Description
Bring restaurant-quality chicken shawarma to your kitchen! This easy recipe uses chicken thighs marinated in aromatic spices like cumin, coriander, and cardamom, then cooked until perfectly tender. Serve in warm pita with fresh veggies and creamy yogurt sauce for an unforgettable meal the whole family will love. Perfect for meal prep too!
Ingredients
For the Chicken & Marinade:
- 1 kg boneless, skinless chicken thighs (the secret to juicy shawarma!)
- 1 large garlic clove, minced (or 2 small cloves)
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp ground cardamom (this is the magic spice)
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper (use ½ tsp if you prefer mild)
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp salt
- Black pepper, to taste
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 3 tbsp olive oil
For the Yogurt Sauce:
- 1 cup plain or Greek yogurt (Greek makes it extra thick and creamy)
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- A squeeze of fresh lemon juice
- Salt and pepper, to taste
To Serve:
- Soft flatbreads or pita
- Lettuce (cos or iceberg), shredded
- Tomatoes, sliced
- Red onion, thinly sliced
- Optional: cheese, pickles, hot sauce, extra veggies
Instructions
In a large bowl or zip-top bag, combine your minced garlic, ground coriander, cumin, cardamom, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, salt, black pepper, fresh lemon juice, and olive oil.
Give it a good stir until everything’s mixed together and it looks like a beautiful, fragrant paste.
Add your chicken thighs and use your hands to coat every single piece really well. You want that marinade covering every bit of chicken.
This part is wonderfully simple and you can do it anytime during your marinating period.
In a small bowl, mix together your yogurt, crushed garlic, ground cumin, a good squeeze of fresh lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Give it a good stir, taste it, and adjust the seasoning if needed.
Cover and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve. This sauce actually gets better as it sits, so making it hours ahead or even the day before works perfectly. It’ll keep for 2-3 days in the fridge.
When you’re ready to cook, take your chicken out of the fridge about 15 minutes beforehand so it’s not ice cold.
For the skillet method, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with just a little drizzle of oil. Once it’s nice and hot, add your chicken pieces in a single layer. Don’t crowd them or they’ll steam instead of getting that gorgeous golden crust.
Cook for 4-5 minutes on the first side without moving them around. Let them develop that beautiful caramelized color.
Flip them over and cook for another 3-4 minutes until they’re cooked through and the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
If you’re grilling, heat your grill to medium-high and cook using the same timing, until the chicken has those lovely char marks and is cooked through.
Here’s an important step – once your chicken is done, let it rest for about 5 minutes before slicing. This lets all those delicious juices redistribute so every bite is moist and flavorful.
For wraps, warm your flatbreads for just a few seconds in the microwave or on a dry skillet until they’re soft and pliable.
Spread a generous amount of that cool yogurt sauce down the center, then layer on your sliced chicken, crispy shredded lettuce, juicy tomato slices, and thin red onion rings.
Add any extras you love – a sprinkle of cheese, tangy pickles, or a drizzle of hot sauce if you like things spicy. Fold up the bottom, then roll from one side to create a beautiful wrap.
For a shawarma plate, arrange your sliced chicken on a platter alongside warm flatbread, a fresh salad of lettuce, tomatoes, and onions, and a generous bowl of yogurt sauce.
Notes
- Double the marinade recipe and freeze half the chicken for another night – future you will be so grateful for this shortcut
- Make extra yogurt sauce – it’s absolutely delicious on roasted vegetables, as a salad dressing, or with pita chips
- If you’re short on time, use a meat mallet to pound the chicken thighs thinner so they’ll marinate faster and cook more quickly
- Don’t have cardamom? It’s worth buying for this recipe, but in a pinch, you can add a tiny pinch of cinnamon and extra cumin
- For restaurant-style charred edges, turn your broiler on high for the last 2 minutes of cooking
- Save your chicken drippings from the pan and drizzle them over rice or use them to brush on your flatbreads for extra flavor
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Skillet or Grill
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern