Chicken shawarma
One of the most popular recipes on my blog is definitely the classic version of shawarma. And what works very well with beef or lamb also works perfectly with tender chicken. With chicken shawarma, however, there are a few differences in the preparation and especially in the components. I'll tell you what they are, of course 🙂
The main difference between the two types of shawarma is the sauce. While the beef/lamb version tends to use tahini sauce , chicken in Levantine cuisine is always accompanied by toum. If you now have three question marks on your face or above your head (hehehe), that's quite normal. Toum means "garlic" in Arabic. And the name for the toum sauce is more than appropriate, because it is basically a mayonnaise with a very large amount of garlic. You can expect to eat almost a whole clove per teaspoon of Toum 😀
So if you want to make chicken shawarma yourself, make sure you don't have any important appointments in the next few days - or always have a supply of chewing gum with you. But the taste makes up for any social isolation.
Your spice rack should also be well stocked for chicken shawarma. You will definitely need cumin, caraway, cumin, cardamom, coriander, paprika, cloves, harissa and garlic. Then mix everything with fresh yoghurt and marinate the chicken overnight.
For the meat, you can use chicken breast or chicken thighs (boneless). I usually use the breast. After marinating, the meat is either put on the grill or in a pan. Depending on how thick the meat is, you can either cut it in half, cut it directly into strips before marinating or put it in the oven to finish cooking after roasting.
Either way, chicken shawarma is super easy to make yourself. The recipe is also great if you're having a small party and each guest can make their own sandwich. In addition to the chicken and the mayo, you only need fresh tomato, some parsley and pickled vegetables. You can simply use pickles or serve it authentically with red pickled radish.
So, now try the deliciousness and let me know in the comments how you liked it.
Ingredients
Chicken & Marinade
- 600 g Chicken breast
- 3 TBSP Olive oil
- 2 Garlic cloves
- 1 TBSP Apple cider vinegar
- 1 TBSP Lemon juice
- 1/2 TL Cloves ground
- 1 TSP Coriander seeds ground
- 1,5 TSP Salt
- 1/2 TSP Cumin
- 1/2 TL Cardamom ground
- 1/2 TSP Cinnamon
- 1/2 TSP Nutmeg
- 1/2 TSP paprika powder noble sweet
- 3 TBSP Yogurt
- 1 TL Harissa optional
Toum
- 1 Recipe for Toum
Wrap components
- 4 Lebanese flatbreads
- Pickled cucumber / pickled radish (at will)
- 1/4 Iceberg lettuce
- 4 Tomatoes
- Fresh parsley (to taste)
Preparation
For the marinade
- Peel the garlic and crush it properly in a mortar.
- Wash the chicken and pat dry. Optional: Cut the chicken into strips.
- Mix all the ingredients for the marinade together and mix the chicken well with the marinade.
- Marinate chicken in marinade overnight in the refrigerator. If you need to marinate it quickly, you should let it marinate for at least 2 hours.
Garlic mayo
- Prepare the toum according to the recipe.
Wrap craft
- Cut the vegetables into the desired shape. I recommend thin slices or sticks.
- Fry the chicken in a pan or grill it on a barbecue.
- Spread your desired amount of garlic mayonnaise on the pita bread.
- Cut the chicken into mouth-sized strips (if you haven't already done so) and place them in the middle of the pita bread.
- Top the strip with parsley, tomato, lettuce and pickled cucumber / radish.
- Roll the pita bread into a sandwich.
- Bon appétit 🙂
I tried the recipe tonight - but with a "toned down" version of the mayo with half as much garlic: the taste and aroma of the chicken shawarma in this version is also great!
My two wives (wife and daughter :-)) were also blown away and have already ordered a repeat.
Thank you for this great recipe!
Hey Andreas,
Thank you for your great feedback. I'm very pleased that you liked it so much. And I'm very happy about the mayo reduction 😀 I'm sure you'll like it.
Kind regards
Rafik
Hello Rafik,
After I once again couldn't get my way at the counter of my trusted Arab butcher and went home with far too much chicken breast fillet, I needed a marinade so that I could still use it the next day. And that's when I found your chicken shawarma. I've already cooked a lot of your fantastic dishes and have high expectations. If you've ever eaten only fatty, salty chicken shawarma in a snack bar and have given it a wide berth ever since, I recommend this recipe. Absurdly good and juicy and delicious and sophisticated. Great! Especially the mixture of cloves and cinnamon takes it to the next level. If there's any left over, just mix it with rice the next day and reheat it in the pan, tastes great too. Thank you for your page.
Hello Matthias,
thank you very much for your great feedback! I am very happy! I will definitely try your tip with the rice in the pan 🙂 Thank you!
Thank you!
Kind regards
Rafik
Hello Rafik, I have rarely eaten so well! This chicken shawarma recipe is amazing. The cinnamon in particular makes it even more sophisticated. Great!
I also made the flatbread myself, following your recipe of course, and it worked out great.
So, thank you very much and I'm going to eat my way through your blog.
Hey Sabine,
That's awesome 🙂 I'm so glad you liked it. Thank you very much for your fantastic feedback.
Kind regards
Rafik
Hello favourite Levantine chef!
I love all your recipes!
Chicken shawarma always goes, is quick, perfect on the grill in the evening and my children love it too!!!
But??! Where in the recipe is the harissa you talk about in the text?
Best regards
Hello Katharina 🙂
Thank you so much for your great feedback, I'm very flattered 🙂 You really uncovered something - I've added harissa as an ingredient (optional) to the recipe.
You have indeed uncovered something - I have now added harissa as an ingredient (optional) to the recipe. Thank you for being so thoughtful 🙂
Kind regards
Rafik
Boah, all I can say is "Boah".
Mega delicious. My first dish from your blog and more will follow.
Too bad you couldn't see my face when I saw this "pillow" of bread in MY oven, which I only knew from TV.... And this is so delicious and simple.
Thank you for the pleasure and delicious food.
Cook me then times so through your blog.
LG
Hello Dieter,
thank you very much for your mega feedback! I'm really glad that you liked it so much. Continue to have fun cooking and enjoying 🙂
Kind regards
Rafik