Homemade Chicken Shawarma – 20 mins

Whether you call it shawarma or showarma; the dish is the same. A classic middle eastern food that has gained international popularity over the year. It’s been made differently in different parts of the middle east and each claim to be authentic. For example, Armenian chicken shawarma will be different from the Lebanese Chicken shawarma recipe. It’s just that they make it authentic to their origin and culture.

Having traveled so much and being married in the middle eastern, I have had the pleasure of eating quite a few variations of the Shawarma as well as falafel and hummus.  I have never been to Armenia or Lebanon but I have tried both Armenian shawarmas as well as Lebanese Shawarma and while different in their own way; I can honestly say I would not be able to pick my favorite. They are absolutely exquisite and busting with rich spices.

During my years of travel,  shawarma chicken has been my all-time favorite fast food, especially in the middle east. It’s quick fascinating and very common fast food that tastes delicious. You can buy it like a sandwich or wrap and eat it walking on the street. Which is why it makes a perfect street food while traveling. I would feast on these during my travels.

What is shawarma?

For those of you who are new to Middle Eastern food here is a little about this dish. It’s amazing how different cultures have similar food with different names for example – in Greece  as gyros, In Armenia as “Tarna” and in Turkey  as Doner kabab all these words which translate to “turn’ (meat, kebabs, etc)

The real shawarma is heavily spiced meat stacked on a vertical rotating (turning) spit surrounded by a grill. The meats can be beef, veal, chicken, lamb, turkey or a mix of them. This stack of meat is kept moist with animal fat in between the layers that melt keeping the meat moist and succulent. Thin slices of meat are shaved off from the outside as the stack continues to cooks until you make it to the center of the spit.

How is shawarma served?

Shawarma can be served on a plate accompanied by salads and sauces or served as sandwiches and wraps. Here in Israel, shawarma is served rolled in a flatbread called laffa. It’s a yeast dough that has been rolled into a disc and then cooked in an oven.

Shawarma can also be served in another popular middle eastern bread called pita which is what we are going to use today.  What is pita? A middle-eastern bread, a much smaller disc that bakes with a pocket in the center. This pocket is then stuffed with shawarma, pickles and even salad, hence the term Pocket Shawarma Recipe.  To finish it is topped with a generous drizzle of Tahini sauce.
A very common salad that you often get served with shawarma is the tabouleh salad made with cracked wheat, parsley, cucumbers, and tomatoes. But often also served with a simple finely chopped salad of cucumbers, tomatoes, and parsley and flavored with olive oil and lemon juice.

What is Tahini Sauce?

Tahina is a great addition to this dish and is found in almost all middle eastern food if not with the food as a side dish. We use it to dip pita just like you would dip your focaccia with olive oil and balsamic.  This sauce is healthy too! It’s made from sesame seeds that have been ground to a smooth paste with olive oil. You can find it in small jars in the supermarket and it has a really long shelf life. Most supermarkets have these, look under Asian, middle eastern or global food section isles. It looks like this. This is the raw paste that then is made into a sauce as I have shared below.

Shawarma spice mix ingredients

While I pride myself at making my own spice blends I don’t frown at the use of store-bought spice mixes. I don’t expect everyone to stock their pantry with spices, especially if you don’t cook with them as often. It’s a better option than not having a dish at all.

Having said that I love making my own shawarma seasoning recipe.  This blend works best for us and it’s one I’m very proud of because it’s made its way to family and friends overseas as gifts so they can enjoy the shawarma I make here. You can find my shawarma seasoning mix aka shawarma spice blend here

Let’s talk ingredients and substitutes for our homemade pocket shawarma

• Chicken – I love using boneless thigh meat for this because it’s so much more flavorful then breast meat but if you only use breast meat go right ahead. Just make sure you don’t overcook the chicken. Breast usually will cooker faster.
• Spice – As I said above you can use a homemade shawarma spice mix or the store-bought. If you use my homemade version you can add a little less or more and it will still be in good balance. When buying store-bought one thing to look for would be the heat. Some blends are a little heavy on the cayenne which is not really how it’s supposed to be. Reading the labels is always a good habit.
• Onions – To me this is as important as the chicken but if you not so crazy about onions go ahead and reduce or omit it. Cooking the onions separately helps caramelize it and brings out the sweetness in the onions.
• Tahini sauce – If you make homemade shawarma, falafel or even hummus this is a must-have in your pantry. You can even make a delicious healthy salad dressing with this paste. It’s very creamy and delicious made into a sauce. In paste form, it looks rather unappetizing or plain but the transformation to a sauce is absolute heaven. Ask my husband. Being middle eastern he grew up eating plain pita bread with tahini sauce.

The Quick Homemade Shawarma Chicken (Save/Pin)

Shawarma Ingredients

• Boneless chicken – 450 grams (1 lbs)
• Onion – 1 large
• Garlic – 1 medium grated
• Shawarma spice mix – 2 tbsp (recipe here)
• Cilantro -1/4 cup chopped
• Lemon juice – 1 tbsp
• Canola oil – 3 tbsp
• Salt – 1 tsp
• Pepper – 1/2 tsp
• Tahini Sauce to serve – 1 cup (recipe here)

Method

Marinate chicken

• Cut the chicken into thin long strips.
• Season with salt, pepper and shawarma spice mix.
• Set aside to marinate.

Cook onions

• Slice onions into slices
• Saute in one tbsp of oil for about 7 to 10 minutes on medium-low heat, until nice and lightly golden brown

Cook chicken

• Heat 2 tbsp oil in a saute pan.
• Add garlic – saute for 30 secs
• Followed by the chicken.
• Cook on medium-high heat for about 5 minutes tossing the chicken frequently so it cooks evenly on all sides
• Add chopped cilantro and lemon juice.
• Remove from heat.

Combine chicken and Onion.

• Add the chicken to the onion mix.
• Check for seasoning.

To Serve

• Split the pita in half
• Fill with shawarma chicken
• Drizzle some tahini sauce.
• Sever with a side of simple salad.

Quick Homemade Shawarma Chicken – Chicken Shawarma Recipe

Author: Veena Azmanov

5 from 14 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 5 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

Total Time: 25 mins

Calories: 372kcal

Adjust Servings Here: 5 Servings

Description

This quick version of the homemade shawarma chicken is a classic middle eastern fast food. Weather you use my homemade spice blend or store bought spice mix this is a simple easy and effortless recipe that gets lunch in 20 minutes or less. Served with caramelized onion, simple salad and nutritious tahini sauce this meal is hearty and healthy. 

Ingredients

Shawarma Ingredients

• 450 grams (0.99 lb) Boneless chicken
• 400 grams (0.88 lb) Onion
• 1 clove (1 clove) Garlic grated
• 2 tbsp (2 tbsp) Shawarma spice mix recipe above
• 1/4 cup (0.25 cup) Cilantro chopped
• 1 tbsp (1 tbsp) Lemon juice
• 3 tbsp (3 tbsp) Canola oil
• 1 tsp (1 tsp) Salt
• 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) Pepper
• 1 cup (4.23 oz) Tahini sauce recipe here

ADJUST SERVINGS HERE – 5 Servings

Instructions

Marinate chicken

• Cut the chicken into thin long strips.
• Season with salt, pepper and shawarma spice mix.
• Set aside to marinate.

Cook onions

• Slice onions into slices
• Saute in one tbsp of oil for about 7 to 10 minutes on medium low heat, until nice and lightly golden brown

Cook chicken

• Heat 2 tbsp oil in a saute pan.
• Add garlic – saute for 30 secs
• Followed by the chicken.
• Cook on medium high heat for about 5 minutes tossing the chicken frequently so it cooks evenly on all sides
• Add chopped cilantro and lemon juice.
• Remove from heat. 

Assemble chicken and Onion.

• Add the chicken to the onion mix.
• Check for seasoning.

To Serve

• Split the pita in half 
• Fill with shawarma chicken
• Drizzle some tahini sauce. 
• Sever with a side of simple salad. 

Recipe Video

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Nutrition Information

Nutrition Facts

Quick Homemade Shawarma Chicken – Chicken Shawarma Recipe

Amount Per Serving (174 g)

Calories 372 Calories from Fat 284

% Daily Value*

Fat 31.5g48%

Saturated Fat 5.2g26%

Trans Fat 0.1g

Polyunsaturated Fat 26.2g

Monounsaturated Fat 0g

Cholesterol 58mg19%

Sodium 551mg23%

Potassium 0mg0%

Carbohydrates 9.9g3%

Fiber 2.3g9%

Sugar 1.3g1%

Protein 15g30%

Vitamin A 0IU0%

Vitamin C 0mg0%

Calcium 0mg0%

Iron 0mg0%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you

Keywords – Chicken Shawarma Recipe, Homemade Shawarma

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