Sheet Pan Shawarma Chicken with Potatoes and Onions

This sheet pan shawarma chicken takes advantage of the popular middle eastern shawarma spice mix to add flavor and dimension to your weekday sheet pan recipe.  This simple, easy and effortless recipe gets done in an hour. It’s hearty and healthy with flavorful chicken, roast potatoes, caramelized onions, lemon, and garlic.

Sheet Pan Shawarma Chicken with Potatoes and Onions

My absolute favorite middle eastern food has got to be Shawarma followed by Falafel and then hummus.

Do you remember my very popular recipe for Quick Homemade Shawarma or Shawarma Pockets?

I shared all about shawarma. I hope you enjoyed reading that.  A very common middle eastern food that can also be referred to as the middle eastern fast food recipe. Here in Israel the three food places that make for a quick lunch on weekdays and are always crowded around lunch – First is the hummus usually most affordable, second is falafel priced a bit more than hummus and third is usually a Shawarma place which is not necessary cheap but considering the amount of meat and accompaniments is still considered a middle eastern fast food.

The shawarma meat can be anything from beef, veal to lamb or turkey and chicken. Or even a mix of some of them.

Sheet Pan Shawarma Chicken with Potatoes and Onions

So what is Shawarma? How to make shawarma homemade?

In short shawarma chicken is stacked meat on a horizontal rotating spit surrounded by a grill. Furthermore, meat is surrounded by fat which melts while grilling; keeping the meat moist and juicy.
But the main highlight of this shawarma meat is that it is heavily spiced with a special aromatic shawarma spice mix!!  And that is what makes shawarma even more special.

So while we won’t stack our meats, or load it with fat nor grill it on a rotating spit that spice mix which is a star of this dish enables us to make shawarma homemade. And making a sheet pan shawarma version means making simple every day cooking more easy, full of flavor and healthier. Here we have replaced the saturated animal fat with good old olive oil.

Sheet Pan Shawarma Chicken with Potatoes and Onions

Sheet Pan Shawarma Chicken with Potatoes and Onions

The Shawarma Spice Blend / Shawarma Seasoning Recipe

The shawarma spice mix differs slightly from region to region mostly in the quantity and number of spices used.  I like to try store bought spice mix so I can try different variations.

Over the years I have come to define my own flavor and combination that works best for me, so I make my own shawarma seasoning recipe.  This blend works best for me and is one that will tantalize your taste buds. Absolute heaven!   In the recipe below I have used fresh ginger and garlic instead of powders because I always go with fresh ingredients when I can. You can find my Shawarma Spice Blend aka Shawarma Seasoning Mix here.

Though we cooked this in a sheet pan – look how fancy it looks when plated? The chicken gets a beautiful color from the spices, the onions are soft and sweet. The potatoes are perfectly roasted tender on the inside and crisp on the outside. That’s a perfect lunch for me. Can you see those roasted garlic and lemon slices? That is heaven on a plate….. you have to try it to experience it.

Sheet Pan Shawarma Chicken with Potatoes and Onions

Recipe – Sheet Pan Shawarma Chicken with Potatoes and Onions (Save/Pin for later)

Tools

• Sheet Pan
• Chopping board andKitchen Knife
• Bowl
• Serving Platter

Shawarma Ingredients

• Chicken thighs and legs – 8 pieces
• Potatoes – 3 large
• Onions – 2 large
• Lemon – 1 large (optional)
• Garlic bulb – 1 large (optional)
• Garlic – 2 large – minced or grated
• Ginger – 1 tbsp grated
• Lemon juice – 2 tbsp
• Olive oil – 4 tbsp
• Salt – 1 tsp
• Pepper – 1 tsp
• Shawarma spcie mix – 4 tbsp (more or less) – https://veenaazmanov.com/homemade-shawarma-spice-mix/my homemade recipe or store bought works too

Method

Marinate Chicken

• Preheat the oven at 200 C / 400 F
• Clean and skin chicken pieces. Remove any excess trimmings
• Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice
• Rub grated ginger and garlic into the chicken pieces
• Prepare spice mix blend – mix thoroughly
• Rub the spices all over the chicken
• Let chicken marinate while you prepare the veggies
• This chicken can be left to marinate overnight in the fridge as well.

Prepare Veggies

• Wash, peel and cut potatoes into bitesize pieces
• Cut onions and lemon into round slices – remove seeds from lemon slices.
• Separate garlic cloves from the bulb but leave the skin on.
• Grease the sheet pan with  2 tbsp olive oil to prevent sticking.
• Place potatoes on the sheet pan
• Sprinkle with salt and pepper to season.
• Next lay chicken pieces over potatoes
• Place onion and garlic slices all over chicken pieces.
• Sprinkle salt and pepper over onion and lemon slices.
• Drizzle remaining olive oil all over the ingredients.

Bake

• Bake in a preheated oven for 45 to 60 minutes
• Turning chicken and potatoes every 20 mins to encourage even cooking.
• When done – remove from the hot sheet pan to a serving platter if desired.

Sheet Pan Shawarma Chicken with Potatoes and Onions

Sheet Pan Shawarma Chicken with Potatoes and Onions

This sheet pan shawarma chicken takes advantage of the popular middle eastern shawarma spice mix to add flavor and dimension to weekday sheet pan recipe that's simple easy and effortless. The recipe gets done in an hour and is hearty and healthy with spiced chicken and veggies such as roast potatoes, caramelized onions, and garlic.

 

Print

Course Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine Middle Eastern

Keyword Shawarma chicken, Sheet Pan Chicken

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 55 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings 8 servings

Calories 295 kcal

Author Veena Azmanov

Ingredients - Choose (Metric or US Customary) below

• 8 pieces Chicken thighs and legs
• 3 Potatoes large
• 2 Onions large
• 1 Lemon optional
• 1 Garlic bulb optional
• 2 cloves Garlic minced or grated
• 1 tbsp Ginger grated
• 2 tbsp Lemon juice
• 4 tbsp Olive oil extra virgin
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Pepper
• 4 tbsp Shawarma Spice Mix (my homemade recipe here)

Metric - US customary

Instructions

Marinate Chicken

1. Preheat the oven at 200 C / 400 F
2. Clean and skin chicken pieces. Remove any excess trimmings
3. Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice
4. Rub grated ginger and garlic into the chicken pieces

5. Rub the shawarma spice all over the chicken 

6. Let chicken marinate while you prepare the veggies 

7. This chicken can be left to marinate overnight in the fridge as well.

Prepare Veggies

1. Wash, peel and cut potatoes into bitesize pieces

2. Cut onions and lemon into round slices - remove seeds from lemon slices.
3. Separate garlic cloves from the bulb but leave the skin on.

Prepare sheetpan

1. Grease the sheet pan with  2 tbsp olive oil to prevent sticking.

2. Place potatoes on the sheet pan

3. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to season.

4. Lay chicken pieces over potatoes

5. Place onion and garlic slices all over chicken pieces.
6. Sprinkle salt and pepper over onion and lemon slices.
7. Drizzle remaining olive oil all over the ingredients.

Bake

1. Bake in a preheated oven for 45 to 60 minutes
2. Turning chicken and potatoes every 20 mins to encourage even cooking.
3. When done - remove from the hot sheet pan to a serving platter if desired.

Nutrition Facts

Sheet Pan Shawarma Chicken with Potatoes and Onions

Amount Per Serving (257 g)

Calories 295 Calories from Fat 108

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 12.04g 19%

Saturated Fat 2.34g 12%

Trans Fat 0.02g

Polyunsaturated Fat 6.79g

Monounsaturated Fat 0g

Cholesterol 113mg 38%

Sodium 414mg 17%

Potassium 0mg 0%

Total Carbohydrates 20.37g 7%

Dietary Fiber 3g 12%

Sugars 2.45g

Protein 26.2g 52%

Vitamin A 0%

Vitamin C 0%

Calcium 0%

Iron 0%

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

Do you like Middle Eastern Food? Israeli Food?

I have some amazing recipes like quick Sheet Pan Shawarma Chicken and Shawarma Pita Pockets to Heart Healthy Classic Hummus and Tahini Sauce as well as indulgent falafel and Passover favorite Chocolate Pecan Cake to summer classics Kebabs and festive latkes. You can find them all here Middle Eastern Recipes. Alternatively you can find a whole list all all my recipes here on this Recipe Index

Middle Eastern Recipes or Israeli Recipe Collections