This easy, healthy homemade chicken shawarma is a huge fan-favorite around here, for good reason! The secret is in the simple shawarma spice mixture, which makes all the difference. My step-by-step tutorial and video show you exactly how to make this delicious chicken! Serve it in pita pockets with tahini sauce and this lazy salad, and call it dinner!
I grew up in Port Said, Egypt, where the streets are filled with small stands and joints selling delicious, super fragrant Middle Eastern foods. Fresh fried falafel. Bowls of Mujadara (lentils and rice) or Koshari. Skewers of Kabobs. And yes, shawarma, both beef and chicken options.
Chicken shawarma is one of my absolute favorite Middle Eastern street foods. You may or not be familiar with it, so let’s start with what is chicken shawarma.
What is Chicken Shawarma?
Traditional chicken shawarma is basically well-marinated chicken, layered on a vertical rotisserie or spit where it’s slow-roasted for days–in its own juices and fat–until perfectly tender and extra flavorful! To serve it, the joint owner would typically shave a layer of shawarma off the spit and pile it up into a pita pocket, jazz it with tahini sauce and heaps upon heaps of fresh toppings!
I’m telling you, Chicken shawarma is the epitome of seductive Middle Eastern flavors. And the good news is, I’ve found an easy way to make it at home with the same authentic flavors!
For my easy homemade chicken shawarma version, you do not need a special rotisserie or spit. You just need a sheet pan to make it right in the oven!
The secret is in the shawarma spice mixture, including warm spices including cumin, coriander, turmeric, paprika and a pinch of cayenne. SO MUCH FLAVOR!
How to make chicken shawarma at home (Step-by-Step)
1. Make the shawarma spice mixture. Simply add the spices into a small bowl and mix to combine.
2. Cut up some boneless, skinless chicken thighs into small bite-size pieces (you can use chicken breast if you like, this is just my personal preference.)
3. Spice the chicken up, make sure to coat the chicken well with the spice mixture. Add onions, lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil. If you have the time, cover and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight (if you don’t, you can skip the marinating time, it’ll still be delicious)
4. When ready, lay the chicken shawarma on a large sheet pan and bake in 425 degrees heated oven for 30 minutes or so (you can check a bit earlier as ovens do vary.)
How to Serve Chicken Shawarma?
The true Middle Eastern way to serve chicken shawarma is in pita pockets or wraps with heaps of veggies and a good deal of sauce. I like the idea of loaded pita pockets. And for the veggies, peppery arugula and my simple 3-ingredient Mediterranean salad.
As with beef shawarama, you can serve chicken shawarma with a generous drizzle of tahini sauce. It’s also common to use a white yogurt-based sauce like Greek Tzatziki.
This chicken shawarma recipe can serve 4 to 6 people. But if you’re looking for a fun way to serve a larger crowd, think of doing shawarma sliders!
Can you make this shawarma in advance?
Yes, you can prepare and bake the chicken ahead of time–one or two nights in advance– and then assemble into pita pockets when the time comes. Refrigerate in tight-lid container until ready to use.
Warm chicken up in a skillet over medium heat, adding a little bit of liquid and tossing the chicken pieces until warmed through. The liquid will help it so it doesn’t dry up.
Watch the Video for Chicken Shawarma Recipe
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Chicken Shawarma
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 shawarma pitas 1x
Description
You don’t need a special rotisserie to make this easy homemade chicken shawarma recipe! Chicken pieces, tossed in warm Middle Eastern spices, then baked until perfectly tender. Serve it in pita pockets with Mediterranean salad and sauces. Be sure to check out the video and step-by-step above.
Ingredients
- 3/4 tbsp ground cumin
- 3/4 tbsp turmeric powder
- 3/4 tbsp ground coriander
- 3/4 tbsp garlic powder
- 3/4 tbsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, more if you prefer
- Salt
- 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 large onion, thinly sliced
- 1 large lemon, juice of
- 1/3 cup Private Reserve extra virgin olive oil
To Serve
- 6 pita pockets
- Tahini sauce or Greek Tzatziki sauce
- Baby arugula
- 3-ingredient Mediterranean Salad
- Pickles or kalmata olives (optional)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix the cumin, turmeric, coriander, garlic powder, sweet paprika and cloves. Set aside the shawarma spice mix for now.
- Pat the chicken thighs dry and season with salt on both sides, then thinly slice into small bite-sized pieces.
- Place the chicken in a large bowl. Add the shwarma spices and toss to coat. Add the onions, lemon juice and olive oil. Toss everything together again. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight (if you don’t have time, you can cut or skip marinating time)
- When ready, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Take the chicken out of the fridge and let it sit in room temperature for a few minutes.
- Spread the marinated chicken with the onions in one layer on a large lightly-oiled baking sheet pan. Roast for 30 minutes in the 425 degrees F heated-oven. For a more browned, crispier chicken, move the pan to the top rack and broil very briefly (watch carefully). Remove from the oven.
- While the chicken is roasting, prepare the pita pockets. Make tahini sauce according to this recipe or Tztaziki sauce according to this recipe. Make 3-ingredient Mediterranean salad according to this recipe. Set aside.
- To serve, open pita pockets up. Spread a little tahini sauce or Tzatziki sauce, add chicken shawarma, arugula, Mediterranean salad and pickles or olives, if you like. Serve immediately!
Notes
- Cook’s Tip: If you have time, marinate the chicken for 3 hours or overnight in the fridge. Otherwise, you can skip the marinating time as indicated in the instructions. It will still be delicious!
- Cook’s Tip: Because ovens vary, be sure to check chicken at about 25 minutes or so of roasting/baking and go from there. Chicken is ready when internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
- Make Ahead Option: You can prepare the chicken ahead of time, one or two nights in advance, if you like. Warm up in a skillet over medium heat, adding a little bit of liquid and tossing the chicken pieces until warmed through. Assemble pita pockets as instructed.
- Serving Ideas: Chicken shawarma is best served in pita pockets with salad and sauces, like I mentioned already, but it can be served as an appetizer to a larger crowd. In that case, you can serve it in smaller slider buns with just a little sauce and fresh arugula.
- Recommended for this recipe from our all-natural and organic spice collections: cumin; turmeric; coriander; and Spanish paprika. And our Private Reserve extra virgin olive oil (from organically grown and processed Koroneiki olives)
- SAVE! Try our Ultimate Mediterranean Spice Bundle or create your own 6-pack from our all-natural and organic spices! Try our Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil Bundle!
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Category: Entree/Meat and Poultry
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Great
I made this tonight with warm pita bread and your tzatziki sauce recipe. I was able to marinade the chicken overnight. My husband’s response ” this is killer”. This is a keeper. I am actually making 3-4 of your recipes a week. I have always enjoyed cooking but now have a new excitement. Thank you!!!
Wonderful, Cathe! Thank you!
Suzy, I made this recipe for a salad bowl. It was excellent. I let it marinate in the fridge overnight.. next time I will use pitas bread.
Tracey
So glad you enjoyed it!
Hi Suzy, love cooking recipes from your site but i have a question. Could i keep the chicken thighs whole, marinate them overnight and then cook them on kebab sticks on the bbq? It is supposed to be around 40 degrees here tomorrow so not really fancying switching on the oven. 🌞
Sure! You could totally do these on the grill, Jane. Enjoy!
Can you help with a bit of troubleshooting? I think mine didn’t turn out quite right? The chicken ended up cooking in quite a lot of liquid, which “rinsed” off most of the spices. It was ok, but not as flavorful as I was expecting, and the chicken texture was more “stewed” than “roasted”. I used cut up skinless chicken thighs, marinated overnight, and roasted at 425 in a 13x9x2 aluminum pan. The chicken was in a single layer, but a little crowded. I ended up with about an inch of liquid in the pan. If I’d used a baking sheet, the amount of liquid would have overflowed onto the heating element. I’d like to try again using a baking sheet, but I’m nervous about all that liquid, and concerned about the pan warping at that high of a temperature. Could the chicken be fried in batches in a cast iron skillet instead of roasted? Do you have any ideas on what caused so much liquid to build up?
Hi, C.C. It’s hard to say what may have gone wrong here. If you feel more comfortable, next time, you could totally try cooking this in a skillet.
So delicious and easy! My teenaged son especially loved it. It’s a new family favorite. It’s also a very affordable meal that easily replaces going out.
Had to let it marinate overnight and I will definitely do that again next time.
Thanks, Angela!
Delicious! I’ve made it with breast meat and boneless thigh meat. The thighs took more time and effort to trim off fat and cut up so I recommend the breast meat if you’re short on time. Both taste great.
So glad you enjoyed it!
Can I leave out the cayenne pepper to make it not spicy hot?
Sure!
The reviews led me to believe that this was good. They were wrong: it was AMAZINGLY AWESOME! I followed the recipe exactly, even using boneless, skinless chicken thighs over the chicken breasts that I usually prefer. This was so good that I am putting together a seasoning packet along with the recipe to mail to my daughter for her picky family in Nebraska. I can’t wait to make it again – I’m thinking that tomorrow is probably not too soon. Thank you for this new favorite!
Yay! Thanks so much, Mindy!
I made my first recipe from your website, chicken shawarma. From the moment I opened the oven door my entire apartment was filled with the most amazing aromas. It was absolutely delicious! I had it marinating since last night . I was so surprised how simple it was to make but it tastes like I spent hours in the kitchen. I’m so excited to try my next recipe from your site.
Love hearing this, Nancy! Thank you!!
how would it be if you used chicken breaststroke instead of thighs?
Hi, Janice. Still delicious :). You can use 2 to 3 chicken breast halves here, depending on their size.
We’ve made this recipe many times and love it! I found a shawarma seasoning mix at the Arabic store that contains all the same spices as this recipe so I use that to make things easy.
Has anyone made the chicken in the instant pot? I love my ip in the summer so I don’t heat up the whole house by turning on the oven. Was hoping to adapt this recipe to the IP 🙂
Hi, Veronica. I have not, but hopefully someone who has will chime in :). I know some readers have had success making this in a slow cooker, so I think it would be great in an Instant Pot as well.
I have always loved your recipes. Do you think this is one that could be done in the slow cooker?
Hi, Nikki. I think that would work! Would love to get your feedback if you give it a try.
Suzy… this is a wonderful recipe! I’ve made it for relatives in Boston, Canada and Cincinnati. Everyone absolutely loved it. Especially with your Tzatziki sauce. I enjoy making all your recipes.
Thanks so much!
I make this a lot and it is always delicious. I made it last weekend and to make the chicken go further added a can of well drained chickpeas and roasted them with the chicken mixture – they took on the spices and it tasted great.
What a great idea! Thanks for sharing, Karen!
Hi there I have a quick question….I don’t like cumin….if I omit it will that be a big deal??
No… I don’t think it would be a huge deal. Enjoy!