Learn how to make this super Easy Oven Roasted Chicken Shawarma, plus an out of this world garlic sauce and prepare your own chicken shawarma wraps. Beats takeout or fast food!
At the risk of sounding like I’m exaggerating, this chicken truly is the best. I made this last weekend and I couldn’t wait to share this recipe with you guys. Hubs loves chicken shawarma and he loves going to Extreme Pita almost every week to get his chicken shawarma wrap with tabbouleh salad. It’s his favorite there, but no surprise there since he loves his sandwiches and wraps.
I decided to surprise him and make my own chicken shawarma wraps with my own homemade tabbouleh salad and garlic sauce. First let me just say that this garlic sauce is money, you can’t have a chicken shawarma wrap without garlic sauce and it’s so easy to make, all you have to do is just put all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
What Is Chicken Shawarma
Obviously this isn’t an authentic shawarma because I roasted mine in the oven, whereas it’s usually prepared on a spit and it can be grilled for as long as a day. Well I don’t have a day so this is the speedy method.
However it is important to marinate your chicken, the flavors here are to die for, and the chicken will melt in your mouth. It’s also a bit spicy from the red pepper flakes, so if you don’t like heat, just omit them.
What Spices Are In Chicken Shawarma
Believe it or not the spices are not that out of the ordinary. You’ll need smoked paprika, cumin, cinnamon, turmeric and salt and pepper.
How To Cook Chicken Shawarma In The Oven
You’ll want to roast the chicken at a pretty high temperature like 425 F degrees because you want it to crisp up. I also turned the broiler on for about 3 minutes to crisp it up a bit more.
After the chicken roasts until crisp you need to let it rest for about 5 minutes and then you can slice into bits.
How To Serve Chicken Shawarma
I love to serve this with tabbouleh salad either on the plate or add it to my wraps, if making wraps. You could eat the chicken as is with some rice, but I still recommend the garlic sauce for that true Arabic experience.
I also spread some hummus over my wraps but you can totally skip the hummus and just add tabbouleh salad, chicken shawarma and plenty of that garlic sauce.
Well I sure did surprise my hubs because he loved this. I know when he’s really enjoying a meal because he’s not complaining and there’s just silence as he’s eating, maybe a moan here and there. The only problem is that now he’s asking for chicken shawarma wraps every single day.
These wraps are a flavor bomb and it’ll beat any chicken shawarma take out. they’re perfect for lunch or dinner, you can even wrap them up in foil and take them to a picnic. They’ll be delicious!
More delicious recipes to try:
- Best Ever Hummus
- Tabbouleh Salad
- Instant Pot Chicken Shawarma
- Moroccan Style Roast Chicken and Potatoes
- Baba Ghanoush
- Baklava
- The Best Lasagna
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Easy Oven Roasted Chicken Shawarma
Ingredients
Chicken Shawarma
- 4 tbsp lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp cumin ground
- 2 tsp black pepper ground
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 3 chicken breasts boneless and skinless
- 1 large onion sliced
- 2 tbsp parsley fresh, for garnish
Garlic Sauce
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 6 cloves garlic peeled
- 1 egg white *
- 1 tsp salt
Chicken Shawarma Wraps
- hummus
- tabbouleh salad
- garlic sauce
- pita wraps
Instructions
Chicken Shawarma
- In a large bowl add the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, cumin, black pepper, paprika, turmeric, red pepper flakes, cinnamon, garlic, and whisk well. Add the chicken and toss making sure the chicken is well coated in the marinade. Cover with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate for at least an hour. The longer the meat marinates the more flavour you’ll have.
- Preheat oven to 425 F degrees. Add sliced onion to bowl with chicken and toss well so that the onion is fully coated in the marinade. Add everything to a 9×13 baking dish. I didn’t have much marinade leftover since the chicken absorbed most of it, so that’s why I added everything to the baking dish. Spread everything evenly over the baking dish.
- Bake in the oven until the chicken is browned and crisp on the edges, for about 40 to 45 minutes. If you want the chicken crispier on top, turn the broiler on to high and broil for 3 minutes until nice and crispy on the outside.
- Let the chicken rest for about 5 minutes, then slice it into bits.
Garlic Sauce
- Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth, it should take 1 to 2 minutes. This recipe will make about 1 1/2 cups of sauce, refrigerate leftover sauce.
Chicken Shawarma Wraps
- To make the chicken shawarma wraps, warm up the wraps first in the microwave for about 30 seconds, then spread some hummus over each wrap, spoon about 2 or 3 tbsp of tabbouleh salad, add chicken shawarma, and drizzle with garlic sauce and serve.
Recipe Notes
- Prep time does not include time for marinating chicken.
- *If you don’t want to use raw egg whites in the garlic sauce, you can omit it, just add the oil little by little to the blender until it thickens and should have the consistency of mayonnaise.
- You can find the homemade hummus recipe here. You can find the tabbouleh salad recipe here.
- Nutritional information does not include tabbouleh salad, hummus or pitas. It does include garlic sauce. Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
This was absolutely fabulous. The flavor is incredible and I’m definitely hooked. Thanks for sharing
Best shawarma recipe by far! We have been making this for a few years and both kids love it. We had a bit more seasoning then the recipe calls for. We like ours a bit more spicy. It’s perfect!
I’ve been making this recipe for about 2 years now and I have to say it’s one of the most popular dishes everyone who has visited and tried it always asks for the recipe and make it. I love it.
So glad you like it!
Very nice combination of spices
This was one of the most delicious recipes I’ve tried and the chicken was so moist and tender. I let it marinade all night long and cook it the next night. So easy! The garlic sauce was great too. My husband and friend loved it!
This is the perfect recipe when you’re cooking for a big group or family. It’s my go-to for meal trains and anytime I want to prepare a meal for another family. Do you think this would freeze well? I’d love to prep several at a time
Yes, absolutely! Make sure it’s sealed in an airtight container or freezer bag!
I can make this recipe with bone-in split chicken breast with skin?
Yes you can use the marinade for any type of meat! If you are using bone in, keep in mind the cooking time might vary.
This has become a family favourite! And I always have a jar with the garlic sauce in my fridge – it’s amazing and I use it with so many things!
This is my new go-to recipe for shwarma. My husband is allergic to cumin, so I leave that out and add in some coriander seed, I also go a little easier on the cinnamon because it isn’t being balanced with the cumin. Otherwise, it’s spot on.
I love this recipe! Make it regularly. Usually make it with a cucumber/tomato salad and rice pilaf, with store bought hummus. Haven’t tried making the garlic sauce. It is always delicious – who knew you could make shawarma at home!