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.
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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.
Ooooh, this is sooo good. I just made it tonight, it’s absolutely lovely and fresh and full of flavour. I baked my chicken instead of grilling just because I wanted to workout while it was cooking away.
Yep another person mentioned that this is closer to a gyro then a schwarma ….. they are both very similar and oh so good!!!! We lived in Dubai for a few years and they too put pickles instead of cucumber and a garlicky mayo of sorts as the topping ….. either way it is a regional sandwich and each Middle Eastern country has their own take …… great job!!! My hats off to you!!!
So yummy. I sliced the chicken and marinated for 24 hours or so. I cooked on a grill pan. The yogurt will get a bit charred, but it’s really tasty. I made the pita to go along with this, but I served as a salad on a bed of romaine, cucumber, grape tomatoes, crumbled feta and drizzled with the yogurt sauce.
Mmm… I made this with chicken thighs instead of breast – they are juicier and I was a little afraid that the breast could become too dry. I also cooked it on the BBQ for more flavor. When I first made the yogurt sauce, even with a little extra garlic, it wasn’t very good, but after sitting in the refrigerator for a couple of hours, it was phenomenal. We didn’t assemble it as a sandwich, but had a salad on the side and cut some flatbread into wedges. We served it with the yogurt sauce and TJ’s Mediterranean Hummus. This is definitely a make-again! Thanks for posting!
This looks good but I don’t eat meat and milk products together- is there anything I can sub for the yogurt here?
Hmmm, that’s a really tough question. The yogurt definitely has a very distinct flavor that is key to the overall dish. If you have health food stores in your area, you can check to see if you can find a soy yogurt. Mayonnaise might be good, even though it’s a completely different flavor. :)
Can I use whole wheat flour to make this?
In which part of the recipe? There is no regular flour in the recipe. Do you mean in the naan?
Where did you find a pound of chicken for $2.48? Is that the normal price?
I pretty much ONLY buy my chicken when it’s on sale. My local grocery store has it on sale for about $2/lb. every so often, so I stock up and keep it in my freezer for later. You just have to watch the sales and get to know them. Check out multiple stores to make sure you’re not missing out (a lot of stores have their sales fliers online now, so you can make a quick job of it once a week).
Try Costco, Price Chopper or Sam’s Club! They sell Il around 2 $ pound (whole). P.S ; In Canada chicken is a lot more expensive…. try 5.30$ for whole and breast is 8.00-9.00 $ per pounds!. We drive to USA to get discounted price for meat and chicken
I’m out of plain yogurt right now but am craving this. Do you think I can use sour cream?
Hmmm, not sure about that one. The yogurt gives it such a unique flavor… but technically they’re very similar, so I think it’s worth a shot!
Love your take on chawarma, I just buy the chawarma spices and mix a few teaspoons with labneh (plain Greek yogurt), garlic and lemon juice. My husband is Lebanese (we live in Benin-tons of Lebanese here) and they all put pickles and French fries in their chawarma, most like their sandwiches spicy too. But I’ve never seen feta, that turns it into more of a Greek recipe. Anyway, I LOVE your website, I’ve already made two pasta dishes and the pineapple chicken quesadillas. I have a big list of recipes f
Just fixed this tonight: terrific! Made a few tweaks of my own, like adding a dash of pepper sauce to the yogurt sauce, and stirring the cucumbers into it as well. Also, with no grill, I cooked the chicken in my cast iron skillet, and the flavor was fantastic anyway.
The Avengers brought me here!
Me, too! Haha
Made this today for lunch after marinating it for quite a while. It was delicious! I will definitely be making it again. The chicken was fantastic, I’ll be making some more to put on salads. Thanks for a great recipe. We loved it, tastes just like Greek restaurant chicken pitas.
holy moly! this was fantastic!!! and i’m one picky eater ;) i usually get totally grossed out by chicken (well, meat in general) from restaurants, so being able to make this at home is just amazing. love love love! xo
BETH! You have done it again! Served these tonight, using your Naan recipe (made on the weekend, and frozen until last night), Yellow Jasmine Rice and Marinated White Beans – AMAZING. Thanks, AGAIN, for some great recipes. Posted a pic of them together on FB, and got instant responses – your food is always a hit.
These were soooooo good. And super fast too. I ate them with naan and they were amazing. I blogged about them here: http://thefoodcharlatan.wordpress.com/2012/07/02/chicken-shawarma/