Tony Zentgraf
Chicken Shawarma is a traditional Mediterranean dish that is usually a street food where the meat is on a long vertical skewer that is similar to a rotisserie. Meat is stacked on the vertical skewer and turned in front of either an open flame or an electric heating element to cook the meat.
Develop Some Char for Best Flavor
There are methods to cook the chicken in a pan at home, but in my opinion you are missing out on the char and flavor that the chicken gets from the fire or heating element.
In this recipe, the method the chicken will be cooked will use whole pieces of chicken thigh meat that will not be stacked on a rotisserie but will be grilled on a charcoal grill.
This will allow the meat to be charred on the outside but retain the moisture inside the meat. When you slice the meat cut it across the grain of the meat to keep it tender.
Cooking and cutting in this way gives the meat a similar cook and cut that you would get at a vertical rotisserie, nice char on the outside and some meat that it cooked but not directly charred.
The marinade comes through well if you marinate overnight.
Remember, spices do not mean spicy, spices equal flavor. (Feel free to reduce a spice if you do not like or are concerned it will be too spicy.)
Enjoy!
Chicken Shawarma
Print RecipeRecipe Multiplier
- 2 lbs Chicken Thighs
- 1 tsp Cumin
- 1 tsp Turmeric
- 1 tsp Coriander
- 1 ½ tsp Granulated Garlic
- 1 tbsp Paprika
- ½ tsp Cloves
- 1 ½ tsp Cayenne
- ½ cup Fresh Lemon Juice
- ¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Instructions
- Trim unwanted fat from the boneless, skinless chicken thighs.
- Make the spice mix and add the Lemon Juice and Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Once the Marinade is combined add the chicken pieces whole. Marinate a few hours or overnight.
- When ready to cook, heat grill to a hot enough temperature to char the chicken. Grill the chicken until it reaches a temperature of 170°.
- Once the chicken reaches 170° and there is sufficient char on the outside of the chicken, remove from heat and let rest for 5-10 minutes.
- Slice the chicken across the grain of the meat.
- Serve with Pita and either Tahini Sauce or Tzatziki.
- Common condiments with Shawarma are Pickled Onions or Tomato, Cucumber and Onion Salad to have on your Pita and Chicken. Pair the Shawarma with some Tabbouleh Salad, it is great in the pita with the other ingredients.
