The marinade for this Chicken Shawarma has to be the very best marinade I’ve ever made. Ever. It’s so good that I want to use it on everything! If you’ve never had a shawarma wrap before, the flavor is an interesting mix of savory garlic and sweet spices, topped with a tangy yogurt sauce and wrapped in soft flatbread. It’s pure magic and much easier to make at home than you think.
What Is Chicken Shawarma?
Shawarma is a Middle Eastern dish traditionally made from marinated meat that’s slow-roasted on a rotating spit. Lamb is a popular choice, but for my recipe, I use chicken because it’s a more accessible and budget-friendly option. I don’t have a rotating spit at home (and I’m assuming you don’t either!), so my take on this traditional recipe involves marinating the chicken and then cooking it on a grill. Mix warming spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves with yogurt, and let the chicken marinate in it for AT LEAST 4 hours. I even use the marinade in my roasted potato wedges with shawarma sauce recipe—so good!
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this grilled chicken shawarma recipe:
- Chicken Breasts: I used 2 large chicken breasts as that’s what I had to hand, but chicken thighs will also work! The fattiness of the thighs will make these wraps taste a little more like the traditional rotisserie version, too. The marinade will work for about 4-6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs.
- Garlic: Adds the best flavor to the marinade and yogurt sauce.
- Plain Yogurt: For marinating the chicken.
- Greek Yogurt: This makes the sauce that goes on top of your chicken and veggies. It’s tangy and creamy and compliments the spices in the marinade perfectly.
- Seasonings: The seasoning for chicken shawarma can vary slightly depending on who you ask, but for this recipe, I use cinnamon, dried oregano, salt, ground nutmeg, and ground cloves. I also use a sprinkling of dried dill in the yogurt sauce to give it a tzatziki-like flavor.
- Lemon Juice: A must for tenderizing the chicken and adding some acidity to the marinade.
- Naan, Pita, or Flatbread: Use whatever you can get your hands on, but I love the soft and chewy texture of naan.
- Salad: Romaine lettuce, cucumber, and Roma tomatoes are my favorites for these wraps.
Serving Suggestions
I made this grilled chicken shawarma with the intention of making sandwich wraps, but then I started topping salads with it and eventually just snacked on the chicken plain. It’s just that good. I even divided the ingredient list in case you want to use the marinade for something else because even if you don’t want the wrap, you NEED to at least try the chicken.
That said, here are some delicious sides to pair with your wrap:
- Grilled vegetables
- White bean hummus
- Quinoa tabbouleh
- Cumin rice
- Air Fryer French fries
- Baba ganoush
Do I Need to Use a Grill?
Don’t worry if you don’t have a grill; this chicken comes out just as delicious when cooked in a skillet. It won’t have the char marks, but it’ll still taste amazing. Cook the chicken until browned on both sides and cooked through!
Storage Instructions
Leftover cooked shawarma chicken can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, pop it back in the grill or pan until heated through. The yogurt sauce can also be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. I’d store everything separately and assemble when ready to eat.
Chicken Shawarma Recipe
Servings 4Ingredients
CHICKEN & MARINADE
- 2 large chicken breasts (1.25 lbs) ($2.48)
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt ($0.25)
- 1 Tbsp garlic, minced ($0.36)
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice ($0.32)
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon ($0.03)
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano ($0.03)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg ($0.03)
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves ($0.03)
YOGURT SAUCE
- 7 oz cup plain greek yogurt ($1.59)
- 1/4 tsp garlic, minced ($0.03)
- 1/4 tsp dried dill ($0.03)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
SANDWICH
- 4 homemade naan, pita or flatbread ($0.64)
- 1/2 head romaine lettuce ($0.80)
- 1 medium cucumber ($0.69)
- 2 medium roma tomatoes ($0.63)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the marinade (yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, cinnamon, oregano, salt, nutmeg, and clove). Add chicken to the marinade, coat well, cover and refrigerate for 4-24 hours. If desired, slice the chicken into strips before marinating to maximize the flavor.
- Prepare the yogurt sauce for the sandwiches. Open a 7 oz. container of plain greek yogurt and stir in the garlic, dill, and salt. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- After marinating the chicken, grill until cooked through (I use a George Foreman, cooked for about 7 minutes).
- After it's grilled, let it sit for a few minutes to let the juices redistribute and then slice it into strips (if not already sliced).
- To make the yogurt sauce for the sandwich, stir some dried dill, minced garlic, and salt into a container of plain greek yogurt.
- (Optional) Refrigerate the sauce to allow the flavor to soak into the yogurt.
- Prepare the vegetables for the sandwich. Chop, rinse, and drain the lettuce in a colander. Wash and slice the cucumber and tomato.
- Build the sandwiches. Spread the yogurt sauce on your flat bread, top with the chicken and vegetables. Roll the sandwich closed. You can wrap the sandwich in foil to help it stay closed as you eat.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Scroll down for the step by step photos.
Pictured with Marinated White Beans.
How to Make Chicken Shawarma – Step By Step Photos
In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the marinade (1/2 cup plain yogurt, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, 1 Tbsp minced garlic, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, and 1/4 tsp ground clove).
Add 2 large chicken breasts to the marinade, coat well, cover and refrigerate for 4-24 hours. If desired, slice the chicken into strips before marinating to maximize the flavor.
After marinating the chicken, grill until cooked through (I use a George Foreman, cooked for about 7 minutes).
After it’s grilled, let it sit for a few minutes to let the juices redistribute and then slice it into strips (if not already sliced).
To make the yogurt sauce for the sandwich, stir 1/4 tsp dried dill, 1/4 Tbsp minced garlic, and 1/4 tsp salt into a 7 oz container of plain greek yogurt.
(Optional) Refrigerate the sauce to allow the flavor to soak into the yogurt.
Prepare the vegetables for the sandwich. Chop, rinse, and drain 1/2 head Romaine lettuce in a colander. Wash and slice the 1 medium cucumber and 2 medium Roma tomatoes.
Build the chicken shawarma sandwiches. Spread the yogurt sauce on your flat bread, top with the chicken and vegetables. Roll the sandwich closed. You can wrap the sandwich in foil to help it stay closed as you eat.
Loved this recipe! I was too lazy to grill so I broiled the chicken in a toaster oven. So good! Thanks for posting it!
Hello! I’ve found your english muffins recipe by the Pinterest site and I was curious to try it at home. Because I’m a little bit an “overdoing things” girl so.. Yesterday I found myself doing your Naan, pita and muffin english bread. The three at the same time. The hardest wasn’t to follow the flow (extremely fast!) cause I started all three at a time, but to wait them to cool down before to taste!!
I’m trying this chicken recipe tonight, I’ve done chicken and porc slices separatly to taste it (and cause I haven’t enought chicken hahaha )
Now.. After I smell the flavors of the marinade, all I can say is… Do you want to be my friend?? Hahaha :) Seriously.. I respect your job a lot, I can see the love and the devotion that you put in your posts..
So.. Can we be food friends?? Hihihi :)
Found it on Pinterest too! I just made this- and we loved it. Very authentic flavor!! I used chicken tenders because they are cheaper and easier to cook. I marinated the chicken for the full 24 hours, which I highly recommend! Chicken was very tender, even after cooking. I baked mine because we don’t have a grill and I hate cleaning our grill pan! I baked the tenders on a foil-covered pan for 15 (turning half way), at 360 deg, and then finished under the broiler for 4 minutes each side to crisp them up. So good! I also subbed red/gr pepper for tomatoes (don’t like em), and tossed the veggies/lettuce in olive oil, lemon juice, and oregano.
Janel – you could actually use regular yogurt or greek yogurt for both. Just make sure to get the plain, not sweetened flavor. The only difference between greek yogurt and regular yogurt is the moisture content. Greek yogurt is strained to remove some of the water so it is thicker. I like to use greek for the dressing because it makes a thick sauce, but you can use it for the marinade too if you don’t want to buy two types of yogurt.
You mention “plain yogurt” for the marinade but greek yogurt for the dressing. Is the “plain” yogurt for the marinade the greek yogurt or standard yogurt?
Made this for dinner tonight. It was in the 60’s here in MD, so I grilled the chicken outside. What a fabulous recipe and meal this was! I also love how wonderful my house has smelled since last night when I started marinating the chicken. Thank you for such a yummy dish!
What are the nutritional facts on this???? It looks delicious
has anyone tried a baked version of this chicken marinade?
i made this tonight and it was so good! you were right…it is a magical blend of spices haha i was a bit skeptical but after i grilled my chicken and tasted it, i loved it!!
This was amazing, found it on Pinterest ! I did not have the feta and onion but will try that for sure next time. Taste exactly like a chicken Gyro that I always order and they always put waaaaaaaaaaaay too much yogurt sauce on it and always forget to put it on the side when I ask. I could put them out of business with this version, it’s so easy! I cut up my my raw chicken breast into strips before I but it in the marinade and they cooked so fast on my little foreman grill. The best part was that my 9 year old loved it. He is physically disabled and on a special low-fat diet so I put his on whole wheat Arnold Brand sandwich thins and he loved it! Mommy and Daddy had there’s on good old Naan Bread and it was YUM!
This was SO delicious! I had never heard of shawarma before, but I made it anyway. I left out the cloves (since I didn’t have any) and it was still very good! I will make this again, definitely! Perfect for a light dinner on a hot summer’s day.
I can’t even attempt to thank you enough for this phenomenal addition to my Wednesday night. I had a small gathering and we all moaned when the chicken ran out. It was delicious! The onion and feta were definitely good additions. Again, thanks for sharing!
I made this a couple of weeks ago, turned out great! I threw in the feta and red onions, too.. ;-D
This recipe has been featured on The Bees Elbows!
View the post here: http://beeselbows.blogspot.com/2011/07/tasty-tuesday-potluck-guide.html
I made this last night for dinner, and it turned out AMAZING! I followed your recipe exactly and added the feta and onion too. Instead of grilling on a Foreman grill, I cut the chicken into cubes and grilled it on wood skewers over a charcoal grill. This was so delicious.