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.
Oh, my gosh. This Chicken Shawarma is out of the world delicious!! I used two chicken breasts, split them in half, and then cut them into strips. I marinated the chicken overnight. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a grill pan, so I used a regular skillet. I added chopped tomatoes, red onions, and feta cheese for the sandwiches. My sister and I LOVE them!! I will definitely make the chicken shawarma again next time. Thanks for this awesome recipe, Beth!! :-)
I’m making the Chicken Shawarma for dinner this week, and my sister and I can’t wait to dig in. Is it possible that I can cut the chicken breast into strips, and also, how long can I marinate them? Thanks, Beth!! :-)
This was seriously good. I tend to stick to your vegetarian meals because they are cheaper but I usually add this one in every other week because it is sooooo good. I don’t have a grill so I just empty the marinated chicken bag into a skillet and it cooks just fine.
I also use precooked naan from Costco, and the past few times I have used fresh dill because it is available to me. When using fresh I have to add a lot more than suggested to get the real flavor of it.
I made this tonight and it turned out amazing! I marinated the chicken for 24 hours and it came out so flavorful and tender. This is a new family favorite!
This recipe is fantastic! The marinade seemed odd, but it comes out delicious, and the naan far exceeded my expectations. The second time I made it I subbed spinach for the lettuce and added slices of avocado, both additions that I thought worked decently well.
Bottom line, I made it for a friend and she said it tasted better than the ones she’s eaten while overseas in Romania!
I love your blog and all of your recipes! Your blog is a life saver for this single mom/teacher!!!
I don’t have a grill. Would i be able to cook the chicken in the broiler?
Yes, that would probably work. Just make sure to keep a close eye on it because food can burn quickly under the broiler.
I love this recipe. I did as you suggested, and cut the chicken in strips before adding to marinade. The mixture of the spices with the other ingredients is so very good. This also makes great leftovers.
How did you cook the strips?
This was quite possibly the best chicken I have ever made. I made the Naan the day before (I questioned my naan abilities but it came out rather well, barring the flour mess), and let it marinade overnight, didn’t have tomatoes, and substituted pickles for cucumber..
Used chicken strips because, again, that is what I had on hand – and it saved any ‘slicing before’ issues, too. I can’t recommend the marinade enough. I intend to make other people try it.
This was so good and EASY! Made it two nights ago and just made another batch of chicken in the marinade to either eat tonight or to freeze the chicken (cooked) for lunches. Even my 5 and 3 yo liked this. My husband and I ate ours’ with feta, cucumber, red onion, lettuce and tomato. We bought a big pack of naan last weekend at Costco for 5.50, and there’s enough in there for all of us to eat this for at least 2 meals, so that saves me the time of having to make that and it’s still relatively cheap.
I’m going to grill a bunch of chicken with this marinade and freeze it to use for sandwiches and salads and what not. I think the freezing is a great idea!
I grilled a bunch of strips and froze them. Soooo gooood! I don’t even mix them in a sandwich, just throw them in with some mixed bowls / leftovers for lunch. I want to savour the full flavour!
This was relatively simple and tasty. Trying to do the naan at the same time was a bit much. I’ll do the naan earlier in the day and warm it next time. My husband thought the sauce was “too yogurty” so I may mix up a small batch of the sauce with sour cream for him in the future. Great fresh meal.
I’m planning to make this for my family this weekend and wondering if there is a cheap fish that would work in place of the chicken for my daughter who doesn’t eat chicken?
I’m not sure how well fish will hold up to the highly acidic marinade. Just be sure to not leave it in there too long or else the fish could get mushy.
We ended up doubling the vegetables and my daughter inhaled it. No meat necessary.
This was delicious! The perfect summer lunch :) I was out of dill, so I just made a smaller batch of the marinade in place of the yogurt sauce and added chopped cucumber and cracked black pepper. It was so tasty!
I really liked this recipe!! I loved the marinade, turned out great! You couldn’t taste that there were unusual spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, just great flavor. I ended up adding in some red onion to my toppings, and I lightly pickled them for a nice bright flavor. :)
Thanks for the awesome recipe. it was so delicious and flavourful. the kids loved it and I am planning to do this recipe again for tomorrow.
wondering if i can freeze the marinated chicken? will it affect the flavour?
it tastes so awesome, i thought if i can freeze the marinated chicken, cooking on weekday nights would be easy and kids will also eat without fuss. any help would be appreciated.
Thanks!!
I’ve had many people ask that, but I have yet to try it. The only possible down side that I can think of is that the prolonged exposure to the acid might make the chicken mushy, but I haven’t tested that theory.