Lebanese Chicken Shawarma (Wraps/Platter/Plate)

How to make Middle Eastern/Lebanese chicken shawarma with a handful of pantry spices in a yogurt-based shawarma marinade. Simply marinate and sauté (or grill/bake) to perfection before serving the tender, juicy, flavorful chicken as a chicken shawarma platter, wraps, or alongside several Middle Eastern sides!

I’ll admit, with the “convenience” of London living and a busy lifestyle, I spent years turning to local Lebanese takeaway for my shawarma needs. However, having now moved, and with help from my mum, I’ve replicated the yogurt marinated chicken shawarma she cooked us growing up. Now I’m wondering why I haven’t been doing so all along!

This Middle Eastern-style chicken shawarma is a low-effort, maximum flavor must-know dish for busy lifestyles. I’ve already shared vegan mushroom shawarma and have beef shawarma on the way, but now it’s chicken shawarma time! By combining chicken thigh with a yogurt-based marinade packed with Middle Eastern spices, an acid, and olive oil, the results are tender, juicy, flavor-packed chicken every single time! The smell alone is enough to make my mouth water.

This chicken shawarma recipe is perfect for entertaining as well as for a quick and healthy lunch or dinner. You can sauté, grill, or bake the chicken to perfection, then serve up as a chicken shawarma platter to turn into shawarma wraps (with pita bread, veggies, and garlic sauce) and plates (alongside tabbouleh and pilaf). Then the leftovers make for a great addition to salads and pasta salads!

What is Chicken Shawarma?

There are several popular meat “kebab” dishes globally, including Greek gyros, Turkish doner kebab, and Indian/Middle Eastern Shawarma. While the variations all have their similarities, there are also subtle differences to this popular street food!

For example, takeout/restaurant-style shawarma and doner kebab are prepared by stacking meat up on a vertical spit, which turns as it cooks, then shaving off the meat. They are also both popularly served as wraps, with pickles, salad veggies, and garlic sauce.

However, the meat used can differ, as can the actual marinade and spices used. This Lebanese chicken shawarma relies on popular Middle Eastern flavors (in fact, this method is enjoyed across the Middle East). Likewise, this is often served as chicken shawarma with rice or as a chicken shawarma bowl/platter with other Middle Eastern dishes like balela salad, fattoush, and even creamy hummus.

The Ingredients

• Chicken: I recommend using boneless, skinless chicken thighs. This is the popular option for chicken shawarma thanks to its higher fat content for more tender results. Of course, you could also use frozen chicken – just make sure to thaw it completely first.

Lebanese Chicken Shawarma Marinade

This yogurt marinated chicken shawarma yields wonderfully tender, juicy chicken with just a handful of ingredients and spices!

• Onion: use a yellow onion (not red). Alternatively, shallots would also work.
• Yogurt: you need plain Greek yogurt – I would avoid 0% fat for the best results.
• Oil: I recommend using olive oil or avocado oil. If you plan on grilling, it’s best to use an oil that can handle the heat (not olive oil).
• Apple cider vinegar: the use of acid will help to tenderize the chicken when marinating it. Instead of ACV, you could use lemon juice (or even plain white vinegar in a pinch).
• Seasonings: I used a simple combination of ground coriander, cardamom, smoked paprika, ginger, salt, pepper, white pepper, and garlic powder (or fresh minced garlic, if preferred).

Optional Add-ins and Recipe Variations

• Cinnamon: just a pinch of cinnamon is a popular addition to a Lebanese chicken shawarma marinade (and popular in Middle Eastern spice blends like Lebanese 7-spice!).
• Cumin: many people add cumin to the marinade, though it isn’t authentic for Lebanese chicken shawarma.
• Tomato paste: you can optionally add one tablespoon of tomato paste to the marinade to add color and depth of flavor.
• Spice: if you want to add some heat to the Lebanese chicken, I recommend using a little cayenne/chili powder. Alternatively, you can serve the chicken shawarma with some chili sauce.

How to Make Chicken Shawarma

Step 1: Prepare the Chicken Shawarma Marinade

First, finely chop the onion.

Then add all the marinade ingredients, including the onion, to a large bowl and mix well to combine.

Step 2: Marinate the Chicken

Cut the chicken into thin slices. Then add them to the bowl with the shawarma marinade and toss to coat. Cover the bowl with clingfilm/beeswax wrap and marinate for at least four hours or overnight (up to 24 hours maximum).

Alternatively, you can marinate the chicken in a large Ziplock bag- but I find the bowl easier for wet marinades.

Step 3: Cook the Chicken Shawarma

When you’re ready to cook the yogurt marinated chicken shawarma, heat a large skillet over medium heat.

You shouldn’t need to add any oil as there is already some in the shawarma marinade.

Once hot, add the chicken and sauté, stirring often, until deep golden and fully cooked. This takes between 12-15 minutes usually.

To grill: when grilling the chicken shawarma, I’ll oil the grates slightly to avoid sticking. You can use an electric grill (over medium-high heat) or charcoal BBQ. Cook for about 3-4 minutes on one side. Then turn and cook until nicely charred and cooked through. If using a grill, it’s best to cook the chicken with the lid down. You can use a thermometer to check the internal temp is 160ºF/71ºC. Then remove and allow to rest for a few minutes before serving.

Roasted: oven-roasted chicken shawarma is very hands-off, but I usually don’t bother with chicken I’ve cut down into thin strips. If you want to, I recommend baking it at 400ºF/200ºC for 10-15 minutes (depending on how large your pieces are). If you’re using large fillet-style pieces, then this is more likely to be 20-25 minutes). Use a meat thermometer to ensure the internal temperature reaches 160ºF/71ºC. Optionally, use the broiler for more browning at the end. Finally, allow the chicken to rest for several minutes before serving.

Step 4: Assemble the Chicken Shawarma Wraps

Once cooked, you can enjoy the Lebanese chicken shawarma in several ways (listed below); however, my favorite is making delicious chicken shawarma wraps.

To do so, I like to use Lebanese-style thin pita bread (10-inches – also called Arabic bread). First, spread a layer of garlic sauce (toum). Then load it up with gherkins, tomato slices, lettuce, and the chicken shawarma; optionally add some fries (either in the sandwich/wrap or on the side).

Other optional toppings include red onion slices, pickled turnips, creamy hummus, chili sauce, tahini sauce, or a creamy yogurt-based shawarma sauce. More non-traditional additions include bell peppers, avocado, olives, or tzatziki.

Top Tip: for a large gathering, I recommend setting up a chicken shawarma platter. To do so, add all the various toppings, dips, and sauces on a large platter, with pita for wraps and grains/pita chips for shawarma bowls. That way, your guests can pick and choose what they want. Even better, for meat-free guests, you can provide this vegan mushroom shawarma or even traditional falafels!

What to Serve with Chicken Shawarma?

There are several other ways you can serve and enjoy the Lebanese chicken, too, including:

• As a chicken shawarma bowl: this bowl is like a deconstructed chicken shawarma sandwich/wrap. Serve the chicken in a bowl with lettuce (and/or tabbouleh), tomatoes, cucumber, pita bread (thin or Greek-style thicker pita), lemon wedges, and optionally dips like hummus or baba ghanoush, etc.
• With fries: serve alongside thin fries or potato wedges.
• With grains: this chicken shawarma pairs particularly well with rice pilaf dishes like mujadara. However, you could also serve it alongside quinoa. For simple chicken shawarma plates, I like to serve the shawarma with one rice/grain side and a salad.
• Alongside stuffed vegetables: like these stuffed tomatoes or stuffed vegetables (including zucchini, peppers, and onion!).
• Other veggie sides: this Lebanese shawarma pairs well with roasted, broiled, and grilled veggie sides like broccoli/cauliflower, bell peppers, zucchini, asparagus, etc.

You can also enjoy the chicken thigh shawarma with other Lebanese appetizers and salads.

Other Sides

• Lebanese chickpea salad (balela)
• Fattoush salad
• Tabbouleh (or lentil tabbouleh)
• Tomato and cucumber mint salad
• Onion cucumber salad
• Batata harra.

How to Store 

Make ahead: you can prepare the marinade 3-4 days in advance and leave the chicken to marinate for up to 24 hours. Alternatively, you can freeze the chicken shawarma in advance. To do so, add the chicken and marinade to a large Ziplock bag, then freeze for up to 3 months – no need to marinade first as it will marinade as the chicken defrosts in your fridge before cooking.

Storing: Store any leftovers of the Lebanese chicken shawarma in an airtight container in the fridge for between 2-3 days OR in the freezer for up to 3 months (freeze on a tray until solid, then transfer to container/Ziplock bag, to avoid sticking).

Reheating: you can reheat the chicken shawarma either in the microwave (in 30-second intervals) or in a skillet (with a splash of water for moisture). Alternatively, enjoy the leftover Lebanese chicken shawarma cold on salads and pasta salads.

FAQs

Recipe Notes and Top Tips

• Don’t over-marinate the chicken: while the general idea is “the longer you marinate, the more the flavor”, at a certain point, the yogurt marinade will begin to break down the chicken, causing tough results. For this chicken shawarma recipe, I recommend marinating up to 24 hours maximum. Likewise, I recommend a minimum of four hours marinating time, though two hours will do in a pinch!
• Make a batch of the shawarma spices: if you plan on cooking this often, it can cut down prep time even further to create a large batch of the shawarma spices (as I’ve done for this shawarma seasoning – usually used with beef). You can even gift the spices to friends/family with the recipe for how to make chicken shawarma.
• Cooking with cardamom: note that many find cardamom a particularly pungent spice. While I don’t recommend omitting it entirely, you can reduce the amount if preferred.
• If you use large chicken thigh/breast fillets: it’s best to pound them to an even thickness before cooking – to ensure even heating throughout.
• Use a meat thermometer: this is more important when cooking the chicken in larger pieces rather than thinly sliced BEFORE cooking. However, you can check any chicken by inserting the thermometer to the thickest part of the chicken. Ensure it’s 165ºF/74ºC. I usually ensure it reaches 160ºF/71ºC. The residual heat when resting the meat will then bring it up to 165ºF without overcooking/drying out the chicken.
• It’s best to let the chicken come to room temperature: remove it from the fridge 20 minutes before cooking to allow it to come to room temperature. It will cook more evenly that way.

More Simple Lebanese Recipes

• Lamb Kofta Recipe (Kafta/Kofta Kebabs)
• Spinach fatayer
• Stuffed makdous (eggplant)
• Simple fatteh (pita with chickpeas and yogurt)
• Sfiha (Lebanese Meat Pies | Lahmacun | Lahm bi Ajeen)
• Pomegranate molasses
• Vegetarian stuffed carrots
• Gluten-free muhammara
• Lebanese Molokhia with Chicken
• Middle Eastern Chicken Shish Tawook Recipe (Chicken Shish Kabobs)

If you try this Lebanese chicken shawarma recipe, I’d love to hear your thoughts/questions below. Also, I’d appreciate a recipe card rating below, and feel free to tag me in your recipe recreations on Instagram @Alphafoodie!