You may be asking, what the heck is Chicken Shawarma? Shawarma is a Middle Eastern dish that features marinated and seasoned meat such as lamb, beef, or chicken that’s traditionally cooked on a vertical rotisserie or spit. The meat is then shaved off the rotating spit as it cooks. It’s commonly served in a wrap, pita, naan, or on a plate with various sides. I know what you’re thinking…I don’t have a spit or rotisserie to make Shawarma. Well neither do I, but this easy oven method produces flavor packed meat that’s absolutely delicious. This is one recipe you’re going to want to try.
How To Make Chicken Shawarma:
Slice each chicken piece in half horizontally. Using a fork, prick each chicken thigh numerous times.
Place chicken in a large ziplock baggie. Add olive oil, lemon juice, crushed garlic, garlic powder, black pepper, salt, and paprika to the baggie.
Seal bag squeezing out excess air.
Massage chicken to ensure the marinade coats each piece of chicken in the bag. Place the chicken in the refrigerator to marinate for 8 hours or overnight. Overnight is best. The longer it marinates the better the flavor.
Preheat oven to 350° F.
Line a 9×5” loaf pan with parchment paper.
Layer the chicken into the loaf pan.
Pour any marinade left in the baggie over the top of the chicken in the loaf pan. Press chicken down into the pan.
Bake for 1 hour or until the internal temperature reads 160° F.
Remove the pan from the oven and let the chicken rest for ten minutes.
Drain off the excess juices in the pan and discard it.
Transfer the chicken meat to a cutting board and slice it.
To Serve:
Spread Tzatziki sauce on a round of Pita, Naan or flat bread and top with some of the Chicken Shawarma.
Now it’s time for some fresh toppings.
Sliced red onion, diced red bell pepper, chopped tomato and crumbled feta cheese are all delicious toppings. Diced cucumber and cilantro would also be delicious toppings.
Oh my goodness! Not only is this Chicken Shawarma easy to make, but it packs a huge punch of fantastic flavors. The lovely garlic from the marinade, the refreshingly cool cucumbers in the Tantalizing Tzatziki Sauce, the crisp, fresh veggies, and creamy Feta cheese all come together to produce a truly delectable dish. You must give this one a try, you won’t be disappointed, I promise!
I love that you have plenty of time to prep all the toppings while the chicken is cooking in the oven, with extra time left to whip up some fresh homemade Tantalizing Tzatziki Sauce. It’s an easy to make light, refreshingly delicious, cool and creamy cucumber sauce that pairs beautifully with all your favorite Mediterranean and Middle Eastern foods like this easy to make Chicken Shawarma.
Ditch the store bought flat bread and make your own. You’ll have plenty time to make some homemade Naan Bread while the chicken is cooking. This easy to make Garlic Naan Bread pairs beautifully with the garlic flavor from the Chicken Shawarma.
This cast iron skillet is used more than any other pan in my arsenal. It’s my favorite pan and will last you a lifetime. It’s the perfect size to cook up all your favorite flatbreads; Pita bread or Naan bread. It heats up nice and evenly so you always get stellar results! It’s the best $20 I ever spent.
Chicken Shawarma
Equipment
- 9 inch loaf pan
Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 small lemon, juiced
- 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- ½ tsp paprika
To Serve:
- 6 pita bread, naan bread or flat bread
- 1 cup Tzatziki sauce
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 tomato, diced
- 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and diced
- ½ cup Feta cheese, crumbled
Instructions
- Slice each chicken piece in half horizontally. Using a fork, prick each chicken thigh numerous times.
- Place chicken in a large ziplock baggie.
- Add olive oil, lemon juice, crushed garlic, garlic powder, black pepper, salt, and paprika to the baggie.
- Seal bag squeezing out excess air.
- Massage chicken to ensure the marinade coats each piece of chicken in the bag. Place the chicken in the refrigerator to marinate for 8 hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Line a 9×5” loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Layer the chicken into the loaf pan and then press it down into the pan.
- Pour any marinade left in the baggie over the top of the chicken in the loaf pan.
- Bake for 1 hour or until the internal temperature reads 160° F.
- Remove the pan from the oven and let it rest for ten minutes.
- Drain off the juices in the pan and discard it.
- Transfer the chicken meat to a cutting board and slice it.
To Serve:
- Spread Tzatziki sauce on a round of Pita, Naan or flat bread.
- Top with pieces of chicken, sliced red onion, diced red bell pepper, chopped tomato, and crumbled feta cheese.
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