Shawarma Recipe

Shawarma, is a popular middle eastern dish that is loved all over the world. Traditionally marinated chicken is cooked in a spit shredded and tossed with fresh veggies, toum sauce and wrapped in a kuboos. This delicious yet healthy chicken shawarma made using pita bread, chicken filling, garlic sauce. Learn how to make the best shawarma in town with step by step pictures and video.

Chicken Shawarma

I have tasted shawarma quite a few times here in restaurants. All the time it tasted like they have mixed chicken and veggies in mayo and rolled up in a pita bread. But i have tasted shawarma in a bakery here, they grill chicken right in the skewer in front of us, shred it up and stuff it in pita and serve, it was delicious. 

What is Shawarma

Shawarma is a popular lebanese dish made of thinly sliced meat stacked in a slowly turning vertical rotisserie or spit. It is traditionally made from lamb or mutton, but it can also be made from chicken, turkey, beef, or veal. As it rotates, thin slices are shaved off. It is either stuffed inside a pita or served as a side for rice. Hummus, tahini, shawarma pickles, vegetables, and even french fries are stuffed inside pita bread.

Nowadays you can fine wide variety of shawarma options in shops. Peri peri shawarma, spicy shawarma, cheese shawarma, plate shawarma, tandoori shawarma, Arabic shawarma, Mexican shawarma and many more.

Chicken shawarma is one of the popular choice around the world. Making shawarma at home is super easy. You have to use chicken breast or chicken thigh and marinated with fresh spices like cumin, paprika, coriander, salt, lemon, olive oil and cardamom. You can take the easy option and marinate with readymade shawarma spice mix that is available in stores.

Marinated chicken is grilled in a cast iron pan and sliced thinly. This cooked shawarma can be made into plate shawarma or shawarma roll. Top with fresh onions, lettuce, tomatoes, garlic sauce and you have a perfect best shawarma ever.

Is shawarma originally Turkish?

Although roasting meat on horizontal spits has a long history, the shawarma technique of grilling a vertical stack of meat slices and cutting them off as they cook first appeared in the 19th-century Ottoman Empire, in what is now Turkey, as doner kebab.

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Veg Fajitas

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Watch Chicken Shawarma Video

Here is a Quick Video for Chicken Shawarma Recipe. It takes less than 2 mins of your time. Watch it in action before you make this!

Chicken Shawarma Ingredients

Here are the ingredients that you need in making chicken shawarma. You might already have all the ingredients in your fridge and kitchen pantry!

Chicken - I used chicken breast which is sliced thinly. Take a chicken and cut them thin in half, you should get two thin slices of chicken from a single chicken breast. This will make sure the chicken cooks faster and more evenly without drying out.

Lemon Juice - Adds a fresh tangy touch to the shawarma which is essential.

Spices - I bet you have all the spices in your kitchen pantry. One essential ingredient in shawarma is cardamom. You can take 4 pods of cardamom and remove the seeds from it and crush them in a mortar and pestle till fine.

Garlic - Grate garlic till fine in a mincer or a garlic press or you can use garlic paste. Chopped garlic is not preferred since it might burn.

Olive Oil - Adds flavour and it helps preventing the chicken from sticking to the grill pan.

Shawarma Sauce Options

Toum (Lebanese Garlic Sauce) - Garlic is usually blended with oil and lemon juice to create an emulsified sauce which is popular all over middle eastern. This garlic sauce is my personal favourite to serve with shawarma.

Yogurt Sauce for Shawarma - Shawarma is usually served with a garlic sauce called as toum. If you prefer lighter yogurt sauce to serve with your shawarma. This is a simple but healthy light dipping sauce for shawarma made with yogurt, garlic and lemon juice.

Yogurt Garlic Sauce Recipe:

Hung Curd / Greek Yogurt - 1 cup (RECIPE HERE)
Garlic - 10 cloves minced
Lemon Juice - 1 tblspn or to taste
Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste

How to Make Chicken Shawarma

Pre-preparation -Take chicken breast and slice them in half. Take a chicken and cut them thin in half, you should get two thin slices of chicken from a single chicken breast. This will make sure the chicken cooks faster and more evenly without drying out. 

Marinate chicken - Take thinly sliced chicken in a bowl, add lemon juice, olive oil, spices, garlic and salt. Mix really well. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and Place the bowl in fridge to marinade for at least 1 hour to overnight. Make sure you remove the chicken from fridge an hour before cooking. 

Cook chicken - heat a frying pan or cast iron grill pan. Brush some oil on the pan. Place chicken on hot pan and cook for 3 to 4 mins on one side. Flip over and c cook for another 3 mins. Remove and set aside in a plate to rest for 10 mins before slicing.

Slicing chicken - once the chicken is rest, slice it thinly using a sharp knife. You can try and slice them as thin as possible.

To Serve - Serve sliced chicken alongside with some flatbread or rice , vegetables and sauce. To make a wrap, take a pita bread, spread garlic sauce. Top with a bit of lettuce, onions, and tomato and Chicken Shawarma. Roll up and enjoy!

How to Make Shawarma (Stepwise Pictures)

Marinating Chicken

1)Take chicken breast and slice them in half. Take a chicken and cut them thin in half, you should get two thin slices of chicken from a single chicken breast. This will make sure the chicken cooks faster and more evenly without drying out. 

2) Take thinly sliced chicken in a bowl, add all your spices and marinate ingredients.

3)Add lemon juice.

4)Add in grated garlic.

5)Add in all your spices, in goes paprika, cardamom and other spice powders.

6) mix well. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and Place the bowl in fridge to marinade for at least 1 hour to overnight. Make sure you remove the chicken from fridge an hour before cooking. 

Grilling Chicken

7)heat a frying pan or cast iron grill pan. Brush some oil on the pan. Place chicken on hot pan and cook for 3 to 4 mins on one side.

8)Flip over and cook for another 3 mins.

9)Remove and set aside in a plate to rest for 10 mins before slicing.

Slicing Shawarma

10)once the chicken is rest, slice it thinly using a sharp knife. You can try and slice them as thin as possible.

How to Make Plate Shawarma

Plate shawarma is nothing but shawarma served in a plate with all the accompaniments. Sliced shawarma is served with garlic sauce, pita bread or kuboos, pickles and salads.

Serve sliced chicken alongside with some flatbread or rice , vegetables and sauce.

How to Make Shawarma Wrap

Shawarma is usually served as a wrap or roll. It is called as shawarma roll. To make a wrap, take a pita bread, spread garlic sauce. Top with a bit of lettuce, onions, and tomato and chicken shawarma and more garlic sauce. Roll up and enjoy!

Healthy Shawarma Wrap Recipe

Shawarma is usually very healthy because it has grilled chicken, fresh veggies and pita. The only ingredient that is high in calorie is the garlic sauce also known as toum which is usually served with shawarma. It has lots of oil which makes it high in fat. If you want to avoid that and make shawarma more healthy. you can opt for my garlic sauce made with yogurt which is healthier option for shawarma.

Yogurt Sauce for Shawarma - Shawarma is usually served with a garlic sauce called as toum. If you prefer lighter yogurt sauce to serve with your shawarma. This is a simple but healthy light dipping sauce for shawarma made with yogurt, garlic and lemon juice.

Yogurt Garlic Sauce Recipe

Hung Curd / Greek Yogurt - 1 cup (RECIPE HERE)
Garlic - 10 cloves minced
Lemon Juice - 1 tblspn or to taste
Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste

How to make Healthy Shawarma

1)Make the yogurt sauce. Take yogurt, minced garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix well. You can add a drizzle of olive oil as well. Keep this in fridge till needed.

2)I used my whole wheat pita bread instead of kuboos. Whole wheat pita is made with whole wheat flour which is high in fibre and is a healthier option.

3)It is easy to assemble. Take your whole wheat pita, spread with yogurt garlic sauce, top with chicken shawarma, lettuce, onions, tomatoes and more yogurt sauce. Wrap and enjoy your healthy chicken shawarma.

Lebanese Spread Menu

Shawarma is a great recipe to try on weekends or for any gatherings. I specially enjoy making this recipe from scratch. once you have all the ingredients ready, making shawarma is not a big deal.

I specially love to grill this on my outdoor bbq in the garden. The only cooking you would do is cooking the chicken other than this everything is just assembling.

If you want to create an arabian dinner menu, why not check this lebanese spread video which I created long back.

• Pita Bread or Whole Wheat Pita Bread - Any easy flatbread works!
• Grilled Chicken - make it minimal spice, instead of grilled chicken use this shawarma chicken.
• Falafels - These chickpeas fritters makes a quick appetizer!
• Hummus - Perfect all purpose dip which is protein rich too!
• Babaganoush - Different take on hummus which is made with eggplants.

Expert Tips

• Make Ahead - You can marinade chicken a day or two in advance. Cook right before serving. You can even freeze chicken in a ziploc bag.
• Garlic sauce (toum)can be made upto 2 days in advance and stored in an air tight container. 
• I prefer grilling the chicken in a cast iron pan for inducing the chicken with the smoky flavour you get as the real deal. But if you want to take easier option. Bake the chicken at 220C or 425F for 15 minutes until browned.

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