Description
This oven-roasted easy chicken shawarma recipe brings authentic Middle Eastern flavor to your kitchen, using a simple spice marinade and high-heat roasting for juicy, perfectly seasoned chicken with crispy edges.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Chicken & Marinade:
- 3/4 tbsp ground cumin
- 3/4 tbsp turmeric powder
- 3/4 tbsp ground coriander
- 3/4 tbsp garlic powder
- 3/4 tbsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, more if you prefer
- Salt to taste
- 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 large onion, thinly sliced
- 1 large lemon, juice of
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
For Serving:
- 6 pita pockets
- Tahini sauce or Greek Tzatziki sauce
- Baby arugula
- 3-ingredient Mediterranean Salad
- Pickles or kalmata olives (optional)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix the cumin, turmeric, coriander, garlic powder, sweet paprika and cloves. Set aside the shawarma spice mix for now.
- Pat the chicken thighs dry and season with salt on both sides, then thinly slice into small bite-sized pieces.
- Place the chicken in a large bowl. Add the shwarma spices and toss to coat. Add the onions, lemon juice and olive oil. Toss everything together again. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight (if you don’t have time, you can cut or skip marinating time)
- When ready, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Take the chicken out of the fridge and let it sit in room temperature for a few minutes.
- Spread the marinated chicken with the onions in one layer on a large lightly-oiled baking sheet pan. Roast for 30 minutes in the 425 degrees F heated-oven. For a more browned, crispier chicken, move the pan to the top rack and broil very briefly (watch carefully). Remove from the oven.
- While the chicken is roasting, prepare the pita pockets. Make tahini sauce according tothis recipeor Tztaziki sauce according tothis recipe. Make 3-ingredient Mediterranean salad according tothis recipe.Set aside.
- To serve, open pita pockets up. Spread a littletahini sauceorTzatziki sauce, add chicken shawarma, arugula,Mediterranean saladand pickles or olives, if you like. Serve immediately!
Notes
- Marinating overnight enhances flavor.
- Broiling at the end adds authentic crispy bits.
- Use parchment or foil for easy cleanup.
- Leftovers are perfect in rice bowls or wraps.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes (plus marinating)
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Roasted
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 pita
- Calories: 430
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 710mg
- Fat: 26g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 17g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 28g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 27g
- Cholesterol: 125mg
Keywords: chicken shawarma, oven chicken shawarma, easy shawarma recipe, shawarma in pita, homemade shawarma, oven-roasted shawarma, weeknight shawarma