Chicken Shawarma Homemade Recipe
This Chicken Shawarma homemade recipe will blow you away! Flavorful chicken strips, vegetables with creamy tzatziki sauce! All wrapped in easy to make tortillas.
Every time I make this chicken shawarma recipe my husband and kids will be bugging me if it’s time to eat yet. Well, I can’t blame them, the smell when the chicken is cooking is amazing. With just simple spices to make shawarma marinade, it brings aromatic Middle Eastern flavors to the chicken. When the chicken hits the pan, the smell will make your mouth water.
Why is this the best recipe?
This chicken shawarma is great food for gatherings along with tabbouleh since it’s easy to double or even triple the recipe.
Freezing the chicken in shawarma marinade requires at least 24 hours. This is needed for the flavors to really seep in and for the chicken to be firm when slicing.
Make it ahead of time and just thaw in the microwave when ready to cook. You can also thaw 30 minutes in room temperature before cooking
The recipe yields 8 shawarma wraps. So, depending on how many you are making, you can cut the frozen chicken roll in half and save other half for another time.
Make it from scratch including my homemade shawarma sauce and tortillas recipe. You can also buy store-bought flat bread and sauces if you prefer.
Shawarma marinade and sauce.
You can create this incredible marinade using simple ingredients like everyday spices, olive oil, tomato paste and lemon juice. What’s even better is, aside from chicken, you can also use on beef or lamb! Talk about versatility, eh?
There are two ways of making shawarma sauce and you can choose what suits your taste. Tzatziki or yoghurt sauce is a refreshing addition to strong flavors of chicken shawarma. Sriracha mayo on the other hand is for those who enjoys more punch on their chicken wraps. I use the two sauces on mine and it’s AMAZING!
The secret ingredient is always LOVE
Other chicken recipes you will love:
Karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken) have earned its spot as one of the tastiest fried chicken out there! Ultra crispy and tender juicy boneless chicken thighs that you can’t get enough of.
Chicken Satay with peanut sauce grilled perfectly is a must Asian food experience! Marinated chicken strips slathered with peanut sauce is simply delicious.
Be ready to have your kitchen raided when you start cooking these chicken dishes and your family gets a whiff of those beautiful aroma! Adieu! MIA
Homemade Chicken Shawarma
Ingredients
- 1 kg chicken thigh (deboned)
Shawarma Marinade
- 1 medium onion (grated)
- 3 cloves garlic (grated)
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp yoghurt
- 1 tbsp fresh mint (chopped)
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp dried thyme
- 1 tbsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon powder
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp salt
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
Fillings/Toppings
- iceberg lettuce
- red onion
- jalapeno peppers
- tomatoes
- cucumber
Tortilla and Sauce
- 8 pcs Tortillas (Please see post on how to make )
- Tzatziki Sauce (Please see post on how to make )
- Spicy Mayo (Please see post on how to make )
Instructions
Prepping and Marinating Chicken
- Using kitchen shears or a knife, remove bones and cartilages. Wash chicken thighs thoroughly and pat dry with kitchen towel. Set aside.
- In a large bowl. Tip in all marinating ingredients and mix well until well incorporated.
- Transfer chicken thighs into marinating bowl and make sure all pieces are coated. Wrap bowl with cling film and chill in the fridge for 1-2 hours. Prepare 2 overlapping cling wraps approximately 60 cm (24 in) in length.
- Take marinated chicken from the fridge and lay chicken pieces horizontally and overlapping on top of parchment paper.
- Wrap the chicken in cling film and twist ends to secure. Roll the chicken along with the film until you form a sausage or log.
- Wrap in additional 6 layers of cling film while rolling the chicken sausage/log in every layer added. Secure both ends tightly using a kitchen twine.
- Place wrapped chicken in the freezer for at least 24 hours. (This will allow chicken to hold form).
Making the Chicken Shawarma
- Remove the chicken from the freezer and thaw in a microwave for at least 10-15 minutes. You let it sit in counter and thaw for 30 mins. in room temp.
- Remove wrap and slice chicken thinly then into strips. Alternatively you can cut the chicken in half and freeze the other half again for later use.
- Heat 2 tbsp of cooking oil in a pan over medium heat. When oil is hot enough, cook chicken strips for 2-3 minutes or until cooked through. I suggest cooking in batches if using a small cooking pan. Set aside.
- Take a piece of tortilla bread and spread a tbsp of spicy mayo. Add filling/topping of choice then place desired amount of chicken shawarma on top.
- Add a tbsp of yoghurt sauce and wrap everything in the tortilla bread. Serve and enjoy. Bon appetit!
