Homemade chicken shawarma (also known as chicken donair) with juicy and tender chicken marinated in a handful of simple Middle Eastern spices, is topped with fresh vegetables and garlic yogurt sauce, all wrapped up in pita bread. It's a lot easier than you think to replicate this popular street food at home, with just 15 minutes of prep. Serve this filling hand-held wrap for lunch or for dinner with a Persian Shirazi Salad on the side.
Why You’ll Love Chicken Shawarma
- Quick and easy to make. Depending on where you live, you may be familiar with Middle Eastern restaurants or food trucks that serve chicken shawarma. But you may be surprised that it is actually quite easy to make at home. Although it is typically slow roasted on a vertical rotisserie, we can mimic the authentic flavors at home. Plus, when you prepare the ingredients ahead of time, it's super quick and just so satisfying.
- Marinated chicken is worth the wait. When you make the spice rub for the chicken, you’ll be eager to taste it! It smells as good as it tastes, so be prepared for it to entice you. After an hour, the chicken soaks up all that great Middle Eastern flavor, but if you wait up to overnight, the flavor will get even stronger. This is what makes chicken shawarma shine.
- Everything is better with pita bread. Pita bread is a staple of Mediterranean food, and reasonably so. It's delicious inside and out, has a perfect iconic pocket that you can stuff, or you can simply top the pita bread with filling and fold it over. Whether you are enjoying pita bread plain with dipped in Pesto Hummus or Baba Ganoush Eggplant Dip, or to wrap up Greek Chicken Gyros or Chicken Shawarma, there are so many ways to enjoy it.
Ingredients and Substitutions
To make this delicious chicken shawarma wrap, you will need the following ingredients (full quantities in recipe card below):
- chicken - I recommend using thighs because it yields a juicier meat. But chicken breasts can also work.
- olive oil
- seasoning - ground cumin, paprika, garlic powder, cayenne pepper (optional, if you want it spicy), ground coriander, salt, and black pepper.
- pita bread - you can easily pick up a batch of small pita bread from the store, or make your own homemade pita bread. It is a lot easier than you think.
- romaine lettuce - feel free to substitute with any kind of lettuce or salad greens.
- tomato
- cucumber
- parsley
- garlic yogurt sauce - use store-bought sauce or make your own with Greek yogurt, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, garlic, salt, and pepper. You can also substitute with tzatziki sauce or spread some hummus in the wraps.
How to Make the Best Chicken Shawarma
- Marinate the chicken. In a large ziploc bag, combine chicken strips with 1 tablespoon oil and all seasoning. Press air out of the bag and seal tightly. Press the seasoning around the chicken strips to coat. Let it marinate for 1 hour, up to overnight in the fridge. You can also marinate the chicken in a large mixing bowl and cover.
- Bake the chicken. Add and spread chicken evenly on a large parchment-lined half sheet baking pan in a single layer. Bake in a 400 F preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until fully cooked through and crispy. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes.
- Serve. Serve chicken in pita bread with lettuce, tomato, cucumber and parsley. In a medium mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients for the garlic yogurt sauce and stir until smooth. Drizzle on top of the chicken shawarma and serve. You can also add tzatziki sauce instead or a spread of hummus in the wraps.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- How to store: If you have any leftovers from your chicken shawarma dinner (which if you are like us, you likely won't!), store everything separately in the refrigerator in its own airtight container. The chicken, veggies, and garlic yogurt sauce will keep for up to 3-5 days.
- How to freeze: You can prepare the chicken ahead of time and keep it in the freezer until you’re ready to make chicken shawarma wraps. Make the marinade, marinate the chicken in a freezer bag, and let it rest for up to 24 hours in the refrigerator, then transfer to the freezer. It will keep for up to 3 months in the freezer.
More Mediterranean Chicken Recipes
- Greek Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki
- Baked Chicken Breast with Greek Souvlaki Marinade
- Mediterranean Chicken Patties
- Chicken and Couscous with Sun-dried Tomatoes
- Greek Lemon Garlic Whole Roast Chicken
- Creamy White Chicken and Spinach Lasagna
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Recipe
Chicken Shawarma
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Homemade chicken shawarma (donair) with juicy tender chicken marinated in Middle Eastern spices and wrapped in pita bread is easy to make at home.
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 1 + ½ lb. chicken thighs or breasts, skinless and boneless, sliced into ½-inch thick strips
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
For the shawarma wraps:
- 6 small pita bread
- 2 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
- 1 medium tomato, diced
- 2 Persian or mini cucumbers, diced
- ¼ fresh parsley, finely chopped
For the garlic yogurt sauce:
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ tablespoon Dijon mustard (optional)
- ½ teaspoon garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a large Ziploc bag, combine chicken strips with 1 tablespoon oil and all seasoning. Press air out of the bag and seal tightly. Press the seasoning around the chicken strips to coat. Let it marinate for 1 hour, up to overnight in the fridge. You can also marinate the chicken in a large mixing bowl and cover.
- Preheat oven to 400 F. Add and spread chicken evenly on a large parchment-lined half sheet baking pan in a single layer. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until fully cooked through and crispy. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes.
- Air Fryer Instructions: To air fry the chicken instead, spread chicken evenly in a single layer in the air fryer basket and cook at 375 F for 10-12 minutes until golden brown and crispy. Shake the basket halfway during cooking to brown evenly.
- Serve chicken in pita bread with lettuce, tomato, cucumber and parsley.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients for the garlic yogurt sauce and stir until smooth. Drizzle on top of the chicken shawarma and serve. You can also add tzatziki sauce instead or a spread of hummus.
Notes
How to store: If you have any leftovers from your chicken shawarma dinner (which if you are like us, you likely won't!), store everything separately in the refrigerator in its own airtight container. The chicken, veggies, and garlic yogurt sauce will keep for up to 3-5 days.
How to freeze: You can prepare the chicken ahead of time and keep it in the freezer until you’re ready to make chicken shawarma wraps. Make the marinade, marinate the chicken in a freezer bag, and let it rest for up to 24 hours in the refrigerator, then transfer to the freezer. It will keep for up to 3 months in the freezer.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Marinate Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Chicken
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
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Leigh says
I usually make this as salad bowls instead of pita wraps, and it is SO good! The flavor of the chicken and the yogurt sauce is just outstanding. The only small change I usually do is I cook the chicken in a pan instead of in the oven. This one is a keeper!
Anonymous says
Wow! This was phenomenal! So much flavor. Will definitely keep this on rotation!
Tiffany Beers-Martinez says
Followed the recipe exactly with the exception of pan searing my chicken thighs and it was so good! Yogurt sauce was perfect. Will make this again for sure!!
Kaydee Lomu says
Super good and easy to do! My family loves this
DaimlerDame says
I made this recipe last night and it was very easy and tasty. I made the garlic yogurt sauce as written and it was great. I used all the spices for the chicken, but I halved the amounts and it was good . The recipe calls for 2 Tablespoons of olive oil, divided. One tablespoon is mixed with the chicken and spices - but where does the other tablespoon get used? I couldn't find that anywhere. I decided not to worry about it and everything came out fine. I don't have an air fryer so I used the oven and the chicken turned out nicely browned but juicy - I wouldn't call it crispy. I liked that this didn't take long in the oven, so the kitchen doesn't heat up.
Garrison Hall says
Delish!
Sam Hu | Ahead of Thyme says
Thank you!!
Gina says
Where do I use the remaining 1 Tbl of olive oil?