Grilled Chicken Shawarma
Grilled chicken shawarma is the perfect recipe for summer cookouts: easy, healthy, and incredibly flavorful. You’ll put this one on repeat performance all season long.
Steak. Shish Kebab. BBQ Chicken. Steak. Shish Kebab. BBQ Chicken.
It’s a kind of grilling rut I’ve noticed in recent summers. Granted, this is a “rut” of delicious dinners, but this summer, I’ve got goals. #grillinggoals.
My step-it-up list includes the simple yet elusive perfect grilled burger. Also: grilled chicken shawarma, classic Middle Eastern spit-grilled chicken akin to Greek gyro but different, in that shawarma is composed of layers of marinated meat and fat, whereas gyro is more of a meatloaf (sorry to use that word) of ground lamb and beef and spices.
I have made great oven-roasted shawarma in the past and have always enjoyed a yogurt-based marinade. Or, I should say, I’ve always enjoyed the tenderness a yogurt marinade imparts. But the goopiness (another sorry, for that word) of the yogurt?
Well, let’s just say I wanted to develop a shawarma marinade that would give us our POP! of flavor (just ask Celine), with definite tenderness-enhancement, but without the yogurt, for the grill. Enter our pal lemon juice, and spices galore. The right spices, not just any.
Then there is replicating the flavor-making heaven of all that is spit-fired. Traditionally you’ve got the shawarma piled up on a vertical spit, down which the juices and fats glaze the chicken as it turns and chars slowly and consistently.
You can understand why, in my mind, a rotisserie spit is not off the table to enhance our array of tools here at home, but I suspect Dan would beg to differ on that score (“you want to get a what?”). That’s fine though. The grill does its job ever so well charring the grilled chicken shawarma’s edges. And there is an excellent replacement for the spit-fired glaze: olive oil, and lots of it. From the marinade to basting to drizzling, the liberal use of olive oil here is simple, effective, and healthy. But most importantly: succulent and delectable.
The flexibility of grilled chicken shawarma makes it the perfect cookout recipe: Marinate the chicken for as little as an hour and up to a day; flavor is full either way. Grill the skewered meat at show-time and serve immediately, or grill in advance and reheat the cut shreds stove-top in olive oil. Serve the grilled chicken shawarma with salads like fattoush and tabbouleh, atop Mom’s special rice. Or tuck the meat into small pita with lettuce and pickles like lifft (turnip pickles), easy picnic food. In any case, a generous drizzle of tahini sauce gilds this lily but good.
After mastering such a succulent shawarma, I’m thinking I may not need to master the burger after all. We’d be just fine with a new grilling rut this season: Grilled Chicken Shawarma, on repeat.
Grilled Chicken Shawarma
Ingredients
For the marinade:
- 2 teaspoons turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon sumac
- 1 tablespoon coriander
- 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 2 teaspoons granulated garlic
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons mint salt or crushed dried mint
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more, to taste, or none at all)
- Juice of 2 lemons
- 1/3 cup Extra virgin olive oil
For the chicken:
- 2.5 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs
- 1 large red onion, cut in 8 wedges
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, to coat the grill and baste and finish the chicken
For the tahini sauce:
- 1/3 cup tahini
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk all of the spices. Add the lemon juice and olive oil and whisk to combine completely.
- In a medium bowl, place about half of the chicken thighs and half of the marinade. Rub the chicken, coating each piece well all over with the marinade. Add the rest of the chicken and marinade and again rub each piece all over with the marinade. Cover and chill for one hour or up to one day.
- Make the tahini sauce by whisking the tahini, garlic, and salt. Set aside until the chicken is grilled. The sauce can be made a day or two ahead, covered and chilled. Bring to room temperature before serving.
- Heat the grill on medium high heat. While the grill heats up, thread the chicken and onion on skewers, disposing of any remaining marinade. Take care keep the chicken fairly loosely threaded so that more of it will char on the edges. I like stainless steel skewers. If using bamboo skewers, be sure to soak them in water first.
- Using a paper or other towel on grill tongs, coat the hot grill grates with oil. Grill the skewers with the top down on the grill for 8-10 minutes, or until charred on the edges and browned. Again coat another area of the grill grates with oil and turn the skewers, placing them on the oiled surface. Coat the top of the grilled skewer with olive oil, close the grill top and cook for another 8-10 minutes, or until charred on the edges and browned.
- Remove the skewers from the grill, and push the chicken and onions off onto a cutting board. Slice the chicken into 1/2-inch thick slices. Drizzle everything with more olive oil.
- Serve the chicken drizzled with tahini sauce, with extra sauce in a bowl on the side.
43 Comments
Leave a Comment
I'm so glad you're here! You'll find among these pages the fresh and classic Lebanese recipes we can't get enough of! My mission is to share my tried + true recipes -- and to help our Lebanese food-loving community keep these culinary traditions alive and on the table. What recipes are you looking for? Let me know!
HI Maureen, can you use chicken breasts instead of thighs? Can you omit the tumeric–if so, should I add any other spice or change the proportions of the remaining spices?
Hi Karen–breast meat will dry out here, but you can use it if you like. You can also omit the turmeric without replacing it, though yes, the flavor won’t be exactly the same–but still delicious!
Maureen! My mouth is watering! I’m assuming you cut your chicken up before putting on skewers. How big of chunks should we go for?
Hi Nicki–don’t cut the chicken thighs before grilling. Thread the whole thighs loosely, then cut them into 1/2-inch thick pieces after grilling!
Maureen, I am making this tonight! Your oven roasted shawarma was a staple in our summer dinner rotation. I just made a batch of smooooooth hummus last night and I’m sure it will pair perfectly with the shawarma and my Lebanese Salata.
Can’t wait
That is so great Tomas, thank you and enjoy!! Your meal tonight will be delectable…
Maureen, I love your blog. I will be trying this recipe this weekend. I love how your recipes bring out the freshness in Lebanese cooking, it really makes me want to reconnect to my grandma’s roots. I am also go to try pickling turnips today. I’m super excited.
Thank you so very much Reema!
This is honestly one of the best recipes I have ever made. Everyone raved about this when I served it. The marinade gives magical results.
Michael, thank you! I’m honored to know this recipe makes the grade at the Beachams!
This was fabulous!! It will be my “go to” recipe!!
I’m so happy to hear that!
Hi Maureen shouldn’t you think the tahineh sauce with a little lemon juice and water? It would be too thick otherwise.Thanks
Hi Hilda–the tahini sauce is great as written but I love it as you’ve described too, with lemon!
Our 33rd anniversary was on the 25th so I tried this paired with ‘Mom’s Lebanese Rice’ and some roasted carrots with garlic. Grand. Slam. I couldn’t readily find the sumac but substituted lemon pepper I had on hand. This is absolutely in our rotation, thank you SO much, Maureen!!
Perfect sub for the sumac, tangy and great. Happy anniversary! Great way to celebrate.
I made this and, while we found this delicious, my whole family agreed it was extremely salty. I double-checked the ingredient list after we ate because I thought I screwed up. Am I the only one who found it so salty?
Hi Tina! Question: are you using regular table salt? That is saltier than the kosher salt I use in this (and all) recipe, so I’m thinking that might be the culprit!
Made this shawarma tonight – My husband said it tasted like it was from a “restaurant” (a big compliment as dining at Lebanese restaurants is our favourite)! – we will be making this again and again this season – thank you!!
Hurray Alyssa, thank you!
Hi Maureen, I gave your recipe a try and it was hands down one of the best grilled Shawarma’s I’ve ever eaten! Although im not sure I made it perfectly. Adding granulated garlic and mint is not part of my regular recipe but will definitely include it henceforth as I was pleasantly surprised. Hoping you have some ideas for a healthy Kuboos bread!
This is great, thank you! I hear you about the healthy bread recipe….!
Hello Maureen
This recipe sounds delish and I would love to try it for tomorrow’s dinner but I don’t have a grill
Is it possible to use the oven? If so, what temperature and time should I go for?
Thanks in advance!!!
Dora yes! I make this shawarma in the oven often. Just lay the marinated thighs on a lined sheet pan (I like nonstick foil) and bake at 400 degrees F for about 20 minutes. Thighs can cook longer too and stay juicy. To get some char you can finish them under the broiler for a couple of minutes. And/or slice them and give them a quick saute over medium high heat stovetop with some olive oil!
Thanks so very much for answering!!!!! Getting everything ready to try it tonight
i have tried almost all chicken shawarma restaurants in Kuwait..yet home made chicken shawarmas has a different level of taste <3 thanks for this amazing recipe
Soooo good! Thank you!
Hi Maureen –
I hope you and your family are staying safe :). So look forward to your posts and making your food especially during these challenging times! I am loving the cookbook too :). I am a bit confused about the preparation of the chicken used in the shawarma. When I think of a chicken thigh it is thick and meaty and I worry how the thigh will cook all the way through being such a big chunk of meat. The pictures almost look like the chicken is in chunks, but they aren’t by your recipe. So to confirm, there’s no fileting or pounding need, correct? Thanks for clarifying. Excited to try the recipe! dmp
Thanks so much Diane! For the shawarma, the chicken thighs are indeed marinated and skewered whole. They cook through fine; be sure not to crowd them too much on the skewers, and to cook at a medium temperature so that the interior has time to cook before the exterior gets charred. Enjoy! So delicious!
Hi love your recipes look yummy i will tray them also wanted to ask can you plz share the recipe of basbosa
Thanks
Thank you Sandra–I’ll add that to my list!
This chicken shawarma was fabulous. The marinade really clung to the chicken and it resulted in a wonderfully moist and flavorful chicken. We grilled the chicken on both sides and then moved it to indirect heat to keep it from burning. We removed the chicken and onions from the skewers and drizzled the tahini sauce over — it was awesome. Served with some Middle Eastern-style potatoes and steam broccoli. Definitely will be a repeat at our house.
Mmmmm Nancy, you make this delicious dish sound even more delicious! Thank you!
This is the best chicken shawarma I’ve had. The only thing I changed was to serve it with a white garlic sauce.
This was a delicious shawarma full of flavor and well thought out instructions
Delicious, thank you Michele!
HI Maureen, can you use Who’ll chicken Boneless instead of thighs? Can you Vinegar and Orange, should I add any other spice or change the proportions of the remaining spices same Arabic Masala or Mexican Masala ?
You can use boneless breasts whole, but you won’t have the same flavor level of char-grilled exterior of pieces vs. whole. Also breast meat tends to dry out more than thigh meat, especially boneless breast. As for spice combos, you can switch out any and give a whirl!
Hi, we made this for my family and we loved it. Such rich flavour. One of our favorite BBQs now.
Thanks Marita, it’s just such a delicious favorite!
Love your recipes. I try to email some, but have a problem doing so. The www link to your recipes is in the subject line, and the description is in the body–so here’s what I have to do:
Cut the www link from the subject and then paste it in the body,
Cut the description from the body and paste it in the subject
Is there an easier way to email your recipes. Maybe the software engineer and correct this.
One of my FAVORITE recipes ever Always comes out perfect. Also, I am a “bad” vegetarian and this is one of the best meat dishes I make. The cauliflower version is awesome!
Hahaha! I love it Angie!