and not sugar as I was thinking. I've heard a lot about this before but was hesitant to try.
- Use zests. Orange and lemon zests helped also in flavoring the dish giving it the desirable tartness without the need for more vinegar or lemon juice.
- Use chicken skin is possible: This was genius guys. If you can find lamb fat then by all means use it. Or else do as I just did, use the fat dripping from chicken thigh skin. I simply skinned some organic chicken thighs.
- For the onion, you can use yellow or red onion.
- You can also try layering chicken on wooden skewers that has been deeply inserted into a large half onion with a flat side set on a baking dish. I saw this on a facebook video before that I could not find unfortunately. Worth noting that I've tried this method several times and it did not work for me but worked wonders for many of my readers, who also recommended not throwing that onion away as it came out so flavorful.
- You might want to brown the sliced chicken more in a pan on stove top for more color.
- Serve with: Serve this shawarma as wraps or over a bed of rice. These sides goes great with the chicken shawarma as well:
- Toum ( garlic yogurt sauce) , baba ganoush, tahini sauce, mutabal are all great to serve with chicken shawarma.
- Yellow rice, the flavors in this rice pairs very well with the Middle Eastern spices.
- Chickpea salad, is one of our favorite too.
- Make ahead:
- You can leave the chicken to marinate overnight but if you are planning to leave it longer, I recommend you freeze the chicken immediately with the marinade. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before cooking.
- Storage:
- Refrigerate leftover in a sealed container for up to 4 days. Freeze if you are going to leave them for longer, take them out to defrost in the refrigerator and reheat on the stove top.
Nutrition
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Instructions
In a food processor, combine red pepper, onion, and garlic. Pulse twice until roughly chopped. Add mayonnaise, tomato paste, lemon zest, orange zest, and yogurt, then pulse until combined.
In a large bowl, combine dry spices, lemon juice, orange juice and olive oil.
Add the onion mixture to the bowl and mix well.
Add chicken and toss well to coat. Fold chicken pieces in half and thread it into two metal skewers. Arrange the metal skewers over the pan, as shown above, so they are elevated. Cover with chicken skin if available.
Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes. Remove the skin and brown the chicken for about 10 minutes on each side.
Amira's tips
- Use Orange juice. The slight sweetness I told you about actually comes from the use of orange juice and not sugar, as I was thinking. I've heard a lot about this before but was hesitant to try.
- Use zests. Orange and lemon zests also helped in flavoring the dish, giving it the desirable tartness without the need for more vinegar or lemon juice.
- For best results, I recommend using boneless chicken thighs. Dark meat is best as it has a higher fat content.
- Use chicken skin if possible: This was genius guys. If you can find lamb fat, then by all means, use it. Or else do as I just did, use the fat dripping from chicken thigh skin. I simply skinned some organic chicken thighs.
How to Store, Freeze, and Reheat
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Freeze if you are going to leave them for longer, take them out to defrost in the refrigerator and reheat on the stove top.
How to make ahead
You can leave the chicken to marinate overnight, but if you are planning to leave it longer, I recommend you freeze the chicken immediately with the marinade. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before cooking.
Serving suggestions
Serve this shawarma as wraps or over a bed of rice. These sides go great with the chicken shawarma as well:
- Toum (garlic sauce), baba ganoush, tahini sauce, mutabal are all great to serve with chicken shawarma.
- Yellow rice, the flavors in this rice pairs very well with the Middle Eastern spices.
- Mediterranean Chickpea Salad, Greek salad or this amazing Egyptian Salad add fresh veggies to this shawarma dinner.
- Get the full experience and finish this delicious meal with one or more of these Middle Eastern Desserts.
You'll also like
If you need recipes that are bursting with flavors and special exotic spice blends, let me introduce you to some of our best Middle Eastern recipes:
I hope you will love this recipe. Let me know in the comments below how you serve your shawarma.
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Michelle
This was FANTASTIC!! I missed the part (my fault) that it needed to marinate for 6-8 hours until I made the marinade haha so we ate it the next day and it was SOOO good! Thank you for sharing this recipe with the rest of us so we can all enjoy it and appreciate your culture! It tasted exactly like the Mediterranean restaurants we love! SO HAPPY! I also made to Toum garlic sauce to go with It and WOW! Another 5 star! I can't wait to eat this meal again! THANK YOU!
Lina
Here’s the fully translated version:
Dear Amira,
I tried making your recipe for the shawarma. Somehow, I always had the story you told about it in my mind — that this was the shawarma you ate as a child. Was that in Egypt? I ask because I’ve never eaten shawarma like this in Egypt. Anyway, you didn’t overpromise — it tasted so amazing to me, to all of us. We absolutely loved it! The aroma in our home was incredible. I’m going to set aside the recipe I’ve been using until now and only use this one from now on.
I did make two small changes: instead of bell peppers, I used roasted peppers, and instead of lemon juice and zest, I used preserved lemons.
Thank you for sharing such a wonderful recipe!
Your egyptian follower from Germany
Lina
Kessa
Fantastic!
Wei-Jing
Hi, I am looking forward to trying out this recipe! I don't have cardamom in my pantry, is there a substitute I can use that will still maintain a similar flavor profile?
Amira
I will try to find you a good substitute but if you can't find it them skip, this is the best to do right now. Thanks
Cathy
Hi can I substitute some kind of beef instead of chicken? What beef has the best results?
Amira's Pantry
I have another beef shawarma recipe in this link.
mary
looks great but i do not have the time to make but do use many of your recipes
Janis Potter
. My second time to make it. It is the BEST!! Love it!
Regine
Everyone in our home absolutely LOVED this recipe! The only thing is it was petty time consuming for me personally as far as prep. I would opt for minced garlic next time and lemon juice instead of using fresh.
Zaineb
This is excellent. Does this recipe work if I want to make beef shawarma as well? Or would I have to change anything?
Amira
Zainab, glad you liked the recipe. For beef shawarma there is another recipe here is the link .
Gabbi
This was amazing! Adding this to my recipe rotation for sure.
Gabbi
This was delicious! I am coeliac and this worked with my gluten free requirements. I served it in gf wraps. Definitely will make this again.
Kim Theodorovich Cobb
This recipe is absolutely delicious. It tastes as good as the chicken shwarma from my favorite restaurant!
Samantha
This is so delicious! I love learning how to cook tasty meals from other cultures, and this is at the top. I had never tried shawarma in my life and now I'm hesitant to try any other shawarma recipe. Thank you so much for this recipe, my family and I love it very much and eat it often.
Kelsey
I used to live in a town where there were multiple shawarma places. Since I moved I haven’t been able to find a shawarma place close to me. I have tried multiple recipes to satisfy my craving for shawarma. This recipe is absolutely amazing. It is delicious and tasted like something I’d get from a restaurant. I’ve made it twice already. We’ve done shawarma wraps and a salad. Amazing. Thank you for sharing this recipe. Next I’m going to try the beef shawarma recipe you have.
Tasha J
Amazing! I loved it. I will be making this again and again!!
Nikki
Do you think this could be made in the slow cooker? Maybe cooking in the marinade?
Amira
I havne't tried that before Nilli, please let us know if you did.
Mike Bradley
This is my second time making this after our friends raved about it the first time. It probably breaks a rule but we used the marinade twice with another round of chicken and the second round was as good as the first. Thanks!!
Sathish
Best recipe I have found for making Shawarma. The city we live in has not great options for middle easter food, but this helps me make it at home!
Amira
Thank you so much Sathish, I am so happy you liked it.
Andrea
Came out great! Very authentic!
Barb
This was my first time making and eating shawarma and wow! have I been missing out!! I don't know if it's the best, but it's definitely so good that I don't want to try another recipe! Thank you!
Gordon
My family loved loved this. First time Shwarma and we found it extremely flavorful.
Amira
Thanks Gordon for your feedback, glad your family liked it.
Beck
I have tried to replicate authentic shwarma forever....this flavour profile of this recipe is EPIC! Thanks you
Amira
Awesome Beck!! Thank you so much for your feedback.
Sarah
I’ve been making this recipe for several months now and my family loves it! I even got a food processor to make it correctly. It’s our favorite dish!
Amira
Thank you Sarah for your comment, I am so happy that your purchase did not go to a waste :))
Ann
This recipe is amazing!
First, so easy to put together. And as it is baking in the oven, wow, the kitchen smells so good! As for the taste, major yummy!
Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Enjoy!
Ash
Thank you so much for sharing your recipe with us!
I’ve made the chicken shawarma marinade today and the shawarma was very delicious! I will definitely make it again 🙂
Ramadan Mubarak
Love from Germany
Amira
Thank you so much Ash, I am very glad you liked it.
Katia Marques Lidiaque
what kind of pasta did you use?
i'm brazilian and i want to learn a different option.
Thanks for your attention
Amira
Pasta? I do not get it can you please clarify in which part? Thanks
Kaitlin Jaffray
Hello just preparing this recipe, looks amazing! However, when do i use the vinegar?
Amira
Hello Kaitlin, you add the vinegar with the orange juice and the lemon juice. I updated it.
Jenah
Hi can I freeze the extra sauce? I made a whole batch of the sauce but using only half the chicken.
Amira
Jenah, there is no health risks in freezing the sauce. However the texture will be different as the citrus juice(s) will cause the yogurt to curdle. I do not think it will be a big problem as this is a marinade and not a dip. I hope this helps.
Chris
Amazing recipe. This came out so close to our favorite restaurant version that we couldn't believe it. Our family of four ate 7 thighs in a blink, next time I'll make 12. Instead of baking I cooked the chicken on a gas grill using indirect heat for 40 min, and finished over the flame for 5 min to hit 165 F. I also did not have the skins to drape the thighs, but it still came out super moist.
Amira
Chris, thank you so much for your feedback I am so glad you liked it. Your grilled version is going to be on my menu next week, sounds so delicious.
Yvonne Treece
I have been looking for a yogurt based marinade with cardamom forever! I tried it years ago and could never find it again. I made this on the grill (charcoal) and it is delicious! I just made skewers, and did not drape with the chicken skin, but it worked very nicely. It doesn’t match the dish, but I like it with tzatziki sauce, parsley, tomato and onion. I like to have a mostly green tabouli (like a Lebanese deli I love makes-it has very little wheat and simply dressed w lemon juice and olive oil) on the side. It’s a mishmash of the actual dishes, but I love it!
Amira
Yvonne, so happy you liked it. Serving it with tzatziki actually sounds delicious, I need to try it for a change.
Alice
Excellent recipe and flavors! I used ingredients as listed, but since I was short on time I used a cast iron skillet Rather then roasting in the oven. Shortly before the thighs finished cooking, I cut up the chicken, and continued browning/carmelizing the meat with some of the marinade. Sprinkled The sandwiches with sumac, and not a bite left on any plate! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Amira
Alic, thank you so much for your feedback, I am so happy you all liked it. I'll try your method next time, sounds much quicker.
Ovida
This recipe came out perfectly! I used both chicken thighs in a grill pan on the stovetop, and thighs in the oven. Both were delicious!! 10/10 will make again.
Amira
Ovida, thank you so much for trying this recipe out and for your feedback. I am so happy you liked them.
Mezo
Absolutely delicious. I used some pepper paste instead of red peppers and did not add the orange zest, I was afraid it might get bitter and it was very well received. Thank you.
Amira
Mezo, this is a good idea I will try to look up the pepper paste. Any specific brand you like? Thank you for your feedback.
Carlos
I did some pre-prep the day before and the rest the day I was cooking it. It was fabulous! The only thing I changed was the pita wouldn't roll even after warming them slightly so we just layered chicken, lettuce, cucumber and sauce on a platter and used tongs to serve ourselves. It looked good and it was well worth the work!
Amanda Khalaf
This is better than anything I’ve gotten in a restaurant! So delicious! It takes a little prep, but the end result to so worth it! Thank you for sharing!!!
Amira
Amanda, thank you for trying the recipe, I am glad you liked it and I am sure thankful for your feedback. <3