Simple delicious Grilled Chicken Shawarma – bursting with Middle Eastern Flavor! Grill it or bake it and try serving it with super refreshing Israeli Salad.
This easy Grilled Chicken Shawarma recipe is bursting with middle eastern flavors. Fast and simple to make, it comes together quickly and it’s one we use a lot at home. During hot summer evenings, I love it best grilled, and served over a bed of a chilled Israeli Salad, a salad made of very finely diced summer vegetables and fresh herbs. The combination of hot grilled juicy chicken, together with the chilled Israeli salad is refreshing and delicious.
During the cooler months, feel free to bake this chicken shawarma in the oven. For heartier appetites, fold the tender flavorful chicken into pita, with tahini sauce along with this Turkish Cucumber Salad, or simply serve with rice…..the flavors will not disappoint!
The chicken starts with a marinade, made with a combination of spices that I’ve been tinkering with for a while now. It finely tastes, just right. Use whole seeds or ground spices, either is fine.
Stir the spices with garlic and oil into a paste and rub all over the chicken. For this recipe, I use boneless, skinless thighs, as thighs end up being extra tender and juicy. I haven’t tried the marinade on tofu yet, but my guess is it would be delicious, lathered up on tofu slices and baked on a sheet pan, in the oven.
Place chicken on a hot grill, getting nice char. Once nicely charred, either turn heat down and cover, to cook through, or place into a 350 F oven until chicken is cooked through. The nice thing about thighs is it’s very hard to overcook them.
Chop the chicken up and place over a salad, or serve them whole along side rice and salad.
Give this EASY Grilled Chicken Shawarma recipe a try! You will loooooooove it.
xo
Grilled Chicken Shawarma Recipe
Simple delicious recipe for chicken shawarma that can be grilled or baked – full of Middle Eastern flavor. Serve over Israeli Salad.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 4-6 1x
- Category: Main,chicken, paleo
- Method: grilled
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Scale
Ingredients
- 2 lbs to 2 ¼ lb chicken thighs (boneless and skinless, or skin on)
- 2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons ground coriander
- 8 cloves minced garlic cloves
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
- 2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoon allspice
Instructions
- Place all ingredients except chicken in a bowl and mix, or pulse in a food processor to make a paste.
- Rub chicken on all sides with the marinade and let sit 20 minutes (or up to 24 hours refrigerated).
- Grill chicken on a pre-heated BBQ, on medium high heat, closing the lid to the BBQ, until all sides have nice grill marks, about 8 minutes each side. Finish chicken in a 350 F oven until cooked all the way through, about 10 minutes. ( Alternatively you can bake the chicken thighs in a 375 F oven for 30-40 minutes)
- Enjoy the chicken over Israeli salad, or with rice and veggies.
Keywords: chicken shawarma, chicken shawarma recipe, chicken shawarma calories, chicken shawarma calories, chicken shawarma marinade, grilled chicken shawarma
Millie | Add A Little says
July 4, 2014 at 3:00 pmLooks so delicious!
http://youtube.com/addalittlefood
Matt Robinson says
July 5, 2014 at 5:56 amThis looks incredible, Sylvia, LOVE those flavors!!
Sylvia Fountaine says
July 5, 2014 at 2:53 pmThanks for visiting Matt. Love your blog!
Crystal S. | Apples & Sparkle says
July 6, 2014 at 4:25 pmDelicious! My favorite kind of food! : )
martha says
July 7, 2014 at 4:40 pmHi Sylvia,
I found your recipe on Pinterest, and we made the chicken last night for dinner, along with an Israeli Salad and grilled sweet potatoes. The chicken was super moist, flavorful, and so easy! This is definitely one of my favorite new recipes – it’s SO GOOD!! thank you! 🙂
Mary Frances says
July 8, 2014 at 9:14 pmI don’t see many recipes online for homemade shawarma. This one looks excellent though, and really straightforward, thanks for sharing!
Anonymous says
July 9, 2014 at 12:31 pmMade this last night, along with the tahini sauce and some roasted potatoes and grilled leeks/zucchini. It was really excellent, however we all found it way too salty. Maybe it’s just our preference, but next time I’ll use 1/2 the amount of salt. But there definitely will be a next time.
Sylvia Fountaine says
July 9, 2014 at 1:57 pmThanks for the feedback. I think it may actually be a typo…I will fix. Sorry about that!!
Anonymous says
July 11, 2014 at 9:21 pmJust made this chicken…it’s on the grill as we speak. So glad I misread the amount of salt. I added 1 1/2 t. It should be perfect.
Rachel Cooks says
July 13, 2014 at 6:14 pmLooks so perfect!!
Vijay says
July 15, 2014 at 5:05 pmWe’re making this tomorrow night Sylvie!
Katie | Healthy Seasonal Recipes says
July 26, 2014 at 10:54 amThis was amazing.We had it with your salad for dinner last night. I knew it would be good while I was marinating the chicken. The smell was incredible! I also served grilled baby potatoes and corn on the cob. The flavor was perfect. It was the perfect seasonal summer meal. I am looking forward to the left-overs for lunch!
Sylvia Fountaine says
July 3, 2018 at 5:34 pmThanks!
★★★★★
Ежегодной миграции антилоп гну says
July 28, 2014 at 4:06 pmThis is delicious.. but unfortunately its very expensive for most people where I come from..
Wholesale Nuts says
October 10, 2014 at 6:28 amThanks for this lip-smacking recipe. I love this.
JP@Filipino Food Recipes says
October 15, 2014 at 5:46 pmI’m about to try your chicken shawarma here in Philippines and from the ingredients and the process of cooking I can judge it’s so good and delicious. I’m glad that we can prepare shawarma this way because what i saw in foodcourt is a rotating pile of sliced chicken or beef grilled near a flame. Thanks for the recipe.
Maryellen says
January 25, 2015 at 11:54 pmWould you mind describing how you made the vegetable mix that is pictured with the chicken in these photos? This is right up my alley! Thank you.
Sylvia Fountaine says
January 26, 2015 at 12:54 amSure. The chicken is served over the Israeli Salad… see the link at the top of the post. 🙂
Maryellen Quarles says
January 26, 2015 at 7:07 pmoh, my! mea culpa! Sorry to have bothered you–I assumed Israeli salad meant a Israeli cous cous (pearl) salad. This is perfect and you are so sweet. Many thanks!
Kathy says
April 18, 2015 at 10:36 pmAfter pulsing the ingredients, the instructions say “make a paste.” What do you use to make a paste, add olive oil or water?
Sylvia Fountaine says
April 18, 2015 at 11:11 pmThe ingredients with the oil will naturally make a paste 🙂 sorry my directions aren’t clear!!
Nancy says
May 25, 2015 at 11:35 amLoved the spice mix and the chicken was so flavorful.
★★★★★
joanna says
May 31, 2015 at 12:40 amjust made this tonight on the grill and it was awesome!! it stayed so moist on the inside and nice and charred on the outside. the flavor combo was really great.
Sylvia Fountaine says
May 31, 2015 at 10:09 pmso great to hear… thanks for sharing!!
Patricia says
June 11, 2015 at 4:48 pmI tried this recipe on the weekend with Israeli Salad.
Absolutely Amazing!!!
This will be a weekly go to recipe during the summer.
I made the Israeli Salad with lime juice instead of lemon, as I prefer the refreshing taste of lime.
★★★★★
Sylvia Fountaine says
June 12, 2015 at 5:56 pmOh Thanks for sharing…glad you liked it. Such a refreshing healthy salad!
Patricia says
June 13, 2015 at 4:32 pmMy neighbour could smell this on grill last night, so I gave him a taste and then had to go print a copy of the recipe for him too!
Sylvia Fountaine says
June 14, 2015 at 2:45 pmThat’s hilarious! Thanks for sharing Patricia!
Tina V. says
June 16, 2015 at 10:44 pmMade this along with the Israeli salad and it was all fantastic! This is going into the regular rotation for sure!
Ashley says
June 22, 2015 at 11:08 pmHi Sylvia, I made this for a dinner party recently and it was such a huge hit. Like your other recipes I’ve tried it really exceeded my expectations! I wanted to make this recipe for another group of friends this weekend but some don’t eat chicken. Do you have a recommendation for using fish? Have you tried it with tofu yet? Many thanks for your feedback!
Sylvia Fountaine says
June 23, 2015 at 1:26 amThanks Ashely! You know…I can’t picture this with fish, but it might be good? I have had with tofu and liked it. 🙂
Mary says
July 13, 2015 at 3:07 amsooooo good!!! Perfect with the Israeli salad!! The chicken was moist and so flavorful!! Thank you
Sylvia Fountaine says
July 3, 2018 at 5:35 pmThanks Mary!
★★★★★
Mary Dempsey says
August 7, 2015 at 6:29 amHi,
I am trying to subscribe but it’s not accepting my email address -is there a problem with this section of you site?
Sylvia Fountaine says
August 7, 2015 at 2:08 pmHi Mary- sorry about that! Are you subscribing at the top right of the page….in the box? Or in the post itself?
Ben says
August 16, 2015 at 7:26 pmThe ingredient list does not specify ground or fresh ginger could you elaborate i really want to try this with a cilantro lime farro i am trying.
Sylvia Fountaine says
August 16, 2015 at 9:39 pmBen, it is ground.
Ben says
August 17, 2015 at 12:36 amthanks
Ben says
August 20, 2015 at 1:06 amMade this tonight and it was a huge hit. thanks so much for posting it.
★★★★★
Sylvia Fountaine says
August 20, 2015 at 2:16 amThanks for the feedback Ben…happy it turned out!
Debra M says
October 19, 2015 at 8:04 pmThis recipe is fabulous! Thank you so much!
alan says
November 17, 2015 at 7:39 amThis was one of the most flavorful and most tender grilled chicken i have ever had. Used breasts instead of thighs. thank you so much. I think I am going to try your creamy sun dried tomato pasta dish tonight.
Sylvia Fountaine says
July 3, 2018 at 5:36 pmAwesome Alan, Im so glad you liked it!!!
★★★★★
Laurita Duhs says
December 10, 2015 at 7:43 pmFixed the chicken tonight and was very impressed. I made it with breasts and split them horizontally and they took chicken to a new level. Will make the Israeli salad tomorrow night to have with the leftover chicken. Thanks for a very interesting and delicious recipe.
LaReesa says
March 30, 2016 at 6:03 pmHad this for dinner tonight, but I subbed pork chops for chicken. It definitely would be better with a fattier dark meat like chicken thighs but it was great this way, too. Amazing flavors. I cubed the pork, put it on skewers and broiled it on a rack on a cookie sheet. Gets it that nice grill flavor without a grill 🙂
★★★★★
Sabrina says
May 5, 2016 at 4:04 pmI was expecting 6 people for dinner and a couple of hours before we ate, it grew to 10. I had plenty of appetizers, so wasn’t concerned. I had marinated the suggested amount of chicken overnight, and just added more thighs to the baggie with the paste and it was just barely enough – whew! Served with the Israeli Salad and Turkish Cucumber Salad along with quinoa cooked in chicken broth. Two thumbs up all around for ease of prep (though the chopping took me a while), moistness of chicken and delicious flavors. Thank you for sharing and for making me appear to be a carefree hostess.
★★★★★
Sylvia Fountaine says
May 6, 2016 at 7:19 amI’m so glad it turned out Sabrina! Thanks for your comment!
Sherri says
May 7, 2016 at 7:08 amI have made this a few times, and it is one of my favorites – fantastic!! I use chicken breasts & cook it on the grill, big green egg, and the combination of the spices and smokiness is wonderful. My husband and kids love this too, and those kids are picky… Making for Mother’s Day. Thank you for this great recipe.
Sylvia Fountaine says
May 7, 2016 at 8:06 amThanks Sherri- love that you’ve made it your own!
Julia says
June 12, 2016 at 10:59 amThis recipe is a new favorite-delicious!!
★★★★★
Kelli says
June 21, 2016 at 5:56 pmI just want to say how fantastic this recipe turned out! I made it with the Israeli salad and it was the perfect accompaniment to the chicken. I did use chicken breast instead of the thighs as I already had it on hand. This meal was so flavorful and wonderful, so happy I tried it out! Can’t wait to make it again!
★★★★★
Sylvia Fountaine says
June 24, 2016 at 9:13 pmI’m so glad!!!
Herb motley says
March 7, 2017 at 8:25 pmHi delicious
By the way i don’t think it’s Israeli or Palestinian salad…
It’s originally Jamaican salad so please all you political folks fighting over the right to the salad….give credit to where credit is due..
Jamaica…
chrissalman says
May 5, 2017 at 5:11 amIt would be nice to give tribute to the actual origin of this food, which is clearly Palestinian. This recipe is a new favorite-delicious!!
krista romero says
June 8, 2017 at 2:15 pmI am just now getting around to leaving a comment, however I have been making this recipe now for about a year.
I cannot tell you how many times in a week my husband and children ask if I can make this. It’s easy and incredibly flavorful! It is my go to for larger crowds as well because of the simplicity of it. Everyone raves about it!
★★★★★
Sylvia Fountaine says
June 8, 2017 at 4:01 pmThanks so much Krista! I’m so happy you and your family have enjoyed these! And thank you for leaving a comment and rating! Always appreciated!!!
Corrine says
June 8, 2017 at 5:13 pmI made this tonight with the salad, gluten free paleo pita and a Lebanese garlic dill sauce all wrapped up in the pitas! So so good! I will keep this recipe in my make again file!
★★★★★
Sylvia Fountaine says
June 9, 2017 at 9:30 amSounds Delicious! thanks for sharing- and love that you put it in a pita! Great idea!
Rhonda says
August 1, 2017 at 3:36 amRecipe was delicious and I don’t care what country it originated from!
Kristl says
January 9, 2018 at 4:59 pmFantastic recipe! My husband thinks this was the best chicken I’ve ever made. Thank you! It’s juicy, flavorful and so aromatic.
Sylvia Fountaine says
July 3, 2018 at 5:39 pmYay! I love hearing that!!!
★★★★★
Tim says
May 28, 2018 at 8:32 amExcellent recipe! The chicken shwarma and Israeli salad was well received even though I did over cook the chicken a bit.
Sylvia Fountaine says
May 28, 2018 at 4:04 pmThanks Tim, glad you liked it, and I overcook chicken all the time. Oh well. 😉
Kathleen says
May 29, 2018 at 3:09 pmI made this last night for a group of friends. I used boneless skinless chicken thighs.. It was outstanding, and so simple to make . Along with the Israeli salad I added naan and an eggplant curry to round it out. Not a bit of leftovers. This one will stay in my summer grilling rotation:)
I really love your posts and appreciate the alternative suggestions, to make it vegetarian or vegan as I like to mix it up.
★★★★★
Sylvia Fountaine says
May 30, 2018 at 10:26 amThanks so much Kathleen, so happy you all enjoyed it! Eggplant curry sounds delish!
Kristi S says
June 17, 2018 at 6:52 amMade this recipe for dinner last night and it is amazing! I blended the spices in a foods processor and rubbed on chicken breasts then let them sit for about 30min then grilled. The smoky flavor transported us to the Mediterranean! I will make this again – thank you so much for posting!
★★★★★
Sylvia Fountaine says
June 18, 2018 at 7:51 amGreat to hear Kristi! Thanks for the comment and rating and I’m so glad you enjoyed it!xoxo
Whitney says
June 17, 2018 at 9:25 pmI made this with the israeli salad tonight for a healthy dinner party and it was such a hit!!!! I used chicken thighs because that’s what I had and they turned out super juicy and delicious. I marinated for a couple hours to really get the flavours going. This was my first time checking out your blog and I have found quite a few things I will definitely try. Yum!!!!
★★★★★
Sylvia Fountaine says
June 18, 2018 at 7:48 amAwesome Whitney- appreciate you rating and leaving a comment- and glad you like the salad and chicken- 2 of my personal favs! Welcome to the blog- happy you are here!
Diane Moz says
June 27, 2018 at 7:41 pmI brought the marinated chicken along with the Israeli salad, pita bread, hummus and feta to my daughter and son in law’s today for an impromptu middle of the week cookout. The grilled chicken shawarma and Israeli salad were a big hit ! My daughter asked for the recipes. These recipes will be made often!
Sylvia Fountaine says
July 3, 2018 at 5:38 pmIm so glad you liked it!
★★★★★
Vera Lawson says
August 19, 2018 at 9:31 pmGreat recipe! Made it for a group of friends everyone wanted the recipe!
Sylvia Fountaine says
August 20, 2018 at 4:27 pmAwesome Vera, thanks so much!
Julie says
September 18, 2018 at 10:04 pmThis recipe is brilliant! Everyone who has tried it loves it and it is quick and easy to prepare. It goes perfectly with the Israeli salad, and I like to serve it with bread too.
★★★★
Scott says
September 23, 2018 at 6:32 amTried this for the first time 2 weeks ago and it went down a storm with family and friends. In fact I didn’t make enough apparently!!! 🙂
I used chicken legs last time instead, plus fresh ginger and cooked it about 3 hrs later on the BBQ over a medium heat.
Deeeeeelicious! So I’m making it again today, with a salad and home made Tsasiki
★★★★
Anonymous says
October 26, 2018 at 3:34 pmI LOVE this recipe! So good! I make it almost weekly!
★★★★★
Jamie says
October 26, 2018 at 3:35 pmAMAZING! I love this recipe, make it almost weekly!
★★★★★
Sylvia Fountaine says
October 27, 2018 at 3:36 pmSo happy you liked it Jamie!
Stephen Dreher says
December 10, 2018 at 8:44 amThis was delicious and a winner with guests. Made in the oven. I did put foil over the dish for the first 15 minutes and then uncovered to finish. Tender and juicy. I recommend the 24 hour marinade process. Get your hands messy and really rub that paste in too.
★★★★★
Fatemah says
December 13, 2018 at 3:29 pmThis is delicious. My spouse is very happy with this recipe. The salad I made on the side was small diced of cucumbers, red onion ( yellow onion will do ), tomatoes toss with lemon juice , olive oil, salt and pepper. The combination is great together. Thanks for this recipe
★★★★★
Sylvia Fountaine says
December 14, 2018 at 1:45 pmThanks, so good to hear!!!
Emily says
January 12, 2019 at 1:14 pmAbsolutely love this recipe, we make it every few weeks lately. So good with the Israeli salad.
★★★★★
Sylvia Fountaine says
January 12, 2019 at 8:07 pmSo glad you are enjoying it! Yes, love it with the Israeli Salad!
Trish says
February 15, 2019 at 7:13 pmThis look amazing can you give me the recipe for the who’s in the picute with the chicken please.
★★★★★
Sylvia Fountaine says
February 16, 2019 at 7:24 amI thin you mean the Israeli Salad ??
Donna Lee says
March 14, 2019 at 6:59 amHi, I just subscribed to your blog. I love your recipes and photos and your instructions are so clear. I have a question about the paste in the Grilled Chicken Shawarma recipe: is there paste left over or is the entire amount supposed to be rubbed on the chicken? And if left over, can the paste be refrigerated?
Sylvia Fountaine says
March 14, 2019 at 7:11 amyes, of course it can be refrigerated and used again!
Elizabeth C says
May 7, 2019 at 4:57 pmOMG! Sub’d cayenne with paprika, turmeric with cardamom, awesome!!! Greek yogurt with crushed garlic, squeeze of lemon, salt & pepper. Topped all with cilantro & za’atar. I’m obsessed!
★★★★★
Anonymous says
June 10, 2019 at 8:40 pmMade the chicken and Isreali salad with your naan recipe, too–such a fabulous summer meal! Great flavor and so easy!
★★★★★
Jen Walker says
June 11, 2019 at 3:14 pmThis is an incredible recipe, so easy to makeand very delicious. Thanks
★★★★★
Heather D says
June 19, 2019 at 11:05 amThis has to be one of the best chicken recipes I’ve ever tried. So delicious. I served it with Israeli couscous
Sylvia Fountaine says
June 19, 2019 at 1:55 pmAwesome! Glad you liked it!