Grilled Chicken Shawarma

Fire up the grill and make Grilled Chicken Shawarma for the whole family. This Middle Eastern dish is traditionally cooked on a vertical rotisserie and sliced off into pita. This adaptation of the classic recipe is full of flavor and spices, is marinated and grilled before serving with your favorite sides. This chicken shawarma recipe is the perfect main course for any occasion!

People oftentimes ask my husband and me what food we like to eat whenever we visit family in Louisiana… and then are shocked when we tell them that it’s not Cajun or Creole cuisine.

Our go-to food whenever we visit Louisiana is Lebanese food.

Specifically, restaurants that sell garlicky, spicy and utterly delicious chicken shawarma on salads and pitas and platters.

We haven’t found shawarma that is like the shawarma in Louisiana, and one day, I realized that we could make our own.

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While traditional chicken shawarma is made on a vertical spit in restaurants, it’s not hard to make at home. And no, you don’t need a spit.

Please note that in Middle Eastern cuisine, shawarma can be made with beef, lamb and chicken.

Why I love this recipe:

Before we dive in, please know that is an adaptation of the popular Middle Eastern street food that is inspired by the flavors of the shawarma we’ve eaten at Lebanese restaurants in Louisiana. I will not tell you that it is an authentic shawarma recipe because it is not.

That said, this easy chicken shawarma recipe is one of my personal favorites because it’s wonderfully flavorful. It makes for a great weeknight dinner, as well as a dish to serve to friends and family alike.

​The chicken itself is juicy on the inside with a delicious crust from the grill, similar but slightly different than the crispness you’d get from the spit.

You can serve it with all kinds of sides, including fresh vegetables or even fries. If you prefer, you can serve it as the protein on a salad or a bowl. Also, you can make it into a wrap or a sandwich, too.

No matter how you serve it, this simple, delicious recipe always hits the spot.

More grilling recipes to try: Grilled Skirt Steak | Grilled Shrimp Skewers | How to Grill Steak | Grilled BBQ Chicken Flatbread | How to Grill Turkey Burgers

What you need to make this recipe:

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• Meat tenderizer
• Casserole dish or a gallon-sized zip top bag for marinating
• Citrus juicer
• Liquid measuring cup or mini angled measuring cup
• Measuring spoons
• Baking sheet to transfer the meat to the grill
• Grill
• Tongs
• Instant read meat thermometer

Here is what you need to get at the grocery store:

• Chicken breasts — you will need about 1.5 lbs. You can easily double this recipe if you’re feeding a crowd, though. I like to use chicken breast, but you can easily use chicken thighs, if you prefer. Whatever cut of chicken you use needs to be boneless and skinless, though.
• Fresh lemon juice — freshly squeezed is going to give you the best flavor. Do not use the shelf-stable bottled stuff because the flavor is not as good.
• Extra virgin olive oil — or another neutral oil, like avocado oil.
• Spices — we use a combination of curry powder and ground cumin to flavor the marinate and meat. The bold, bright flavors of the
• Kosher salt — medium grain kosher salt is what I like to use in my kitchen. Diamond Crystal is my go-to brand.
• Fresh garlic cloves — the minced garlic brings ALL the flavor here! It’s not the same flavor as garlic powder, and that is not an acceptable substitute.

How to make Grilled Chicken Shawarma

Use a meat tenderizer to pound the chicken into thin pieces. Once thinner, transfer into a gallon-sized plastic bag.

Combine the lemon juice, olive oil, curry powder, salt, cumin and minced garlic in a small bowl.

Pour the marinade over the chicken breasts. Seal up the plastic bag, and shake it to ensure the chicken is coated in the marinade.

Refrigerate, and marinate for 1-2 hours. Do not do this for longer or the lemon juice will affect the texture of the chicken.

Once chicken has marinated for the appropriate amount of time, preheat the grill to 425°F.

Remove the chicken from the bag, and place on a plate, platter or sheet pan. Pat dry with paper towels to ensure that they are not sopping wet.

Transfer the marinated chicken to the hot grill.

Flip once after about 10 minutes, then cook until golden brown and the internal temperature of the chicken reads 165°F. (This will take 20-25 minutes, tops, depending on your grill and how its heat circulates.) You will want there to be a good char on the outside of the chicken, but you do not want it to be burned.

Once the chicken has cooked through, remove from the grill, and let it rest for 5-10 minutes.

Slice the chicken and enjoy over pita or salad with Tzatziki sauce and hummus.

How to store:

Let the chicken cool before transferring to an airtight container. Keep in the fridge for 2-3 days. Reheat in the microwave until warmed through, and enjoy.

Quick tips and tricks to the best shawarma:

• Give it time to marinate… but don’t let it go for too long! The acid in the lemon juice will begin to break down the structure of the chicken, and the texture will not be as satisfying.
• Keep an eye on it on the grill. You don’t want it to catch fire!
• Make a large batch to share or for meal prep! This flavorful meat is perfect for all kinds of meals.

What to serve with Chicken Shawarma:

This flavorful chicken can be the base for a lot of different things.

Serve it on a salad, like this Chicken Shawarma Salad.

Make a chicken shawarma plate. Include things like French fries, chickpea salad or couscous salad, rice pilaf, cucumber salad and soft pita bread. Don’t forget sauces, like tzatziki or a garlic sauce, to finish the platter.

Turn it into a pita, similar to Greek gyros. Layer the sliced chicken on the warm pita with pickled red onions, shredded romaine lettuce, sliced cucumbers, sliced bell peppers, a sprinkle of feta cheese and a slather of tzatziki, tahini sauce, baba ganoush or garlic yogurt sauce.

Make a nacho-inspired dish with pita chips, crumbly feta, sliced veggies, cherry tomatoes and thinly sliced shawarma.

Here’s how you can make it: