Chicken Shawarma
The ultimate Middle Eastern street food icon: tender chicken strips marinated in a vibrant blend of spices, yogurt, and lemon, seared to perfection and wrapped in flatbread with garlic sauce.
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45 min
Easy
Medio Oriente / Levantina
4 servings
The story behind
You have absolutely no idea how incredibly flavorful and juicy this recipe turns out—it is a total flavor explosion! The very first time I experienced an authentic chicken shawarma was at a bustling late-night food stand in downtown Beirut. The aroma of the chicken fat rendering on the vertical spit combined with garlic and warm cumin filled the entire street, instantly winning me over. The cook proudly explained to me that the absolute secret to keeping the meat fork-tender and deeply infused is letting it rest overnight in a rich yogurt and spice marinade to break down the proteins perfectly. Personally, I absolutely love making this for a casual weekend dinner party with close friends; you just set all the fresh toppings on the table and let everyone roll their own wrapper. It tastes phenomenal when packed with crispy French fries and plenty of tangy pickled gherkins inside the bread. To drink, an ice-cold glass of hibiscus iced tea or a lime soda cuts through the rich garlic layers beautifully. You are going to love it.
Instructions
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1In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the plain yogurt, fresh lemon juice, olive oil, crushed garlic, and all the dry spices (cumin, paprika, cardamomo, salt, and pepper) until a smooth paste forms.
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2Toss the thinly sliced chicken strips into the bowl, ensuring every piece is heavily coated in the marinade; cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (overnight is best).
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3Heat a large skillet or grill pan over high heat with a tiny splash of oil.
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4Sear the marinated chicken in batches to avoid crowding the pan, letting the edges char beautifully to replicate that distinct vertical-rotisserie texture.
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5Remove the chicken from the heat once it is fully cooked and deeply browned, and give it an extra quick chop on a cutting board if you prefer smaller bits.
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6To assemble just like the beautiful setup in Shawarma de pollo.png, lay down a sheet of thin flatbread, slather a generous tablespoon of garlic paste, pile a mountain of the hot seared chicken, and add sliced tomatoes and pickles to taste.
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7Roll the flatbread forward tightly over the fillings, toast the wrapped roll in the hot pan for one minute until slightly crisp on the outside, and serve sliced in half.
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