Shawarma Recipes

[Rosetta Ockman]

ThisChicken Shawarma recipe is going to knock your socks off! Just a handful of every day spices makes an incredible Chicken Shawarma marinade that infuses the chicken with exotic Middle Eastern flavours. The smell when this is cooking is insane!

I had some chicken shawarma from the butcher but needed to make extra for company. I followed the recipe exactly (marinating 3 hours). I grilled it, and served with gyro bread, cuke, tomato, red onion, feta, and tzatziki. I will never buy premade again. Thank you!

This was a BIG hit at our Bible study potluck. I adjusted the spices down (except cumin) a bit and added 1/4 tsp cinnamon. I had many requests for the recipe. So I sent them the original recipe and my modifications. Then they can use what works for them. Thank you very much for posting this excellent/authentic recipe.

This easy, healthy homemade chicken shawarma is a huge fan-favorite around here, for good reason! The secret is in the simple shawarma spice mixture, which makes all the difference. My step-by-step tutorial and video show you exactly how to make this delicious chicken! Serve it in pita pockets with tahini sauce and this lazy salad, and call it dinner!

I grew up in Port Said, Egypt, where the streets are filled with small stands and joints selling delicious, super fragrant Middle Eastern foods. Fresh fried falafel. Bowls of Mujadara (lentils and rice) or Koshari. Skewers of Kabobs. And yes, shawarma, both beef and chicken options.

The true Middle Eastern way to serve chicken shawarma is in pita pockets or wraps with heaps of veggies and a good deal of sauce. I like the idea of loaded pita pockets. And for the veggies, peppery arugula and my simple 3-ingredient Mediterranean salad.

Like hummus, falafel, and kofta Kebab, shawarma is another popular Middle Eastern street food that has become widely known throughout the world! And the good news is, beef shawarma is easy to make right at home, no special equipment needed.

This famous Middle Eastern street food is basically heavily-marinated meat (or chicken), layered on a vertical rotisserie or spit where it is slow-roasted for days until perfectly tender and extra flavorful! To serve it, thin layers of meat are shaved off the spit and piled up into a warm pita pocket with heaps of fresh toppings and a good drizzle of tahini sauce.

You do not need a special rotisserie or spit to make it at home. In this easy homemade shawarma recipe, you just need a large skillet or cast iron grill pan. And to make sure we get as close as possible to the texture and authentic flavor of beef shawarma, slice up your meat very thinly and toss it in the tantalizing shawarma seasoning with a bit of garlic, onions, lemon juice and olive oil.

Several kinds of meat can be used to make shawarma at home. In this recipe, I used 1 1/2 pounds of beef flap steak, which is a thin, relatively lean steak that is part of the sirloin butt. Depending on where you live, flap steak goes by other names like sirloin tip or bavette. It is not an expensive cut of beef and has just enough fat for flavor.

Flank steak will work here as well, although flap meat has a little bit more marbling which makes it juicer and more tender. If you have the budget and want to splurge for a beef rib eye steak that will work as well.

Make this easy chicken shawarma recipe and enjoy this popular authentic Middle Eastern dish at home. Get all of the flavors with my spice blend, marinade, cooking and serving tips. Plus: garlic sauce and lots of serving ideas!

The path to a homemade version of traditional chicken shawarma is easy, using simple cooking methods for the very best results without the need for the vertical rotisserie pretty much no one has at home!

Shawarma is the Middle Eastern dish of shaved pieces of spit roasted chicken, beef, or lamb. The thin slices of meat (and fat) are layered in a cone-like shape on a vertical spit. The thin strips of golden brown meat are served in lots of different ways: in warm pita pockets, as a bowl, or atop salad or rice pilaf.

Sauces are key to shawarma-joy. Street food classics like this often include tahini sauce, Toum (Lebanese Garlic Sauce), garlic yogurt sauce, tzatziki sauce, or a simple dash of hot sauce will do, too. Sauce ensures more flavor and moisture in every bite.

Step 2. In a large bowl, place about half of the chicken thighs and half of the marinade. Rub the chicken, coating each piece well all over with the marinade. Add the rest of the chicken and marinade and again rub each piece all over with the marinade. Cover and chill for a marinating time of one hour or up to one day.

Step 3. Make the tahini sauce by whisking the tahini, garlic, and salt. Set aside until the chicken is grilled. The sauce can be made a day or two ahead, covered and chilled. Bring the sauce to room temperature before serving. If making toum garlic sauce, make that well in advance as it takes more time to prepare.

Step 1: Heat the grill on medium-high heat. While the grill heats up, thread the chicken and onion on skewers, disposing of any remaining marinade. Thread the chicken fairly loosely on the skewers so that more of it will char on the edges.

Step 2: Using a paper or other towel on grill tongs, coat the hot grill grates with oil. Grill the pieces or skewers with the top down on the grill for 8-10 minutes, or until charred on the edges and browned. Before turning the chicken, coat another area of the grill grates with oil and turn the pieces or skewers, placing them on the oiled surface. Coat the top of the grilled skewer with olive oil, close the grill top and cook for another 8-10 minutes, or until charred on the edges and browned.

Step 3: Remove the skewers from the grill, and push the chicken and onions off onto a cutting board. Slice the chicken into 1/2-inch thick slices. Drizzle everything with more olive oil.

Step 2. Place the marinated chicken thighs and red onion slices evenly in a single layer on the sheet pan, discarding the marinade. Roast for about 30 minutes, flipping the chicken halfway through cooking, until the chicken is crisped around the edges and golden brown. Turn on the broiler for a few minutes if needed.

Step 2. Remove the chicken thighs from the marinade and pat dry. Work in batches so the pan is not crowded with chicken (crowded chicken will steam rather than turn golden). Saut the thighs, turning them over after about 6 minutes and cooking for another 4 minutes or so. The chicken may release its own juices; pour these off if too wet in the pan.

Step 3. Once all of the chicken is cooked, wipe out the pan and heat again over medium high heat with a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Add sliced onions, saut for just a couple of minutes to char and soften them. Remove the onions from the pan and set them aside.

Step 4. Cut the chicken into inch slices. Wipe out the pan and heat again over medium high heat with a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Work in batches so the pan is not crowded with chicken (crowded chicken will steam rather than turn golden). Saut the chicken pieces until the edges are golden and crisp in spots. Serve immediately.

Chicken shawarma wraps: Fill pita bread pockets or flat pita bread with chicken shawarma pieces and onion. Then add sauce or homemade hummus and other trimmings such as shredded lettuce, tomato slices, and pink pickled turnips (lifft). Homemade Pita Bread is terrific here.

Shawarma bowls: Layer shawarma with Lebanese Vermicelli Rice or Bulgur Pilaf. Add sauce and other trimmings such as chickpeas, roasted vegetables, shredded lettuce, tomato slices, and pink pickled turnips (lifft). You can also make a salad bowl by topping tabbouleh with shawarma.

Sauce for shawarma is key to delicious chicken shawarma flavor! Make easy tahini sauce, Lebanese garlic sauce (toum), or a quick garlic yogurt sauce by mixing fresh garlic or garlic powder and salt with plain yogurt.

I have made this recipe several times and it has always been perfect. Made the marinade Holy Saturday and used sea salt instead of the kosher, For some reason the chicken after grilling was so salty (they looked beautiful), I was thinking a 1 1/2 Tbs of salt is a typo. Could you give me your expert advice. I tripeled the recipe because I hade around 5 lbs of the thighs and marinated them over night.

Thanks so much Diane! For the shawarma, the chicken thighs are indeed marinated and skewered whole. They cook through fine; be sure not to crowd them too much on the skewers, and to cook at a medium temperature so that the interior has time to cook before the exterior gets charred. Enjoy! So delicious!

Dora yes! I make this shawarma in the oven often. Just lay the marinated thighs on a lined sheet pan (I like nonstick foil) and bake at 400 degrees F for about 20 minutes. Thighs can cook longer too and stay juicy. To get some char you can finish them under the broiler for a couple of minutes. And/or slice them and give them a quick saute over medium high heat stovetop with some olive oil!

I made this and, while we found this delicious, my whole family agreed it was extremely salty. I double-checked the ingredient list after we ate because I thought I screwed up. Am I the only one who found it so salty?

Incredibly tasty chicken shawarma recipe that will transfer you to the Middle East. Best authentic marinade with exotic Middle Eastern spices that will make your shawarma not like any other, one that does not taste like just spiced grilled chicken.

Shawarma is probably the second most popular Middle Eastern food in the whole world, right after falafel. This is the best chicken shawarma recipe, trust me. I've tried many shawarma(s) before that I've lost count of, and this is the ultimate spice mix and way of making shawarma as close as possible to the one I remember from my childhood.

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