Chicken Shawarma
Chicken Shawarma
Ingredients
For the Chicken Marinade
- 1 lemon, zested
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 4 cloves garlic, grated
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup full-fat yogurt
- 3/4 teaspoon cumin
- 3/4 teaspoon coriander
- 3/4 teaspoon paprika
- 3/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground, or to taste
- 3 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
For Assembly
- 1 onion, cut in half
- 4 large flatbread, such as lavash
- 1/2 cup toum, or as needed
- 1 cup pickled cabbage
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 12 skinny dill pickle spears
- 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses, or as needed
- 2 tablespoons chicken grease, reserved from cooking
Instructions
- 1
Roll the lemon on a cutting board to release its juices. Zest the entire lemon into a clear bowl. Squeeze the juice of half of the lemon into the bowl using a lemon squeezer. Save the other half of the lemon for later use, if desired.
⏱️ 3 min
- 2
Add the 4 cloves of garlic to the bowl and grate them using a microplane. The lemon juice will help mellow the garlic's pungency. Break off a piece of ginger (approximately 1 inch) and grate it into the bowl.
⏱️ 4 min
- 3
Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1/4 cup of full-fat yogurt to the bowl. Stir to combine.
⏱️ 2 min
- 4
Add 3/4 teaspoon each of cumin, coriander, paprika, and turmeric. Add 1/2 teaspoon of ground cardamom, and 1/4 teaspoon each of allspice, ground cloves, and cayenne pepper. Grind fresh black pepper into the bowl.
⏱️ 3 min
- 5
Add the 3 1/4 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken thighs to the marinade. Using your hands, mix the chicken thoroughly until all pieces are well coated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours, or preferably overnight (up to 12 hours).
⏱️ 5 min
- 6
Preheat a convection oven to 350°F. Take the marinated chicken out of the refrigerator and sprinkle it with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, or to taste.
⏱️ 2 min•🌡️ 350 - 7
Place one half of the onion onto the base of your vertical skewer setup. Begin stacking the chicken thighs onto the skewer, layering them in a crisscross pattern to build a cone shape. Place the other half of the onion on top of the stacked chicken to protect it from over-browning.
⏱️ 10 min
- 8
Place the assembled chicken skewer in the preheated convection oven. Cook for 1 hour and 45 minutes. The internal temperature of the thickest part of the chicken should reach 165°F.
⏱️ 105 min•🌡️ 350
- 9
Remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes. Drizzle the cooked chicken with the pan drippings collected at the bottom of the skewer pan. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the chicken grease for later.
⏱️ 10 min
- 10
Using a large, sharp knife, carefully slice the cooked chicken off the skewer in thin strips, mimicking traditional shawarma. Set aside.
⏱️ 5 min
- 11
Lay a large flatbread flat. Spread approximately 2 tablespoons of toum down the center of the flatbread. Add a generous portion of the sliced chicken on top of the toum.
⏱️ 2 min
- 12
Add a portion of pickled cabbage, sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley, and place a few skinny dill pickle spears on top of the other fillings. Drizzle with 1/2 teaspoon of pomegranate molasses.
⏱️ 2 min
- 13
Roll the flatbread up tightly, ensuring all the fillings are enclosed. Brush the outside of the rolled wrap with some of the reserved chicken grease.
⏱️ 2 min
- 14
Place the wrap, seam-side down, onto a hot griddle or flat-top. Cook until browned and crispy on all sides, turning with tongs as needed. This usually takes 2-3 minutes per side.
⏱️ 5 min
- 15
Remove the cooked wrap and place it on brown paper. Wrap the bottom portion of the shawarma in the brown paper for easy handling. Drizzle more pomegranate molasses on top of the exposed filling and add a final dollop of toum on top. Serve immediately.
⏱️ 2 min
Kitchen Tools
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
Chicken Shawarma
For the Chicken Marinade
- 1 lemon, zested
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 4 cloves garlic, grated
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup full-fat yogurt
- 3/4 teaspoon cumin
- 3/4 teaspoon coriander
- 3/4 teaspoon paprika
- 3/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground, or to taste
- 3 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
For Assembly
- 1 onion, cut in half
- 4 large flatbread, such as lavash
- 1/2 cup toum, or as needed
- 1 cup pickled cabbage
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 12 skinny dill pickle spears
- 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses, or as needed
- 2 tablespoons chicken grease, reserved from cooking
Instructions
- 1
Roll the lemon on a cutting board to release its juices. Zest the entire lemon into a clear bowl. Squeeze the juice of half of the lemon into the bowl using a lemon squeezer. Save the other half of the lemon for later use, if desired.
⏱️ 3 min - 2
Add the 4 cloves of garlic to the bowl and grate them using a microplane. The lemon juice will help mellow the garlic's pungency. Break off a piece of ginger (approximately 1 inch) and grate it into the bowl.
⏱️ 4 min - 3
Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1/4 cup of full-fat yogurt to the bowl. Stir to combine.
⏱️ 2 min - 4
Add 3/4 teaspoon each of cumin, coriander, paprika, and turmeric. Add 1/2 teaspoon of ground cardamom, and 1/4 teaspoon each of allspice, ground cloves, and cayenne pepper. Grind fresh black pepper into the bowl.
⏱️ 3 min - 5
Add the 3 1/4 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken thighs to the marinade. Using your hands, mix the chicken thoroughly until all pieces are well coated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours, or preferably overnight (up to 12 hours).
⏱️ 5 min - 6
Preheat a convection oven to 350°F. Take the marinated chicken out of the refrigerator and sprinkle it with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, or to taste.
⏱️ 2 min•🌡️ 350 - 7
Place one half of the onion onto the base of your vertical skewer setup. Begin stacking the chicken thighs onto the skewer, layering them in a crisscross pattern to build a cone shape. Place the other half of the onion on top of the stacked chicken to protect it from over-browning.
⏱️ 10 min - 8
Place the assembled chicken skewer in the preheated convection oven. Cook for 1 hour and 45 minutes. The internal temperature of the thickest part of the chicken should reach 165°F.
⏱️ 105 min•🌡️ 350 - 9
Remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes. Drizzle the cooked chicken with the pan drippings collected at the bottom of the skewer pan. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the chicken grease for later.
⏱️ 10 min - 10
Using a large, sharp knife, carefully slice the cooked chicken off the skewer in thin strips, mimicking traditional shawarma. Set aside.
⏱️ 5 min - 11
Lay a large flatbread flat. Spread approximately 2 tablespoons of toum down the center of the flatbread. Add a generous portion of the sliced chicken on top of the toum.
⏱️ 2 min - 12
Add a portion of pickled cabbage, sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley, and place a few skinny dill pickle spears on top of the other fillings. Drizzle with 1/2 teaspoon of pomegranate molasses.
⏱️ 2 min - 13
Roll the flatbread up tightly, ensuring all the fillings are enclosed. Brush the outside of the rolled wrap with some of the reserved chicken grease.
⏱️ 2 min - 14
Place the wrap, seam-side down, onto a hot griddle or flat-top. Cook until browned and crispy on all sides, turning with tongs as needed. This usually takes 2-3 minutes per side.
⏱️ 5 min - 15
Remove the cooked wrap and place it on brown paper. Wrap the bottom portion of the shawarma in the brown paper for easy handling. Drizzle more pomegranate molasses on top of the exposed filling and add a final dollop of toum on top. Serve immediately.
⏱️ 2 min