My family recipe for chicken shawarma, baked in the oven. Turn this into shwarma wraps or bowls! A delicious sheet pan dinner loaded with healthy veggies, perfect for busy weeknights. Vegan-adaptable with tofu.
Here’s my Egyptian father’s recipe for Chicken Shawarma that can be baked in the oven. Juicy and flavorful, bursting with Middle Eastern spices, this recipe turns out delicious every single time. Just read all our 5-star reviews! Growing up, his chicken shawarma was one of my favorite meals, and it always brought me right back to the streets of Cairo, where shawarma is often served as “street food.” He had a secret blend of spices that resulted in shawarma that was wildly flavorful and juicy.
As a chef and caterer, I’ve turned to his recipe heavily in our catering business and at home, always with rave reviews! My dad’s recipe is even featured in Men’s Journal- it’s that good! Prefer to grill it? Try our Grilled Chicken Shawarma recipe, which is perfect for grilling weather!
What is Chicken Shawarma?
Chicken shawarma is a Middle Eastern dish (often served as street food) made by slow-roasting stacked pieces of meat, such as chicken, lamb, or beef, on a vertical spit, and then thinly slicing it for use in wraps, gyros, and mains.
Oven Chicken Shawarma Ingredients
- Chicken breast or thighs– boneless and skinless for the quickest preparation. Or sub tofu for a vegan option!
- Optional Veggies: Onion, Red bell pepper, and cauliflower to add to the baking sheet. Feel free to substitute others!
- Shawarma Marinade: salt, cumin, coriander, turmeric, garlic, and olive oil.
How to make Shawarma Chicken in the oven
Step one: Mix the marinade in a small bowl. 
Step two: Brush the chicken (or tofu) with the marinade and place on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Use any extras for the veggies. As you can see, I’ve used both chicken and tofu on the sheet pan- on opposite ends. Both vegans and meat-eaters are happy! 
Step three: Bake! While this bakes, make the sides and sauces. Here, I’ve made Israeli salad, Green Tahini Sauce, and Tahini yogurt. So yummy!
Chicken Shawarma Sauce Ideas
Any of the following sauces are delicious with chicken shawarma!
- Tahini Yogurt Sauce
- Homemade Tzatziki
- Green Tahini Sauce
- Zhoug (Or zhoug yogurt)
- Easy Tahini Sauce
- Baba Ganoush
- Skordalia
What to Serve with Shawarma Chicken
You can create bowls, wraps or salads!
- Israeli Salad
- Lebanese Slaw (Salatet Malfouf)
- Quick Pickled Onions
- Middle Eastern Rice
- Homemade Pita Bread
Of course, you don’t have to do it all…but I do recommend at least one sauce! OK?! 
If making shawarma wraps fill with greens, pickled onions, cucumber and Everyday Tahini Sauce. So simple, healthy and full of flavor!! 
Storage and Make Ahead
The shawarma will keep up to 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge or can be frozen for up to 3 months. Reheat in a warm oven or on the stovetop. If making ahead or meal prepping, marinate the chicken in a sealed container for up to 48 hours. 
More Favorite Shawarma Recipes
- 25 Simple Sheet-Pan Dinners!
- Cauliflower Shawarma
- Slow-Roasted Lamb Shawarma
- Easy Grilled Chicken Shawarma Recipe
Have a great week! xoxo Sylvia
WATCH How to Make Chicken Shawarma
Shawarma Chicken Recipe (Vegan adaptable!)
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 Bowls
- Category: chicken, baked, adaptable
- Method: baked
- Cuisine: middle eastern
Description
Quick and flavorful Baked Chicken Shawarma can made with either chicken or tofu (or both!). Turn it into healthy Shawarma Bowls, then repurpose into Shawarma Wraps. Vegan and gluten free-adaptable!
Ingredients
- 1– 1 1/2 pounds chicken ( breast or thigh) or tofu or a mix of both ( like 1 pound chicken and 8 ounces tofu)
- 1 onion
- 1 red pepper- optional
- 1 cauliflower – optional see notes
Quick Shawarma Marinade:
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons coriander
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic ( or two cloves, finely minced)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Wrap Options:
- 4 x 10-12 inch wraps or pita bread
- Cucumber, radish, or tomato, Everyday Kale Slaw or Isreali Salad or greens like arugula or spinach
Shawarma Bowl Options:
- cooked grain ( rice, quinoa, barley) or roasted, “riced” cauliflower ( see notes)
- roasted cauliflower or other roasted veggies
Serve both with Everyday Tahini Sauce, Zhoug, or Zhoug Yogurt, Baba ganoush and optional Isreali Salad.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 F
Whisk the marinade ingredients together in a small bowl.
On a large parchment lined sheet-pan, place chicken breasts, tofu filets, and any vegetables that you want to use. Brush the chicken and tofu very liberally with marinade. For the other veggies, drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper and a little lemon zest is nice. 🙂 Place in the oven for 20-30 minutes.
If making a grain bowl, cook the grains now. You could also roast “riced” cauliflower at the same time, on another sheet pan. Season it with olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon zest, perhaps some cumin – toss it every 10 minutes or so until cooked with a few nice crispy bits.
Check chicken after 20 minutes ( breast will cook faster). Toss veggies, and cook until chicken is cooked through and veggies are tender. Tofu takes 30 minutes to get a nice crust.
Cut chicken and assemble bowls or make the wraps. Drizzle with Tahini sauce and/or Zhoug yogurt.
If making wraps, use a warm tortillas or warm pita. Add greens, pickled onions, crunchy veggies, greens or kale slaw, and spoon tahini sauce over top. Zhoug yogurt is nice too!
Prepare for happy mouths.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: -4 Bowls - calculated with chicken breast and "riced" cauliflower. No sauces.
- Calories: 380
- Sugar: 4.9 g
- Sodium: 282.3 mg
- Fat: 13.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 15.2 g
- Fiber: 5.4 g
- Protein: 50.5 g
- Cholesterol: 148.9 mg
How would you suggest adjusting this recipe for shrimp?
Hi there, shrimp cooks so quickly, I would add it to the baking sheet after the other veggies are almost done cooking. Either that, or just pan sear them in the marinade.
Thank you
What a flavor explosion this was! Recipes like this are why I love this site so much.
Everything was wonderful! I made the chicken thighs with the bell peppers, onions, and cauliflower, and served it all on a bed of basmati rice. I also made the tahini and zhoug sauces. I’m definitely going to try it with wraps or pita bread sometime soon.
I agree with you, your Israeli salad goes very well with this. So does your lemony kale slaw.
Nice Jennifer, so great to hear you enjoyed!
It sounds delicious. l will try it. Iam vegetarian and till now after a good recipe for tofu .
Let us know how you like it!
Great flavors but I don’t think just tofu (without chicken) works very well here in terms of texture….I would use falafel in the future instead for a vegetarian option!
That is a great idea Amanda!
This is delicious!! I think next time I will double the Marinade!
thanks Jan!
Oh my goodness. Sylvia, you did it again. This was so good! Even my 2 and 4 year olds devoured it. We used whole wheat tortillas and dredged them in the cooked chicken marinade before “searing” each side. Added the chicken, rice, red peppers, onions, pickled red onions and feta. Will be on the monthly rotation now.
Great to hear!
This is a delicious meal and one of my go-to’s! One of the best pansheet meals, which I love for week night dinners! It is really easy to make. I’ve made it with chicken thighs, breasts, and tofu and all are delicious. Thank you!!
Great to hear Lindsey!
This was absolutely delicious!
I’ve had a pretty negative relationship with food for many years, and I’m so sick of feeling lethargic from not eating the right stuff. This meal made me feel like a million bucks! It’s the most nourishing thing I’ve eaten in weeks, and my mood got a nice boost from it as well!!!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, it’s exactly what I needed today 🙂
Love this Rigby- glad this helped! ❤️
I was skeptical but I loved this.
Flavor explosion!
My hubby is a beef lover. How would this taste with beef?
Hi Robyn- there is a Lamb Shawarma Roast on the blog- I would follow that recipe as a guide using a beef roast instead of Lamb. I bet that would turn out great!
Thank you! I will try it!
I made this with tofu that I sliced thinly and it was amazing!! Thanks for the recipe.
I always love your recipes but this one I am addicted to. I make up multiple little containers of the spice mix to keep in my pantry and then pull one out for a quick dinner. Tonight I cut up chicken breast into cubes, tossed with the spices and olive oil and popped it in the oven. Made some basmati and sautéd young turnip greens just picked and I can’t wait until it’s done!
Sounds perfect Judy!
This is so yummy!
I have made this recipe a few times now using chicken and assorted vegetables along with the recipe for basic hummus – topped with olive oil and sumac, and the everyday tahini sauce. So very good with fresh vegis added too. I also made a batch of saffron rice and added red potatoes to the sheet pan vegis since I recently was diagnosed with Celiac disease and crave a little starch. These recipes are wonderful and better than the Mediterranean restaurant I used to visit that is no longer the best option for me. And trust me, you’ll want to make the full recipe and enjoy leftovers as my husband and I do.
Sylvia, I am so thankful for your many recipes that are adaptable and support my new food journey and good health! 🌺
Awwww. Thanks so much Diane- glad you are finding the blog useful!
I made this with chicken, tofu, and veggies, wrapped it in pitas with the kale salad and pickled onions, and added some leftover tzatziki that I had on hand. So good! My 13-year-old said it was the best of “all the weird wrap things you make.”
Amazing! Made last night with the Israeli salad, tahini and yogurt zhoug. It was so good. My only regret was not making more to have more lunches this week
I make this with the tofu option… never fails!
I made the chicken shawarma with just veggies (no tofu) and served with the Israeli salad and some brown rice. I never comment on recipes I find online but this was absolutely outstanding. Some of the best chicken I’ve ever had. And the Israeli salad is fresh, crunchy, colorful, and lovely. Thank you for such an excellent couple of recipes!!