This easy chicken shawarma recipe is a quick, 5-minute prep dinner with bold spices that cook into tender, flavorful chicken. With both grilling and oven directions, it’s an easy, versatile recipe for wraps, bowls, and more.
This chicken shawarma is easy to prep but full of flavor. The marinade comes together quickly in just 5 minutes, and I like to prep it in the morning and let it sit in the fridge until dinner time.
The chicken can be cooked on the grill or in the oven, making it a flexible option year-round. This recipe is one of my absolutely favorite dinner recipes; I make shawarma chicken once a week during the summer.
We never get tired of it because it can be served in wraps, bowls, or as a plate with sides like rice and simple salads.
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Olive oil: I like to use extra-virgin olive oil, but a similar oil, like avocado oil, would also work.
- Lemon juice: I recommend using fresh lemon juice. Bottled lemon juice can have an off flavor to it, so I recommend fresh when possible.
- Salt: If you don’t have kosher salt or sea salt, use half the amount of table salt.
- Chicken: Boneless, skinless chicken thighs can also be used in this recipe.
How to make chicken shawarma
Here you’ll find instructions and step-by-step photos showing how to make this recipe. The full recipe, including ingredients, is given below.
Step 1: Stir together the marinade ingredients in a nonreactive, resealable container or large bowl.
Step 2: Add the chicken breast to the marinade, turning to cover.
Step 3: Cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.
Step 4: Uncover, drain and discard marinade, and grill until chicken reaches 165F. It takes about 10 minutes per side for me.
Recipe Tips!
- Heat: If you want to add some heat to the chicken, add cayenne pepper with the other spices.
- Marinating chicken: You can check out my how to marinate chicken post for tips on marinating chicken, the best containers to marinate in, and more tips.
- Serving suggestions: I like the serve the chicken as chicken shawarma wraps chopped in warm pitas topped with garlic sauce (toum), sliced cucumber, diced tomato, and sliced red onion. However, you can serve with your favorite toppings like hummus, tahini sauce, yogurt sauce, chopped lettuce, or any other desired toppings or in another type of flatbread.
- Baking in the oven: If you would prefer to bake the chicken, preheat oven to 425 F. Add the chicken and marinade to a baking dish. An 11×7-inch dish works well for 1-1.5 pounds of chicken. Bake for 10 minutes. Flip the chicken over, and continue to cook for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until the chicken registers 165F. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Storage
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will keep for up to 4 days when properly stored in the fridge.
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Easy Chicken Shawarma Recipe
Equipment
- Grill or grill pan
Ingredients
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Juice of 1 lemon about 2-3 tablespoons
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1½ teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast
Instructions
- Stir together the marinade ingredients in a nonreactive, resealable container.¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, Juice of 1 lemon, 4 cloves garlic, 1½ teaspoons ground cumin, 1½ teaspoons smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon ground coriander, 1 teaspoon turmeric, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- Add the chicken breast to the marinade, turning to cover.1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast
- Cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.
- Uncover, discard marinade, and grill until chicken reaches 165F. It takes about 20 minutes (or 10 minutes per side) for me.
- Let the chicken rest for about 5-10 minutes before cutting into slices and serving.
- Serve in warm pitas topped with garlic sauce (toum), sliced cucumber, diced tomato, sliced red onion, or your favorite toppings.
Notes
- Olive oil: I like to use extra-virgin olive oil, but a similar oil, like avocado oil, would also work.
- Lemon juice: I recommend using fresh lemon juice. Bottled lemon juice can have an off flavor to it, so I recommend fresh when possible.
- Salt: If you don’t have kosher salt or sea salt, use half the amount of table salt.
- Baking in the oven: If you would prefer to bake the chicken, preheat oven to 425 F. Add the chicken and marinade to a baking dish. An 11×7-inch dish works well for 1-1.5 pounds of chicken. Bake for 10 minutes. Flip the chicken over, and continue to cook for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until the chicken registers 165F. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before serving.
- Nutrition values are estimates.
Nutrition
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