Chicken shawarma recipe with the best authentic marinade ever. You'll be amazed by the smell and the taste of this recipe. Finally, a shawarma recipe that is seriously shawarma and not just spiced grilled chicken.
Chicken Shawarma
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. I've tried many shawarma(s) before that I've lost count of and this is the ultimate spice mix and way of making shawarma as close as I can get to the one I remember from my childhood.
Chicken shawarma should be tangy with a slight sweetness all combined with a special spice blend and cooked slowly with an umbrella of fat. Almost all of the recipes you can find online does not give that taste that I grew up with. I've also tried many shawarma wraps in Egypt and they lacked that special taste as well. They all ended up for me under the category of very well spiced grilled chicken but unfortunately not my shawarma.
What type of food is chicken shawarma?
Chicken Shawarma is made of thin layers of marinated chicken stacked on top of each other on a spinning vertical broilers. Shawarma is usually topped with lamb fat which melts during the process of grilling giving shawarma this unique taste.
What nationality is chicken shawarma?
In Egypt, Shawarma is known to be a Syrian food. A simple search shows that chicken shawarma origin is actually the Levant area. Also some people says it is based off the Turkish doner kebab which is also the base of the famous Greek Gyros.
Chicken Shawarma tips
A couple of tips and tricks I picked up from many sources, including friends from an amateur cooking group has helped a lot in perfecting this recipe to the max.
1) Use Orange juice. The slight sweetness I told you about actually came 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.
2) 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.
3) Use chicken skin: 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.
How to make authentic chicken shawarma
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 all most probably there in your spice rack anyways. So get your spices ready and let's dive in.
- 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 deep bowl, combine dry spices, lemon juice, orange juice and olive oil.
- Add the onion mixture to the bowl and mix well. Add chicken thighs 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 in number 6.
- 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.
- Let it rest for 10 minutes then cur into thin slices. Serve as a wrap or with rice and white sauce (recipe below).
Shawarma's white sauce
Make this white sauce if you have time but if you are in a hurry, try my version of quick white sauce below.. it is so delish. Serve chicken shawarma as a wrap or over a bed of rice.
You may need
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I like using metal skewers for my shish kabob they help in cooking the chunks of meat better.
Other skewers recipes we love
Chicken Shawarma
Ingredients
- 1 (100g) Small onion, quartered.
- 5 (12g) Large garlic cloves.
- 1/2 (70g) Large red bell pepper .
- 1 Tablespoon mayonnaise.
- 1 Tablespoon tomato paste.
- 1/2 cup (120g) plain yogurt.
- 1 teaspoon orange zest.
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest.
- 1/4 cup Orange juice freshly squeezed no sugar added.
- 2 Lemons juiced about 6 Tablespoons.
- 1 Tablespoon white vinegar
- 1/3 cup olive oil.
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom.
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon.
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves.
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika.
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin.
- 1/2 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 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.
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
Thank you so much Ash, I am very glad you liked it.
what kind of pasta did you use?
i'm brazilian and i want to learn a different option.
Thanks for your attention
Pasta? I do not get it can you please clarify in which part? Thanks
Hello just preparing this recipe, looks amazing! However, when do i use the vinegar?
Hello Kaitlin, you add the vinegar with the orange juice and the lemon juice. I updated it.
Hi can I freeze the extra sauce? I made a whole batch of the sauce but using only half the chicken.
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.
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.
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.