How To Make Chicken Shawarma At Home

[Esther Amadi]

What is shawarma?
Shawarma as we know and love it, is a staple street food of the Middle East. Traditionally, shawarma refers to a Levantine way of preparing meat: thin cuts of marinated meat are stacked in a cone on vertical rotisserie and grilled. The word shawarma itself means “turning.”

How to make shawarma
Shawarma can be made with lamb, beef, chicken, or turkey. In our case, we’re going to be using chicken thighs.

Make a spice mix: In a small bowl, mix together cumin, paprika, garlic powder, coriander, cardamom, ginger, turmeric, aleppo peppers, cinnamon, and ground cloves to make a spice mix.

Marinate: Add the spice mix, along with olive oil and lemon juice to a bowl with the chicken thighs. Marinate for at least 2 hours.

Cook the chicken: You can do this in the oven, on the stove, in the air fryer, or on the grill. When it’s done, let it rest, then slice.

Serve: enjoy hot on a platter with shawarma sauce, salad, and a pita; or place everything in a pita and wrap it up, street food style.

Shawarma ingredients
Shawarma is all about the spice, so aside from chicken thighs, fresh lemon juice, and olive oil, you will need: cumin, paprika, garlic powder, ground coriander, ground cardamom, ground ginger, turmeric, aleppo pepper, cinnamon, and ground cloves.

Aleppo pepper – These little dried pepper flakes are amazing. The aleppo pepper in this recipe is optional, so leave it out if you’re spice adverse. But if you’re adventurous, please give it a try. It’ll add just a hint of heat and so much deliciousness. They’re about as half as spicy as regular crushed red pepper flakes but so much more flavorful: earthy, with a fruity tang.

How to cook shawarma

Stovetop – Heat up a cast iron or heavy bottomed frying pan over medium-high and cook the chicken for 3-4 minutes per side until caramelized and cooked through.

Oven baked – Heat the oven to 425°F and lay the chicken out in a single layer on a foil lined sheet pan and bake for 20-30 minutes, flipping halfway.

Air fryer – Air fry the marinated thighs at 360°F for 12-15 minutes, or until cooked through, flipping halfway.

Grill – Heat the grill on medium high. When hot, grill the chicken for 3-4 minutes per side, until charred and cooked through.

Ingredients
2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 lemon juice only
Shawarma Spice Mix
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp ground aleppo pepper optional
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
Shawarma Sauce
3/4 cups greek yogurt
4 cloves garlic crushed
2 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp lemon juice
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Assembly
2 cups romain
1 cups tomato cubed, tomatoes of choice
1 cucumber sliced, optionally salted
1/2 red onion sliced, optionally pickled
4-8 fresh pita

Instructions
In a small bowl, mix together the cumin, paprika, garlic powder, coriander, cardamom, ginger, turmeric, aleppo peppers, cinnamon, and ground cloves to make a shawarma spice mix.

Add the spice mix, along with olive oil and lemon juice to a bowl with the chicken thighs. Season with salt and pepper. Marinate for at least 2 hours.
marinated chicken for shawarma | http://www.iamafoodblog.com
While the chicken is marinating, make the shawarma sauce by stirring together the yogurt, garlic, tahini, and lemon juice. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Cover and set aside in the fridge until ready to eat.
shawarma sauce | http://www.iamafoodblog.com
Heat up a cast iron or heavy bottomed frying pan over medium-high and cook the chicken for 3-4 minutes per side until caramelized and cooked through.
pan grilled shawarma chicken | http://www.iamafoodblog.com
Slice the chicken into bite sized pieces and enjoy hot on a platter with shawarma sauce, rice, salad, and a pita; or place the shawarma in a pita with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and drizzle with shawarma sauce. Optional: After slicing the chicken into bite sized pieces, and add back to the pan and cook over high heat to add extra char before serving.

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