This super easy Chicken Shawarma recipe is a classic Mediterranean-inspired dish loaded with tons of spices and baked until golden brown. If you’ve ever thought chicken was boring, this is the recipe that will change your mind!
Love easy weeknight recipes? Try my Homemade Hamburger Helper and my Creamy Shrimp and Grits!
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Homemade Chicken Shawarma
After a recent trip to Israel, I was on a mission to replicate the street-style chicken shawarma I enjoyed there. It was tender, juicy, full of flavor and tons of fragrant spices. We saw chicken shawarma at pretty much every restaurant we went to. Either in a sandwich served with rice or on a kabob.
In my version of Chicken Shawarma I decided to leave the chicken whole and bake the chicken instead of grilling which they traditionally did in Israel. Leaving the chicken whole and baking was a lot easier to do versus cubing, putting it on skewers then grilling. Baking doesn’t change the flavor at all. You can still get golden brown roasted chicken in the oven. I bake the chicken in a 425 degree oven so it cooks fast and stays juicy. After the chicken bakes, I broil them for a few minutes on each side. This helps to get the golden brown char on the chicken similar to grilling.
If you’ve ever thought chicken thighs were boring, this chicken shawarma recipe will change your mind! This dish is so fragrant with tons of spices. Your entire house will smell divine! And the chicken comes out moist and tender thanks to the marinating and broiling.
Serve this dish as an entree with sides like my Mediterranean quinoa, over some mixed greens as a salad, in a pita with some hummus as a riff on a gyro, or over crispy pita chips with some fresh veggies and tzatziki sauce for Mediterranean-style nachos!
ingredients
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs: I love using chicken thighs because they’re pretty cheap and nearly impossible to overcook. And they’re perfect for flavorful recipes like this shawarma that uses a variety of bold flavors. However, you can use breasts, if you prefer.
- Lemon Juice: Adds a nice acidity to the chicken and acts as a tenderizer in the marinade.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: To marry the spices in the marinade together and adhere them to the chicken thighs.
- Garlic: Minced fine so they almost melt into the chicken thighs and other spices.
- Dry Seasonings: Ground cumin, paprika (smoked, if possible), turmeric, ground cinnamon, salt, and pepper are all you need to get the bold flavor of street-style Chicken Shawarma at home!
- Fresh Parsley: Chopped for garnish.
How To Make Chicken Shawarma
Making Chicken Shawarma at home is a lot easier to make than you might think! All you need is a few minutes of prep time.
- Marinate the chicken: Add chicken to a large ziplock bag along with all of the ingredients except the chopped fresh parsley.
- Cover and store in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or overnight.
- Bake chicken: When you are ready to cook preheat oven to 425 F degrees. Place chicken in a greased baking dish and bake until golden brown and cooked through. (Mine took about 15 minutes because the chicken was on the thinner side). In the last minute or two of cooking switch the oven to Broil. Cook chicken for 1-2 minutes until golden brown and crispy.
- Remove from the oven and allow the chicken to rest for a couple of minutes before slicing.
- Serve! Top with chopped fresh parsley if desired. Serve the chicken in a pita or on top of a salad or over rice!
Can You Grill This Chicken Shawarma Recipe
Absolutely! This recipe can easily be made on the grill as full thighs or breasts, or skewered, after marinating of course. Grill until golden brown, and cooked through (about 10-15 minutes). You can also throw some sliced veggies like red onion, bell peppers, and mushrooms into your marinade and grill them, too. (Best for kebabs.)
how to make garlic sauce
- In a small bowl combine the minced garlic, mayonnaise, greek yogurt and lemon juice. Whisk until smooth and combined. The sauce will be on the thinner side. Make sure to use full fat greek yogurt for a thicker garlic sauce!
how to serve chicken shawarma
Serve this chicken in a warm pita with Garlic Sauce, tomatoes, lettuce, and onions for your own homemade gyro! Or serve as an entree over rice or a salad. Hummus, tahini, or Mediterranean salsa also make great toppings for this chicken! You can also make your own Mediterranean-style pizza with this on top!
Storage, Freezing, and Reheating Instructions
This Chicken Shawarma recipe is perfect for meal prepping ahead of a busy week or freezing to eat later.
- Store leftover chicken in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freeze cooked and cooled chicken in a freezer-safe, airtight container or plastic bag for one month. You can also prepare the chicken through the marinade stage and then freeze the raw chicken thighs and marinade together for up to 3 months. Allow cooked or raw frozen chicken to thaw in the fridge overnight or on the counter at room temperature.
- Reheat thawed or chilled cooked chicken in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, until warmed through. Allow raw chicken to thaw completely before assembling to cook.
More delicious dinner ideas for tonight!
- Chicken Katsu
- Easy Chicken Marsala
- Baked Teriyaki Chicken
- Chicken Caprese
- Crispy Oven Fried Chicken Thighs
Chicken Shawarma
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 4 tablespoons lemon juice
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- chopped fresh parsley for serving, if desired
Garlic Sauce
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup full fat greek yogurt
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Add chicken to a large ziplock bag along with all of the ingredients except the chopped fresh parsley. Cover and store in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or overnight.
- When you are ready to cook preheat oven to 425 F degrees. Place chicken in a greased baking dish and bake until golden brown and cooked through. (Mine took about 15 minutes because the chicken was on the thinner side). In the last minute or two of cooking switch the oven to Broil. Cook chicken for 1-2 minutes until golden brown and crispy.
- Remove from the oven and allow the chicken to rest for a couple of minutes before slicing.
- Top with chopped fresh parsley if desired. Serve the chicken in a pita or on top of a salad or over rice!
Garlic Sauce
- In a small bowl combine the minced garlic, mayonnaise, greek yogurt and lemon juice. Whisk until smooth and combined. The sauce will be on the thinner side. Make sure to use full fat greek yogurt for a thicker garlic sauce.
Nutrition Information
Did you make this?
I’d love to hear your feedback! Leave a review and make sure to share your pictures on social media! Don’t forget to follow @thechefsavvy.
Kaitlyn
Fantastic!! I used chicken breast instead of thighs, but the marinade made all the difference. I’m actually looking forward to these leftovers!!
This one will certainly be added to our menu rotation!!
Kelley Simmons
So happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! It one of our favorites! Thank you!
Colleen
Outstanding recipe. Put in good quality greek pita topped with Tzatziki, shredded lettuce and sliced tomato….Delicious!
Kelley Simmons
So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe Colleen! Thank you so much for taking the time to share!
Tanner
How could this possibly be so high in cholesterol?
dred
This recipe calls for chicken thighs, which have a much higher fat and cholesterol content than the breasts. If you want to lower the cholesterol and fat in your food, use chicken breasts instead, and be careful not to overcook and dry them out. I sous vide the breasts, and then brown them on the grill or stove for about 2 minutes each side. This keeps them very juicy, and grilling outside keeps the kitchen cool in the summer (I use the sous vide outside, too).
Rose Leavitt
can i put the chicken in the prepared marinade for two days in the refrigerator then cook
Kelley Simmons
Hi Rose,
I would not recommend marinating it longer than overnight. With lemon marinades the longer the chicken gets marinaded it can become mushy because of the acidity in the lemon juice.
Hope that helps! Thanks,
Kelley
Gloria
I rate this recipe a 5. It was delicious 😋..I marinated the chicken overnight and I baked it for 30 minutes…because the chicken was thick…I broiled it 2 minutes on one side and turned it over and broiled it for 4 minutes…I like it crispy….my so loved it 😀
Kelley Simmons
So glad to hear you enjoyed this so much Gloria! Thank you so much for taking the time to share and leave a review!
Laurie
Can I make this recipe with chicken breasts instead of thighs? My family doesn’t care for dark meat chicken.
Kelley Simmons
Hi Laurie,
Yes absolutely! Let me know how it turns out for you!
Kelley
MaryB
This is a delicious recipe. We have made it twice now. The dipping sauce is very good, as well. We also used homemade hummus with the chicken. Delicious!
Kelley Simmons
Yah so happy to hear you enjoyed this! Thank you so much for sharing!
Crystal White
I LOVE this recipe, I marinated it as the recipe says overnight. I Baked the thighs at 18 minutes and 2 under the broiler, it was so tender and delicious! The flavor is so bold and savory. I served it over a seasoned farro and sautéed greens mix and of course drizzled some extra sauce over it. The fresh parsley garnish worked very well. Thank you!
Kelley Simmons
Yah so happy to hear you enjoyed this! Thank you so much for sharing!
dred
I make a LOT of Greek/Mediterranean food like this, so I thought I might share a few variations to try. Chicken breast can be used, and stays very juicy, if it is first cooked via sous vide and then grilled/broiled for a minute or two on each side to brown it at the end. In fact, it can be cooked this way in the same ziplock bag it was marinated in. It is brain-dead easy and foolproof, unless overcooked on the grill.
To thicken the sauce, add thick sour cream (anything but Daisy brand) instead of mayonnaise, and/or add olive oil. If soupy, the olive oil will congeal and thicken the sauce when refrigerated. To make full blown Greek tzatziki sauce: peel, cut lengthwise, seed, grate and squeeze the juice out of a cucumber or two, add a little vinegar (I use red wine/raspberry a lot), Kosher salt to taste, dill and a little mint to the yogurt, lemon and garlic. just be careful to let the Kosher salt melt before tasting and adding more, lest you make it too salty! This sauce goes great with this shawarma or even Moroccan dishes.
Jen
I’ve made this at least a dozen times. My family loves it. Best shawarma recipe I’ve found! Thank you!
Kelley Simmons
This makes me so happy to hear! Thank you so much!