You can make a fabulous chicken shawarma plate at home!
Marinated chicken thighs in olive oil and spices, sliced and roasted until tender and juicy on the inside and crispy on the edges.
Served with easy homemade hummus, herbs and fluffy pita. It's delicious!
How to make a chicken shawarma plate
Featured Ingredients
For the shawarma:
- Lemon: Fresh lemon zest and juice will take this shawarma to the next level.
- Olive oil: A good quality olive oil will be the base of the marinade.
- Garlic: And lots of it - freshly minced.
- Cumin, smoked paprika, turmeric: The spices that make shawarma... shawarma.
- Nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon: A little sweet warmth from these spices may sound odd, but it's really stellar.
- Crushed red pepper flakes: As little or as much as you'd like.
- Chicken thighs: Grab a pack of boneless, skinless chicken thighs and thinly slice them.
- They'll be marinated then roasted and broiled in the oven.
For the hummus:
- Garbanzo beans: AKA chickpeas. They're the base of classic hummus!
- Tahini: Also known as sesame seed paste.
- You can usually find it near the peanut butter.
- Garlic: Again, fresh garlic cloves are best here.
- Lemon: Lots of fresh lemon zest and juice, if you ask me!
- Olive oil: More good-quality olive oil to bring the hummus together and make it super creamy.
How to make chicken shawarma at home
To make the shawarma:
- Whisk together lemon zest, lemon juice and olive oil.
- Place spices in a small skillet and heat to medium-high.
- Toast the spices, stirring constantly, until fragrant.
- Whisk the toasted spices in the bowl with lemon and olive oil to make a marinade.
- Thinly slice chicken thighs and combine with the marinade.
- Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to overnight (the longer, the better).
- When ready to roast the chicken, preheat oven to 425°F.
- Remove chicken from the marinade and place on a greased baking sheet.
- Roast for 16-18 minutes, until chicken is fully cooked and starting to crisp on the edges.
To make the hummus:
- In a food processor, combine garbanzo beans, tahini, garlic, lemon zest and juice, a pinch of salt, pepper and paprika.
- Place the lid on the food processor and pulse while slowly drizzling in the olive oil.
- Continue until hummus is smooth. Add more oil, if necessary
- Taste and adjust seasonings. (I like a lot of lemon juice and garlic!)
- Spread hummus on toasted pita bread and top with chicken and desired toppings.
Nutrition Considerations
- To make this gluten free: This recipe is gluten free.
- Skip the pita as a side or use gluten free pita.
- To make this dairy free: This recipe is dairy free.
- To make this nut free: This recipe does not contain nuts.
- Be sure all packaged ingredients are nut free.
- To make this egg free: This recipe does not contain eggs.
Mediterranean-Inspired Recipes:
- Greek Olive Hummus
- Kale and Crispy Chickpea Caesar Salad
- Greek Lamb Meatballs (Gyro Style)
- Mediterranean Chickpea Tuna Salad
- Zuppa Toscana
- Greek Salad with Feta Vinaigrette
- Heirloom Tomato Pizza
Chicken Shawarma Plate
Homemade restaurant-quality shawarma and super smooth hummus with pita.
- Prep Time: 45 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins
- Yield: Serves 8
- Category: Dinner, Entree
- Method: Stove-Top, Baking
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Ingredients
Scale
Shawarma:
- Zest and Juice of 1 medium lemon
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3-4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- ½ teaspoon coarse salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (or paprika)
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- Pinch of nutmeg, cloves and/or cinnamon
- Pinch of crushed red pepper (or more, as desired)
- 1-pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat
Hummus:
- 15-ounce can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
- ¼ cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled
- Zest and juice of 1-2 lemons
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Pinch of paprika
- ½ cup olive oil
Pita + Toppings
- Whole grain pitas
- Cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, capers, cilantro, plain Greek yogurt, parsley, tzatziki, lemon juice
Instructions
- Whisk together lemon zest, lemon juice and olive oil. Place spices in a small skillet and heat to medium-high. Toast the spices, stirring constantly, until fragrant. Whisk the toasted spices in the bowl with lemon and olive oil to make a marinade.
- Thinly slice chicken thighs and combine with the marinade. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to overnight (the longer, the better).
- When ready to roast the chicken, preheat oven to 425°F. Remove chicken from the marinade and place on a greased baking sheet. Roast for 16-18 minutes, until chicken is fully cooked and starting to crisp on the edges.
- While chicken roasts, prepare hummus. In a food processor, combine garbanzo beans, tahini, garlic, lemon zest and juice, a pinch of salt, pepper and paprika. Place the lid on the food processor and pulse while slowly drizzling in the olive oil. Continue until hummus is smooth. Add more oil, if necessary. Taste and adjust seasonings. (I like a lot of lemon juice and garlic!)
- Spread hummus on toasted pita bread and top with chicken and desired toppings. Enjoy!
Notes
Cooking Tip: You can use chicken breast instead of thighs, but I would recommend marinating for at least 6 hours and roast for only 10-12 minutes.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ⅛ of recipe
- Calories: 415
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 494mg
- Fat: 30g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 26g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 17g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 17g
- Cholesterol: 53mg
Keywords: sauce, easy, oven, skillet, marinade, marinated, healthy, tasty
Reader Interactions
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Lynn | The Road to Honey says
Looking at this is making me hungry. . .very hungry. Thank you Chicago Grill for inspiring this dish.
Julie Andrews says
Hi Lynn, I am also very thankful for Chicago Grill! I am sure they will be my inspiration for many more delicious dishes 😀 Thanks for visiting!
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
I've actually never tried Chicken Shawarma before & think I have been missing out on something seriously delicious. This pita pizza looks seriously SO good!
Julie Andrews says
Hey Thalia! I think you should try it! It's so simple and delish, and goes perfectly with hummus and pita. Let me know what you think 🙂
Farida says
You just made shawerma looks fancy 🙂 and its really street food ! love your photos style really
Julie Andrews says
Well thank you, Farida! Shawarma is just so delicious, it should look pretty, too! :):)
Connie says
Jules! This looks fab...come on Ben!! I think the four of us need to go to Chicago Grill soon! I want to eat this now!! 🙂
Julie Andrews says
Connie, you know we will go anytime!!
Jan says
I NEED this salad with the blood oranges. Make it for me when I visit?
Julie Andrews says
Of course!! 🙂
Julie says
I just made these (okay, my husband cooked and I ate them) and they were fabulous! Seriously wanted to go back for more and more but sadly my stomach isn't the black hole it wants to be. Thanks for a keeper!
Julie Andrews says
Hi Julie! I totally know what you mean! I find myself on chicken overload with this recipe. I am so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for visiting 🙂
Theresa says
LOVE shawarma!!!!! will give these a try for sure! Thanks for sharing.
Julie Andrews says
Meeee too, Theresa! I hope you enjoy it 🙂
Nalan says
Hello everyone!
Doner kabab and shawerma are the same. Doner kabab (döner kebap) absolutely belongs to Turkish cuisine and we all know how it looks and tastes. Shawerma is the Arab version of doner kebap (in this context döner means rounding. Shawerma is also a Turkish word and its original spelling is "çevirme" which also means "turning" (in Turkish, letter ç sounds as sh as in the beginning of shawerma).
Gyro is the Greek name of doner kabab. Turks and Greeks share many foods and doner kebap is one of them. Actually, Greeks got it from Turks and presented as Greek food, which is certainly wrong.
Döner kebap should be shreded very thin and long. This is the main and the most important feature of doner kebap. When it is served on a special and eliptic pita bread (pide) with two table spoonful of yogurt on the side and melted butter and special tomato sauce drizzled on it, it is called "Iskender kebap" which is a very famous, extremely delicious, and authentic Turkish food.
How do I know all these? Because I am Turkish and lived in Arab countries for years. Thanks.
Julie Andrews says
Hi Nalan,
Wow! Thank you so much for the history about shawarma and doner kabab! That is so interesting, and certainly new information to me. I hope you enjoy this rendition!!
Julie
Nalan says
Hey Julie!
Yes, isn't that fabulous? We all learn from each other and I truly appreciate it. believe me I copied and pasted your recipe and I will absolutely try it. My family is a great consumer of yogurt so I make yogurt at home in big ice-cream buckets. Also, we usually consume pita bread (whole wheat...that darker kind). I have all kinds of Turkish, Middle Eastern, and Indian spices (We are crazy about spicy food). Only think I don't have is "time." 🙁 Once I get it (I don't know where I can find it) I will absolutely try your recipe. It sounds soooo yummy!!!
Thanks a lot!
Nalan
Julie Andrews says
Wonderful! Yes, time is always an issue! I promise this recipe is quick and simple. No special equipment necessary :).
Thanks so much for chatting with me and sharing info with all of The Gourmet RD readers! I hope to hear from you soon!
Julie
Liz @ Floating Kitchen says
I can see how one would be crazy about this! It's just gorgeous. I love shawarma. I'll have Ben's shares if he doesn't want them! 🙂
Julie Andrews says
Liz, I would love to share with you! It really is such an easy, fun and delicious recipe 🙂 Enjoy!
Daria says
I made this recipe and is wow, very tasty and easy to make. Thanks for this great recipe.
Shahin @zkmyway says
Your shawarma looks mouthwatering! I just happened across your page via Pinterest. Now usually I just scroll down to the recipe, but the word Appleton caught my eye! We can't have the shawarma at Chicago Grill because it's not Muslim kosher. 🙁 But we always have the falafel and it is so good! We went to a new restaurant called A Taste of Chicago and I wasn't impressed. Anyhoo, it's nice to meet a fellow cheesehead blogger!
Julie Andrews says
Hello! It is very nice to meet you! I am also a HUGE fan of the falafel 🙂 Can't beat it... Enjoy the rest of your day, Shahin!
Ysabet says
Mmmmmm...... I live in the Southwest, and last weekend I had a Chicken with Hummus plate at a place called Pita Jungle, which specializes in healthy, organic food. I'm a huge fan of hummus as it is, but this was so delicious that I couldn't freaking *believe* it, so I've been poking at recipes ever since. Yours looks the closest to what I ate; I'll be cooking it tomorrow evening, and I have every expectation that it'll be DELICIOUS. Thanks hugely!
Julie Andrews says
Hi Ysabet! That is wonderful news! It is always exciting to be able to recreate a restaurant dish at home 🙂 Enjoy!
Sydney says
maybe this is a silly question, but how many people does this recipe serve?
Julie Andrews says
Hi Sydney - This recipe should serve 4-6 people. Enjoy! 🙂
Rebekkah says
Ohh Julie, my husband used to be the same with trying new things. He's Dutch and comes from a VERY Dutch household (ie potatoes, meat and veg all cooked to death) and I come from an Israeli family so hummus is a BIG thing for us. But stay patient! The other day (having been together almost nine and a half years) I was happily eating my toast with hummus tomatoes and cucumber when he suddenly grabbed the container of hummus! Shock, awe and nearly a fainting spell obviously ensued but the point is: miracles do happen! 😉
Janna says
I recently came across this recipe and made it last night. It was DELICIOUS! My entire family loved it. Thank you!
Julie Andrews says
Yay! This is one of my all-time faves 🙂 Glad you liked it!