I’ll admit it: I used to prefer restaurant shawarma. Growing up in a Lebanese household, shawarma—whether chicken or meat—was something we enjoyed at restaurants and street-food stands, not something we made at home. That changed when I started writing a cookbook and found myself testing dozens of variations to perfect the ultimate homemade chicken shawarma. The method I landed on completely changed my mind, proving that you don’t need a vertical spit to succeed; this easy oven chicken shawarma recipe delivers that authentic, smoky flavor right from your home kitchen with minimal effort.
What Is Chicken Shawarma?
The word shawarma is an Arabic term thought to derive from the Turkish çevirme, meaning “turning” or “rotating,” referring to the traditional method of cooking meat on a rotating spit. Classic chicken shawarma is made by stacking seasoned chicken steaks onto a large vertical skewer and slowly roasting them against a gas flame. As the chicken cooks, it is basted in its own flavorful fat, resulting in juicy, tender meat with beautifully caramelized edges. The cooked layers are then shaved thinly with a sharp knife and tucked into a warm sandwich with delicious sauces and toppings.
An iconic Lebanese and Middle Eastern street food, chicken shawarma is traditionally associated with restaurants and shawarma shops—but you can absolutely make delicious homemade chicken shawarma without a vertical gas roaster. It does require a little time and patience, but the result is well worth the effort. This is one of those recipes you’re going to fall in love with: juicy, flavorful, deeply spiced chicken with those irresistible caramelized edges—all made at home.
Looks like a long list of ingredients to make the marinade! Don’t let that put you off—most probably, you’re familiar with all of them!
The Secret to Flavorful Chicken Shawarma
Chicken shawarma marinade is made up of three essential components: an acid, such as a combination of vinegar, orange juice, and lemon juice; oil, such as sunflower oil or any other neutral oil; and a flavoring agent that incorporates a blend of spices to capture the authentic flavor of chicken shawarma.
Yes, obviously, great chicken shawarma starts with a well-seasoned marinade. It is a crucial step in bringing out the best flavor in the chicken and a must for game-changing results. The marinade requires a wide variety of spices, including cumin, paprika, cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, white pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cornstarch, and coriander. These spices are blended with yogurt, oil, orange juice, and lemon juice to form a moderately thin paste.
After marinating the chicken for at least 6 hours, or up to 24 hours, the meat becomes infused with exciting layers of flavor. Lemon juice, vinegar, and orange juice provide acidity, which helps break down the proteins and round out the flavor. Yogurt is another key ingredient that helps tenderize the chicken, resulting in juicy, flavorful, and tender shawarma.
Watch the video tutorial below!
My Secret Ingredient: Cornstarch
You may have noticed that I’ve added cornstarch to the marinade. Yes, this is my secret ingredient! The cornstarch helps seal in the chicken’s juices while allowing the marinade to cling to the chicken strips, ensuring that every bite is packed with flavor. It also gives your chicken shawarma a deliciously crispier texture.
Make sure the chicken pieces are evenly coated with the marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours, or for a minimum of 4 hours.
How to Cook Chicken Shawarma in the Oven
Add the chicken shawarma and all of the marinade to a large baking dish. The chicken will absorb some of the marinade, but there will be some left over—add it all to the dish and spread everything out evenly.
Bake for about 50 minutes, or until the chicken is browned and crisp around the edges. For an extra-crispy, slightly charred top, switch on the broiler for the final 2–3 minutes, keeping a close eye on it to prevent burning.
Lebanese Garlic Toum: The Best Sauce for Chicken Shawarma
Lebanese garlic toum is the soulmate of chicken shawarma. The magic is in this sauce, which brings all the flavors together in perfect harmony. If you ask any Lebanese person and tell them that you pair your chicken shawarma sandwich with yogurt or mayonnaise, they might look at you like you’ve lost your way!
Apparently, I’ve come across so many online recipes that serve shawarma with garlic yogurt or mayonnaise—far from what is traditionally served. Chicken is leaner than other meats because of its lower fat content, and Lebanese garlic toum brings the perfect burst of flavor to the dish.
Watch the video tutorial below to learn how to make authentic Lebanese garlic toum!
Can I Use Lemon Tahini Sauce (Taratour) Instead of Garlic Toum?
Both sauces are the lifeblood that bring some of the best Middle Eastern dishes to life! But in Lebanon, when it comes to pairing proteins with sauces, there are certain traditional combinations you simply don’t want to mess with—especially if you want to stay true to tradition.
While taratour (lemon tahini sauce) goes incredibly well with meat shawarma, falafel, and countless other dishes, including fish and vegetables, it is traditionally not the sauce of choice for chicken shawarma.
Lebanese garlic toum is the soulmate of chicken shawarma—a beloved condiment that famously accompanies chicken shawarma, shish tawook, grilled chicken, and many other dishes.
How to Give Chicken Shawarma a Smoky Flavor
There is nothing quite as richly satisfying as the luscious, smoky flavor you get when grilling chicken or meat over charcoal! Watch the video tutorial below to learn this simple technique.
This step is optional, but highly recommended! It gives your shawarma an irresistible smoky flavor that will make you think it has just come off a charcoal grill—without the hassle of firing up the barbecue at home.
Start with a small piece of natural lump charcoal. Avoid charcoal briquettes or other types that contain added chemicals. Place the charcoal directly over a gas stove flame and heat it until you see white ash beginning to form on the lit end.
Carefully transfer the hot charcoal to a small, heatproof cup and place it in the center of the cooked shawarma. Pour 3 tablespoons of ghee over the hot charcoal. It will immediately produce a dense, dark smoke.
Immediately cover the shawarma with a lid and let it sit for 1 minute, allowing the smoky aroma and flavors to infuse the meat.
This simple technique gives your shawarma an intense, authentic charcoal-grilled flavor—without having to fire up the barbecue!
How to Serve Chicken Shawarma
Use Arabic bread, saj bread, or another thin flatbread. Smear on the Lebanese garlic toum (and, to keep it authentically Lebanese, please skip any other sauces, as they can dull the flavors of the other ingredients).
On top of the sauce, add the chicken shawarma pieces. Finally, shingle on some thinly sliced pickles and shredded romaine lettuce. Wrap it tightly, then place it in a panini press or oven until crisp!
Watch the video tutorial below!
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Smoky Chicken Shawarma
Description
Ingredients
For the Shawarma
- 1 kg 2 lb 4 oz chicken breasts or thighs
- ⅓ cup whole-milk yogurt
- 8 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 level teaspoon tomato paste
- ⅓ cup sunflower oil or a combination of olive oil and sunflower oil
- Juice of 1 freshly squeezed lemon — do not use bottled lemon juice. Squeeze the lemon through a fine-mesh sieve to catch any seeds.
- Juice of 1 freshly squeezed orange — squeeze the orange through a fine-mesh sieve to catch any seeds.
- 1 tablespoon white or red vinegar
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ½ tablespoon white pepper
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- ½ tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 heaped tablespoon cornstarch
For the Garlic Sauce
- 2 cups water
- ½ cup cornstarch
- ½ cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 10 garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 200 ml neutral oil such as sunflower oil
To Serve
- Arabic bread saj bread, or another thin flatbread
Instructions
To make the marinade:
- Cut each chicken breast in half horizontally, then cut it into 1-inch / 3-cm-thick strips.
- Combine the salt, paprika, cumin powder, cardamom powder, ginger powder, cinnamon powder, grated nutmeg, white pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, coriander powder, cornstarch, and crushed garlic.
- Add the yogurt, tomato paste, oil, lemon juice, orange juice, and vinegar. The lemon, orange, and vinegar provide acidity that will help tenderize the chicken. Whisk together until well combined and homogeneous.
- Add the chicken strips and make sure the pieces are evenly coated in the marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours, or for a minimum of 4 hours.
- To make the garlic sauce:
- In a saucepan, combine the cornstarch and water. Place over high heat and whisk continuously until the mixture comes to a boil and thickens completely. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool completely.
- Combine the garlic cloves, ½ cup water, lemon juice, and salt. Purée until smooth; the garlic flavor will become more pronounced after blending. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the cornstarch paste to the food processor and pulse a few times to combine it with the garlic mixture.
- Slowly add the oil in a steady, thin stream while the food processor is running. Continue adding the oil gradually until you have used it all. It is crucial to add the oil slowly while the food processor is running to help emulsify the garlic sauce.The end result should be loose and fluffy, but not runny. If the sauce is too thick, add 3 tablespoons of oil and pulse a few times to incorporate it. Taste and adjust the salt according to your preference.
- Preheat the oven to 220°C/430°F.
- Add the chicken shawarma and the marinade to a large baking dish. The chicken will absorb some of the marinade, but there will be some left over, so add everything to the dish and spread it out evenly.Bake until the chicken is browned and crisp around the edges, about 50 minutes. For a crispier, more charred top, turn on the broiler at the very end and broil for 2–3 minutes, until the chicken is lightly charred and nicely browned.
Optional: Add a Smoky Charcoal Effect
This step is optional, but highly recommended! It gives the shawarma an irresistible smoky flavor, making it taste as though it has just come off a charcoal grill—without the hassle of firing up the barbecue at home.Start with a small piece of natural lump charcoal. Avoid charcoal that contains added chemicals. Light the charcoal directly on your stove and let it heat until you see white ash appearing on the lit end.Carefully transfer the hot charcoal to a small, heatproof cup and place it in the center of the cooked shawarma. Add 3 tablespoons of ghee to the charcoal. It will immediately produce dense, dark smoke.Immediately cover the shawarma with a lid and leave it covered for 1 minute, allowing the smoky aroma to infuse the meat. This simple technique gives your shawarma an intense, authentic charcoal-grilled flavor.- To assemble the chicken shawarma wraps: Use Arabic bread, saj bread, or another thin flatbread. Spread a generous layer of garlic toum over the bread, then layer on the chicken, pickles, fries, and some shredded romaine lettuce. Wrap it tightly, then place it in a panini press or in the oven until crisp and golden.
Video
Notes
You might also like to learn about our Lebanese Beef Shawarma (One-pot wonder)
6 Comments
Delicious! Family favorite now.
Thank you, Brenda, I am happy you liked, xoxo.
[…] paprika, turmeric, cinnamon, and garlic. These spices give shawarma its signature warm, slightly smoky flavour […]
The best ever chicken shawarma recipe I had. A killer recipe.
Exceed my expectations. A great recipe.
Thank you so much for your kind feedback, Karim.