This easy 15-minute chicken shawarma is full of Middle Eastern spices and flavors. The chicken is so tender and juicy that it can be made into a quick dinner wrapped with No-oven Turkish bread, No-knead garlic flatbread, or rice. These will be your best make-ahead meals.
Chicken Shawarma
Marinate for more than 3 hours – > Pan fry – > Serve
Chicken Shawarma is the most popular and attention-grabbing street food in the Middle East. You can’t imagine it’s easier and faster than you think. With the above 3 steps, you simply marinate the chicken with spices in advance. Then you can prepare your meal easily, quickly, and deliciously in less than 20 minutes.
What is Chicken Shawarma??
Shawarma is traditionally made from a combination of different meats such as lamb, chicken and beef. Then they’re put on a vertical skewer and roasted for hours. It’s thinly sliced and served in a flatbread wrap with salad and sauce.
I’m going to pan fry it so it’s nice and glazed brown and juicy and tasty. If you’re going to bake the chicken, you need to preheat the oven to high. Otherwise, the chicken will be too watery.
Chicken Shawarma ingredients
- Chicken – I used chicken thigh fillets as well as chicken breast. You can also use chicken tenderloin. The secret to making the chicken breast tender and juicy “not dry” is that add yogurt. See below Greek yogurt for details.
- Spices – You have most of the spices at home if you don’t have all of them. Don’t miss cardamom and cumin. They’re the main flavor to make it different from others.
- Coriander root – It’s optional, but I definitely recommend adding it. It adds more flavor to the marinade and is especially good for short marinating. Its strong flavor can be absorbed in a short time.
- Greek yogurt – It can bring out the sweetness of the chicken and makes it tender and juicy. Because its lactic acid bacteria can destroy the meat tissue and make the meat tender.
- Cayenne pepper – If you don’t like spiciness, you can leave it out.
- Lemon juice – It gives the chicken a fresh and sour taste.
- Olive oil – Just add the olive oil before you fry, grill or bake it. If you add it along with the marinade, it’ll prevent the chicken from soaking up the marinade. to the pan, and at the same time reduce the oil needed for frying.
Shawarma yogurt sauce
It’s very simple and easy. All you need is Greek yogurt, paprika, black pepper, salt, crushed garlic, and lemon juice. It’s healthy and low-carb.
How to make chicken Shawarma
MARINADE:
- Prepare a zip bag and put all the marinade ingredients in it – minced garlic, minced coriander root, Greek yogurt, ground coriander, cardamom, cumin, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper and lemon juice. Mix well.
- Put the chicken in the zip bag and mix everything well. Marinate it for at least 3 hours or overnight.
YOGURT SAUCE
- Prepare a bowl, put Greek yogurt, garlic, cumin, paprika, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Mix well, and set aside.
COOK THE CHICKEN
- Put olive oil in zip bag and mix well with chicken before pan fried.This way you can prevent the chicken from sticking to the pan, and at the same time reduce the oil for frying and the calories.
- Heat the pan over medium heat, pour in the oil and add the chicken. Don't turn it once the underside is golden brown.
- Turn it to the other side and fry it until it's cooked.
ASSEMBLE
- Serve the flatbread with slices of lettuce, cucumber and tomato and drizzle the yogurt sauce over it as a wrap.
How to serve chicken Shawarma
You can wrap it with sliced letters, tomatoes and cucumbers in No-oven Turkish bread or No-knead garlic flatbread. Or you can make it with fried rice or steamed rice. Then it’s a healthy and quick meal in less than 20 minutes.
Storage, Freezing, and Reheating Instructions
- Storing – Put leftovers in the refrigerator for 3~5 days.
- Freezing – raw, in the marinade. If you marinate a large amount and freeze it in portions, you can eat chicken shawarma without sacrificing marinating time!
- Reheat – in a skillet, microwave, or oven. If you’re reheating it in the oven, make sure you set the oven to a high temperature. This way the chicken won’t get too dry.
Watch how to make:
The delicious and so easy chicken shawarma is full of middle eastern spices and flavor. The chicken is so tender and juicy when wrapped with flatbread, pita, or rice. Then it's a healthy and quick dinner in less than 15 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 kg 2lb chicken thigh fillets or chicken breast, (Note 1)
MARINADE
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 1 tablespoon coriander root, (optional) chopped (Note 2)
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon ground cardamom
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, reduce to 1/2 tsp for less spicy
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt, optional (Note 3)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, (Note 4)
YOGHURT SAUCE
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 glove garlic crushed
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, (optional)
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- fresh lemon juice
- salt and pepper
TO SERVE
- flatbreads, (Lebanese or pita bread or rice)
- sliced lettuce, cucumber, tomato, onion
- cheese, shredded (optiona)
- hot sauce, (optional)
Instructions
MARINATE
- Put the chicken in a zip bag, add minced garlic, minced coriander root, Greek yogurt, ground coriander, cardamom, cumin, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper and lemon juice. Mix well. And marinate for at least 3 hours or overnight.
YOGURT SAUCE
- Prepare a bowl, put Greek yogurt, garlic, cumin, paprika, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Mix well, and set aside.
COOK THE CHICKEN
- Put olive oil in zip bag and mix well with chicken before pan fried. (Note 4)
- Heat the pan over medium heat, pour in the oil and add the chicken. Don't turn it once the underside is golden brown.
- Turn it to the other side and fry it until it's cooked.
ASSEMBLE
- Serve the flatbread with slices of lettuce, cucumber and tomato and drizzle the yogurt sauce over it as a wrap.
- Or serve it with fried rice or steamed rice and salad.
- Don't forget to squeeze a juicy lemon over it for refreshment.
Video
Tips & Notes:
1. I used both chicken thigh fillets and chicken breast. The advantage of chicken thigh fillets is that they’re juicier because of their fat. But it’s difficult to soak up the flavor of the marinade.
The advantage of chicken breast is that it has fewer calories than thigh and can absorb the flavor of the marinade better. But it’s less juicy and dries out easily if you cook it too long.
But my chicken breast is juicy and tender because I add yogurt. You’ll find the reason in the third note. 2. I like to add fresh coriander root, which is often used in the Middle East to marinate meats. It adds more flavor to the marinade and is especially good for short marinating. Its strong flavor can be absorbed in a short time. 3. If you add Greek yogurt to the marinade, it can bring out the sweetness of the chicken and make it tender and juicy. Because its lactic acid bacteria can destroy the meat tissue and make the meat tender and juicy. 4. Add olive oil and mix it well with the marinated chicken before you pan fry, grill, or bake it. If you add it along with the marinade, it’ll prevent the chicken from absorbing the marinade. The oil just needs to be added before cooking. This way you can prevent the chicken from sticking to the pan, and at the same time reduce the oil for frying and the calories. What to serve with:
The advantage of chicken breast is that it has fewer calories than thigh and can absorb the flavor of the marinade better. But it’s less juicy and dries out easily if you cook it too long.
But my chicken breast is juicy and tender because I add yogurt. You’ll find the reason in the third note. 2. I like to add fresh coriander root, which is often used in the Middle East to marinate meats. It adds more flavor to the marinade and is especially good for short marinating. Its strong flavor can be absorbed in a short time. 3. If you add Greek yogurt to the marinade, it can bring out the sweetness of the chicken and make it tender and juicy. Because its lactic acid bacteria can destroy the meat tissue and make the meat tender and juicy. 4. Add olive oil and mix it well with the marinated chicken before you pan fry, grill, or bake it. If you add it along with the marinade, it’ll prevent the chicken from absorbing the marinade. The oil just needs to be added before cooking. This way you can prevent the chicken from sticking to the pan, and at the same time reduce the oil for frying and the calories. What to serve with:
Nutrition Information:
Serving: 100g Calories: 352kcal (18%) Carbohydrates: 6g (2%) Protein: 48g (96%) Fat: 15g (23%) Saturated Fat: 2g (13%) Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g Monounsaturated Fat: 8g Trans Fat: 0.03g Cholesterol: 130mg (43%) Sodium: 254mg (11%) Potassium: 919mg (26%) Fiber: 2g (8%) Sugar: 2g (2%) Vitamin A: 1141IU (23%) Vitamin C: 6mg (7%) Calcium: 94mg (9%) Iron: 3mg (17%)
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I love hearing how it turned out! Leave me a comment and make sure to leave a rating below.
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