Robust and flavorful easy Chicken Shawarma at home! Beats takeout any day of the week, and is perfect for work or school lunch. Plus, my creamy white garlic sauce for Chicken Shawarma adds a bright creamy tang.
Chicken Shawarma is juicy chicken marinated in a blend of Middle Eastern spices that’s stacked in a cone-like shape and slowly roasted. It’s a really popular street food in the Mediterranean, but you can get those same delicious flavors right at home.
How to make chicken shawarma at home?
I find that boneless, skinless chicken thighs are the best cut for shawarmas. They’re much less expensive than breast meat and also much juicier. More bang for your buck without sacrificing flavor. You just can’t beat that! You can use chicken breast if you like leaner meat. I would even suggest using half breast and half thighs if you can. Let’s go over all of the ingredients.
- olive oil
- freshly squeezed lemon juice
- onion
- garlic cloves
- chicken thighs and/or, chicken breast
Spices:
- salt
- cumin powder
- black pepper
- turmeric
- pinch of cinnamon
- sweet paprika
- ground coriander
- sumac
- black pepper
- crushed red pepper flakes
First things first, you’re going to marinate the chicken. If you like a more tangy flavor, use more lemon juice. Ground cardamom smells so good, and just a little bit goes a very long way. All of the spices are going to add tons and tons of flavor. Make sure that the chicken and onions are fully coated in the marinade and put it in the refrigerator for at least an hour. For maximum flavor, you could also marinate it overnight for 6 to 8 hours.
Garlic yogurt sauce for Chicken Shawarma
My white garlic sauce is amazing. Creamy, tangy, and just the right amount of garlic. Some local takeout shawarma spots go so heavy on the garlic and mayonnaise that it leaves me feeling nauseated after my meal. I make mine with lots of yogurt. It really lightens up the mayonnaise and adds such a creamy tang. I use whole milk plain yogurt. It’s not Greek yogurt, but if Greek yogurt is what you have, go ahead and use it. I just really like the consistency of plain regular yogurt because it keeps the sauce nice and thin. But like I said, use what you have or use Greek yogurt if you like the sauce thicker.
Your sauce should stay fresh in the refrigerator for a while, so put it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If you want to pack yourself a delicious lunch for work or send shawarma with the kids to school, you’ll have your sauce ready to go.
How to cook your shawarma chicken at home
After your chicken has marinated for at least an hour, you can grill or broil it. Grill it over medium-high heat and let it cook about 6 or 7 minutes per side or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165℉.
To use the broiler, set the broiler to the highest temperature, and make sure your oven rack is as close to the heating element as it will go. Put a cooling rack on top of a baking tray and put the chicken on top of the cooling rack. I’ve tried cooking the chicken directly on a baking tray and the chicken does not come out as juicy. All of the juices and fat drip down to the bottom and then you’re left with that delicious juicy chicken. So, use a cooling rack if you have one.
Honestly, you could also cook it on the stovetop if you wanted to make a small batch. I just find that anytime I make chicken shawarma that I like to make a bigger batch. It’s great for taking to work or sending with the kids to school. So if I’m doing it, I’m going to make a big batch. Also, cooking it on the stovetop will create a lot of smoke and you’ll have to wash the pan out many times. That’s why I prefer to do it on the grill or in the oven.
Cook this under the broiler for 16 to 18 minutes, flipping the chicken over about halfway through. The chicken will get nice and golden brown. Let it sit and rest for about 10 minutes, then go ahead and slice it into strips. Put it in a big bowl and combine it with all of those delicious onions that have caramelized and softened.
Now you’re ready to put your chicken shawarma together
I like to make a pita. You just layer your sauce, salad and chicken mixture on your pita. For the salad, you can just take any of your favorite salad greens and chop them up with a little bit of carrot, tomatoes, and cucumbers. For busy nights, I keep a ready-made salad that I buy from Costco on hand. My favorite is the Mediterranean crunch chopped salad kit. If you guys have a Costco nearby, it’s great to have this on hand for those busy days that you don’t have time to put together a salad.
If you want your chicken shawarma like you get it in the shops, you can crisp it up before putting it all together. Heat up a cast iron grill to medium-high heat. After you slice the chicken, put it on the cast iron for about 30 seconds on each side until it gets those crispy bits.
Serve your pita with a vegetable side dish, like greek salad or zucchini noodles.
If you’re staying away from carbs, go ahead and put it over a salad or maybe over some cauliflower rice. If you don’t mind the carbs but you don’t want the bread, put it on some rice. Whatever your heart desires.
Let me know what you think in the comments!
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Easy Chicken Shawarma Recipe
Follow this easy recipe to make this robust and flavorful Chicken Shawarma at home. The juicy chicken is so flavorful and delicious. Beats takeout any day of the week!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 large onion, sliced
- ½ cup olive oil
- 5 garlic cloves, grated
- ¼ cup of fresh lemon juice
The spices:
- • 2 teaspoons paprika
- • 2 teaspoons salt
- • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- • 1 teaspoon sumac
- • ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- • ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- • ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
The Sauce:
- • 1 cup yogurt
- • ¼ cup mayonnaise
- • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- • 1 garlic clove, grated
Instructions
- Note: The chicken can be cooked on the barbeque grill or in the oven under the broiler.
- Marinate the chicken:
- Place the chicken in a large bowl and add all of the spices, olive oil, garlic cloves, and lemon juice. Toss well to coat the chicken. Add the onion slices and mix them together. Cover the bowl in plastic wrap and set aside to marinate at least 30 minutes or overnight in the refrigerator.
- If marinating overnight allow the chicken to sit out at room temperature for an hour before cooking.
- Make the Sauce: Combine all of the sauce ingredients together and whisk well. Taste and add salt if needed. This sauce keeps well in an airtight container stored in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
- For the Broiler:
- Set the broiler to high and place the oven rack under the broiler element.
- Place a rack on a metal baking tray.
- Arrange the chicken on the rack and broil for 16-18 minutes or until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 165 °F.
- For the Grill:
- Heat the grill then add the marinated chicken onto the grill. Cook over medium-high heat for about 20 minutes. Flip the chicken over after 10 minutes. When the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 °F it is ready. Transfer the chicken to a bowl.
- Slice the chicken into strips and serve.
- Shawarma Bowl:
- Fill a salad bowl with your favorite greens (lettuce, shredded cabbage, etc.) some chopped tomatoes, onions, and cucumbers and top with the chicken shawarma slices. Drizzle some shawarma sauce on top and serve.
- Shawarma Pita:
- Lightly toast a pita. Spread 1 tablespoon of the sauce in the center of the pita. Top with ¼ cup of salad (any shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, and onion slices. Top with chicken shawarma and some more sauce. Roll up and serve!
Looks so good, can’t wait to try it..!!
Making it for today..so far the marinade smell AMAZING!. Will come later for final review😋
This is my go to meal when in hurry or lazy or hosting dinner with extended family. My family loves it!
I Love shawarma and this is the best I have ever had! I did make it with boneless, skinless chicken breast and it was perfect. Thank you for another great recipe.
This just came out the oven and its amazingly good. i mean it really is resturant quality. i made it into a warm panini with sauted spinach, spiced chickpeas, onions, and the dip. Loved it so much. Im low carb so i used a low carb wrap
We made this tonight and it was delicious! We used boneless chicken breasts and served as a salad. A combo of coleslaw mix and salad greens with the addition of tomatoes, cucumbers, and feta topped with the yogurt dressing was so good! Will absolutely make again.
I can’t find sumac or cardamon in the supermarket. Are there any substitutes?
No problem! You can leave both of those spices out and the chicken will still be very flavorful.
You say to put the onions in with the chicken to marinade. You mention that the onions will have caramelized but you don’t say how to cook the onions. Do you fry them in a pan once the chicken is on the grill? Thanks in advance. This sounds delicious.
Hi Caroline! The onions cook with the chicken either on the grill or in the oven. Hope this helps!
This was absolutely delicious!!! Awesome recipe and will be making this often!!! Thank you so much!
I’m so glad that you enjoyed it. xx Dimitra
This was absolutely delicious and easy too. Only problem I had was not looking at ingredient list before I went to the store to get yogurt. I did not have sumac nor cardamom. looked up substitutions and found Z’ataar could sub for the sumac with a little lemon zest. and cloves and cinnamon for the cardomom, equal parts. I also threw a small dab of nutmeg grated…just a wee pinch. I cooked in the oven under broiler, while I made the sauce. I would agree that using regular yogurt may be better because with the greek its more a spread than a drizzling. This time I used Naan. next time will try over rice with a bit more onion.
This is one of my favourite recipes! I have made it several times and each time it’s fantastic! I tried finishing it on the barbecue but prefer it in the oven because it retains its juiciness more. This along with Tabouleh and your soft pitas are a perfect meal! I really enjoy your recipes Dimitri! I have tried so many and love them all!
This is one of my favourite recipes! I have made it several times and each time it’s fantastic! I tried finishing it on the barbecue but prefer it in the oven because it retains its juiciness more. This along with Tabouleh and your soft pitas are a perfect meal! I really enjoy your recipes Dimitra! I have tried so many and love them all!
This is just awesome i just fall in love with this chicken shawarma..amazing
I made this tonight and my family loved it! We’re getting tired of the same old things. This was refreshing and delicious! Thank you!
Can’t wait to try it
THIS TASTES SO GOOD I LOVE IT THANKS FOR THE RECIPE💜💜
I made this for 6 people yesterday OH MY!!!! it is spectacular! wish I could post a photo
Delicious and super easy!! I can’t believe how easy this was to do. I marinated it overnight and after work I placed it in the oven and dinner was ready. Made that yummy sauce and dilled cucumber salad, too. Better than a restaurant!! I’ll plan to make this many more times. You never let me down. Your recipes always work.
I just want to start the business soon
This has become a regular meal at our house. Can you share a recipe that uses beef? Do you use the same spice proportions? Do you add apple cider vinegar? Thank you for the great recipe!!
I’m so happy to hear that! Currently, I’m recipe testing beef shawarma recipes. As soon as I get it perfect, I will share it with you 🙂
Sounds delicious! Can’t wait to give it a try!
This is excellent and definitely a great and easy way to feed a crowd. Everyone can make their own Pita or bowl to their liking. I had some tzatziki in my fridge and we used that for the sauce. 👍
i love this easy-to-do shawarma recipe, and prefer to use your recipe any time i want to prepare shawarma. Thanks so much for the knowledge shared.
Hi
Thank you for the shawarma recipe, I really really like the way you explained it. I’m going to try this one in the upcoming weekend where we set together once in a week so this will be amazing.
Hi
That’s looking awesome! I think I’ll give this one a shot. I think I’ve figured out what I wanted. Thank you for sharing this article.
I really appreciate this steps and ingredients
What about cooking in oven 350 for 30 min or 40
It’s better at the higher heat. A barbecue grill can be used instead or an air-fryer.
Just wanted to thank you for this recipe! I buy a bulk package of chicken thighs, marinate the whole batch, then pack up single-meal portions for the freezer. It’s such an easy and flavorful weeknight meal.
Dumb question but with the rack on the pan and chicken on top, should the pan be placed on bottom rack or middle rack since broil is very hot. Thank you
It should be as close to the broiler (top heating element) as possible so that the chicken can char and cook properly. If you have a barbecue grill or an air fryer, it would be better to use those instead 🙂 Hope that helps!
Extraordinary Good. Thank you.
My husband and I are Absolutely In Love with your shawarma. We cut the onions thick for the marinade step and then fry them separately to put on top of the finished barbecued chicken. Down right expletive FanTasTic.
Thanks a lot for shating such a useful knowledge
In shawarma, the grilled meat is typically shaved and served on a pita or in a wrap. It is a very well-liked dish in the Middle East and has recently gained popularity in North America. For those who want to enjoy the flavour of shawarma without having to spend hours preparing it, this simple chicken shawarma recipe is ideal. The chicken is grilled or roasted until it is juicy and tender after being marinated in a mixture of spices. Then it is shred and placed on warm pita bread with cucumber yoghurt, tahini sauce, and chopped tomatoes.
Wow! It is a mouthwatering shawarma recipe and I would love to cook at home. Thanks
I have been a shawarma lover for years. Getting the recipe is craziness for me..
I have been a shawarma lover for years. Getting the recipe is craziness for me..