You can never have too many delicious go-to chicken recipes, and this moist, spiced Middle Eastern grilled chicken shawarma is my new favorite. It’s a great easy and healthy solo weeknight dinner (hello it’s me!) or scaled up for a giant party.
I’ve already shared my take on Nadiya’s chicken shawarma recipe, which I’m obsessed with and make all the time.
There are differences between that one and this recipe in both the spice mix and the cooking technique. That one is baked (and doesn’t require pre-marinating), while this one is great for summer when you don’t want to turn the oven on.
To me this grilled chicken shawarma is perfect, but someday I also want to try a more traditional stacking method on a skewer and then maybe baking it.
And your options for serving it are super versatile. You can eat your grilled chicken shawarma by itself, with rice (I love this fluffy turmeric rice!) and veggies, or thrown on top of salad. But to me, this is perfect tucked into a soft homemade flatbread,smeared with hummus, and piled with toppings.
These flaky, buttery no-yeast flatbreads might be my favorite ones, but my easy homemade naan bread is a winner as well. The pics below also show it atop some traditional Turkish bazlama flatbread as well.
Combine the marinade ingredients in a large ziploc bag.
Add the chicken, seal (removing the extra air), and moosh it around (technical term) from the outside with your hands to make sure each piece is well-coated.
Marinate for up to 24 hours (minimum 3 hours).
Combine the yogurt sauce, mixing well. Cover and put in the fridge until required (it will last for up to 3 days in the fridge).
This yogurt sauce is just for serving, so if you’re planning to serve another way or with a different sauce you can omit this step.
Preheat your grill to around 450-550 F.
Grill (or cook) the chicken until it reaches at least 145 F at the thickest point (a meat thermometer is your friend). On a grill this often takes about 5 minutes on the first side and 3 minutes on the other side.
You can also cook this in a large non-stick skillet with 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat.
Remove the chicken from the grill and cover loosely with foil. Set aside to rest for 5 minutes. Then slice into bite-size pieces.
Serve with flatbreads, salad, herbs, and yogurt sauce (or a dairy-free tahini-lemon-garlic sauce). I’ve linked to some of my favorite easy homemade flatbread recipes at the top of this post and below as well.
As I mentioned at the top, you can serve this on any kind of flatbread you like (pita, naan, etc). Making homemade flatbread is SOOOO easy and even more delicious.
My favorite ones are these flaky, buttery no-yeast flatbreads, but my easy homemade naan bread and traditional Turkish bazlama are great as well (and the bazlama is ready in about 45 minutes).
This Middle Eastern chicken shawarma is such an easy weeknight dinner recipe and makes amazing leftovers!
Other healthy grilled chicken dishes you’ll love:
Adapted slightly from Recipe Tin Eats
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Middle Eastern Grilled Chicken Shawarma
This insanely flavorful Middle Eastern grilled chicken shawarma is easy to make, super healthy, versatile, & a perfect weeknight meal!
Ingredients
- CHICKEN
- 1.5 to 2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- MARINADE
- 1 large garlic clove, minced (or 2 small cloves)
- 1 tablespoon of ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon of ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon of ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon of ground cayenne pepper (reduce to 1/2 tsp to make it not as spicy)
- 2 teaspoons of smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons of salt
- A little fresh-ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons of lemon juice (preferably fresh)
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil
- YOGURT SAUCE
- 1 cup of greek yogurt
- 1 clove of garlic, crushed
- 1 teaspoon of cumin
- Squeeze of lemon juice
- Salt and pepper
- TO SERVE
- Flatbreads (see notes in the post)
- Chopped crunchy lettuce, chopped tomato, shredded white or red onion
- Crumbled feta
- Fresh herbs like parsley or cilantro
Instructions
- Combine the marinade ingredients in a large ziploc bag. Add the chicken, seal (removing the extra air), moosh it around (technical term) from the outside with your hands to make sure each piece is well-coated.
- Marinate 24 hours (minimum 3 hours).
- Combine the yogurt sauce, mixing well. Cover and put in the fridge until required (it will last for up to 3 days in the fridge).
- Preheat your grill to around 450-550 F (or a large non-stick skillet with 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat).
- Grill (or cook) the chicken until it reaches at least 145 F at the thickest point (a meat thermometer is your friend). On a grill this often takes about 5 minutes on the first side and 3 minutes on the other side.
Remove the chicken from the grill and cover loosely with foil. Set aside to rest for 5 minutes. Then slice into bite-size pieces. - Serve with flatbreads, salad, herbs, and yogurt sauce (or a dairy-free tahini-lemon-garlic sauce).
Notes
- I've linked to a few of my favorite easy homemade flatbread recipes in the post!
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