Name: Grilled Chicken Shawarma Recipe
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Ingredients: 2 lbs to 2 ¼ lb chicken thighs (boneless and skinless, or skin on- see notes); 2 tablespoons ground cumin; 2 tablespoons ground coriander; 8 garlic cloves, minced; 2 teaspoons kosher salt; 6 tablespoons olive oil; 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper; 2 teaspoon turmeric; 1 teaspoon ground ginger; 1 teaspoon ground black pepper; 2 teaspoon allspice

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One of our most popular recipes on the blog – Grilled Chicken Shawarma is bursting with Middle Eastern Flavors! Serve it up with Israeli Salad and Basmati Rice (or Naan Bread) with a side of Tzatziki or Baba Ganoush! The perfect combination of flavors. No grill? Try this Baked Chicken Shawarma!

This EASY Grilled Chicken Shawarma recipe is bursting with Middle Eastern Flavor! Serve over highly addicting Israeli Salad. | www.feastingathome.com

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 and in catering. The flavor is out of this world!

WATCH HOW TO MAKE Grilled Chicken Shawarma!

We also grill these as skewers and serve them up as a wrap – with homemade pita bread and tzatziki sauce.

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.

Either way, you will love the flavor, I promise!

During the cooler months, feel free to bake this chicken shawarma in the oven.

This EASY Grilled Chicken Shawarma recipe is bursting with Middle Eastern Flavor! Serve it over super refreshing Israeli Salad. | #shawarma #chicken #chickenshawarma #grilledchicken #grilled chicken |www.feastingathome.com

The chicken starts with a flavorful Shawarma marinade, made with a combination of spices that I’ve been tinkering with for a while now. It finally tastes, just right!

Use toasted whole seeds or ground spices, either is fine.

Chicken Shawarma Spices:

Toasting the whole seeds gives the marinade better, more intense flavor, but using ground spices is quicker and easier and works well too! See the recipe card for full details.

cumin
coriander
garlic cloves
kosher salt
cayenne pepper
turmeric
ground ginger
black pepper
allspice

Stir the spices with garlic and oil into a paste ( or pulse in a food processor) and rub all over the chicken.

For this recipe, I use boneless, skinless thighs, as thighs end up being extra tender and juicy.

Place the chicken shawarma on a hot grill, either whole or threaded onto skewers.

Once they get a nice char, either turn the heat down and cover, to cook through, or place into a 350 F oven until chicken is cooked through.

The nice thing about chicken thighs is, it’s very hard to overcook them.

Here I’ve sliced up the Chicken Shawarma to place over a big bowl or Israeli Salad. Light and refreshing!

What to Serve with Chicken Shawarma:

Pick any of the following!

Israeli Salad or Tabouli Salad
Tzatziki
Baba Ganoush
Hummus
Homemade Pita Bread
Grilled Za’atar Zucchini
Basmati Rice (Middle Eastern version)

This EASY Grilled Chicken Shawarma recipe is bursting with Middle Eastern Flavors! Serve it as a wrap, in pita bread with tzatziki sauce and Israeli Salad. | #shawarma #chicken #chickenshawarma #shawarmawrap

Give this EASY Grilled Chicken Shawarma recipe a try! You will loooooooove it. I promise!

Sylvia

Grilled Chicken Shawarma Recipe

★★★★★ 5 from 49 reviews

Author: Sylvia Fountaine | Feasting at Home Blog
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 30 mins
Yield: 6 1x
Category: Chicken, Grilled
Method: grilled
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Diet: Gluten Free

Description

A simple delicious recipe for chicken shawarma that can be grilled or baked – full of Middle Eastern flavor. Serve with homemade pita bread and tzatziki or over Israeli Salad.

Scale

Ingredients

2 lbs to 2 ¼ lb chicken thighs (boneless and skinless, or skin on- see notes)

Shawarma Marinade:

2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons ground coriander
8 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons kosher salt
6 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoon allspice

Instructions

Place all marinade ingredients 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 24-48 hours refrigerated). You can also cut chicken into 1-inch cubes and make skewers.
Grill chicken on a pre-heated Grill, on medium-high heat, closing the lid to the BBQ, until all sides have nice grill marks, about 8 minutes each side. Move to a cooler part of the grill or finish cooking 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 shawarma over Israeli salad, or with rice and veggies, or with pita bread and tzatziki

Notes

Feel free to use chicken breasts, understanding grilling time will shorten. I prefer thighs because they are pretty hard to overcook/dry out.

If using skewers: Make sure to soak wood skewers in water, at least 30 minutes so they don’t burn. Marinate the cubes of chicken in a bowl for at least 20 minutes, before skewering.

Keywords: chicken shawarma, grilled chicken shawarma, chicken shawarma recipe, chicken shawarma calories, chicken shawarma calories, chicken shawarma marinade, grilled chicken shawarma

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Comments

Cheryl says
July 16, 2020 at 9:00 pm
Great recipe. Served it with Israeli salad.My family and I loved it.!Thank you.
★★★★★
- Sylvia Fountaine says
  July 18, 2020 at 8:47 am
  Awesome, thanks Cheryl!
Hinda Rich says
July 14, 2020 at 5:08 am
Usually I make shwarma as a kebob on sticks. This was new and so easy and delicious with the Israeli salad.
- Sylvia Fountaine says
  July 14, 2020 at 9:54 am
  Thanks, glad you liked it!
Leanne says
July 07, 2020 at 4:20 pm
So flavourful and delicious! We cooked the chicken entirely on the BBQ and it turned out wonderful! We served it with your Isreali salad and it was the perfect summer supper!
★★★★★
- Sylvia Fountaine says
  July 08, 2020 at 10:41 am
  So glad you liked this!
Mondria says
July 06, 2020 at 7:01 pm
This chicken was fantastic! Definitely keeping this recipe.
★★★★★
- Sylvia Fountaine says
  July 06, 2020 at 10:39 pm
  Glad you liked it!
Anonymous says
June 14, 2020 at 2:24 pm
Excellent and authentic
★★★★★
Anita says
April 28, 2020 at 1:26 pm
Quite wonderful!!
★★★★★
Deborah Nelson says
April 21, 2020 at 7:19 pm
Absolutely delicious! And so easy. I’ve made many versions of this dish and this was the family favorite.
★★★★★
- Sylvia Fountaine says
  April 22, 2020 at 9:06 am
  Thanks so much Deborah!
Theresa says
March 11, 2020 at 7:37 pm
I must sound like a broken record when I comment on Sylvia’s recipes….quick, flavorful, delicious! Another family favorite! A tad salty, will cut back a bit next time.
★★★★★
- Sylvia Fountaine says
  March 12, 2020 at 7:22 am
  thanks Theresa~
Sally says
February 17, 2020 at 8:05 am
Delicious!! Made it in the oven instead of the grill. Convection roasted at 425 for about 30 minutes. MAde the Israeli Salad to go with it. Fed a crowd and everyone loved it. A keeper for sure!
★★★★★
Paige says
February 12, 2020 at 8:11 am
We have made this recipe (no changes necessary) countless times and LOVE it!
★★★★★
- Sylvia Fountaine says
  February 12, 2020 at 8:33 am
  Awww, thanks Paige, appreciate the comment! xoxo
Virginia says
February 10, 2020 at 8:54 am
SO, SO good!! Really flavorful and great with the Israeli salad recipe and naan! 🙂
★★★★★
- Sylvia Fountaine says
  February 10, 2020 at 11:41 am
  Awesome Virginia- thanks! xo
Maddy says
December 31, 2019 at 8:09 am
Favorite chicken shawarma I’ve found. Super easy and delicious. Great with tzatziki, quinoa, tomato, spinach, and cucumber as a Mediterranean bowl. I sear both sides of the chicken in my cast iron pan for a few minutes oh high and then turn to med-low to cook through. Absolutely delicious and will be making again and again.
★★★★★
Jason says
October 15, 2019 at 7:03 pm
Made this for my gf and I with your Turkish Tomato salad (which included ground sumac) and it was a BIG hit!
★★★★★
Dave says
October 12, 2019 at 12:55 pm
This was so good. Made it in the oven with sliced onions, mushrooms and green peppers
★★★★★
- Sylvia Fountaine says
  October 13, 2019 at 4:37 am
  Great to hear! Thanks!
DC says
September 01, 2019 at 4:58 pm
Love this recipe! Have made it with chicken thighs a lot but wondering if you have any tips on making it with salmon fillets??
★★★★★
Anonymous says
August 31, 2019 at 4:39 pm
Best chicken ever!!!! My family begs to make
★★★★★
Anonymous says
August 26, 2019 at 5:57 pm
Was very happy with this. Now I don’t have to go to my halal spot anymore
★★★★★

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