Grilled chicken shawarma is one of my absolute favorite Middle Eastern street foods. The smell of the seasoning with warming spices like cumin, cloves, and turmeric, brings me right back to the markets in Egypt, where as a kid I’d hop between the vendors shaving paper-thin shawarma off the spit, frying Falafel, and handing out ice-cold Karkade (Hibiscus Tea). If you’ve been here a while you know I take no issue with weeknight-friendly versions of classics, as long the recipe celebrates the bold flavors I grew up with. So I’m often making easy oven-baked chicken shawarma, and I’ve even made vegan versions with cauliflower and mushrooms. But with grilling season I got inspired to make the grilled chicken shawarma from my childhood. I looked for a homestyle version of the traditional shawarma spit, so you get the juicy thin slices with caramelized edges in all their glory. I found this skewer-meets-pan contraption, which is not terribly expensive so I decided to give it a try. And I’m so happy I did! The chicken gets those beautiful crispy and juicy layers, and you can slice it off the spit just like a real shawarma seller. And though it looks fancy, it’s just as easy as threading meat for kebabs. I feel like a whole world just opened up! I know you’ll love this recipe, and if you’re anything like me you’ll start planning what to roast on a spit next…
Ingredients for Grilled Chicken Shawarma
Though it seems exotic, chicken shawarma is made with pantry staples and the easy-to-find ingredients listed below. Don’t forget to check out the, “What to Serve With Grilled Chicken Shawarma” section below for my top recommended sides and accompaniments.
Shawarma spice blend: You can often find shawarma spice at your local grocery store, but I prefer to make my own with the high-quality spices from our shop. I don’t add any fillers, the spices are fresher, and I can make the perfect blend to match my memories! Olive oil coats the chicken as it marinates, infusing it with flavor. Use a high-quality extra virgin variety (any of the oils at our shop would work well, but I especially love the smoothness of our California Arbequina with this recipe. Lemon adds zing to lift the savory flavor. Chicken: I prefer boneless skinless chicken thighs for this recipe, which are easy to work with and have enough fat to stay juicy. Kosher salt and black pepper enhance the flavor. Yellow onion marinates and roasts with the meat, adding its sweet and savory depth. White onion, red onion, or shallots would also work. I add a Roma Tomato at the top of the shawarma spit for a nice wow factor, but it’s totally optional.
Ingredient Spotlight
Why go through the effort to roast chicken on a shawarma spit? Two words: Chicken. Drippings. The spit allows you to take full advantage of all the good stuff! The juices drip from top to bottom as they roast, flavoring the meat and making it extra juicy.The shawarma spit also gives you the best of both worlds. You’ll get that charred open-flame flavor over on the outside, while the inside stays protected and slow-roasts to tender perfection.
LOOK FOR: “Al Pastor” skewer–a version of shawarma that made its way from the Middle East to Latin America by Lebanese immigrants in Mexico. I used this one, but any vertical spit that can stand upright and catch the drippings will work. BEST SUBSTITUTE: If you don’t have the spit or rotisserie attachment for your grill, you can just grill and slice the chicken as usual (use this grilled chicken thighs recipe as a guide). The marinade will still make it flavorful and delicious!
How to Make Grilled Chicken Shawarma
Making grilled chicken shawarma on the spit is not any more difficult than making classic kebabs. If you can, allow the meat a couple of hours to soak up the marinade’s incredible flavor. Here are the steps:
Season and Marinate the Chicken
Make the marinade. In a large bowl, combine the shawarma spice blend (all 1/4 cup), enough olive oil to fully coat the chicken (about 1/3 cup), and juice of 1 lemon. Whisk well. Marinate the chicken. Season 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs on both sides with salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the bowl and toss so it’s well coated in the marinade. Slice an onion into thick rounds and tuck in the slices, leaving them whole. If you have the time, cover and refrigerate for a couple of hours or overnight, otherwise, set aside at room temperature for about 20 to 30 minutes while the grill heats up. Assemble the chicken on the spit/vertical skewer. Slide a thick slice of onion onto the vertical spit and push it all the way down to the base. Slide the chicken onto the spit, one at a time, changing the direction of the chicken pieces as you layer and adding the sliced onions between every 2 to 3 pieces of chicken (this imparts great flavor). Add a whole Roma tomato at the very top, if you’d like.
Grill the Chicken
Prepare and heat the grill. Heat the grill to 375°F (or medium-high). Grill the chicken. Place the base of the vertical spit with the chicken over indirect heat and close the lid. After 30 minutes, open the grill and turn the base of the spit 90 degrees. Using a brush, baste the chicken with the drippings. Close the lid and cook for another 30 minutes. Do this again, if needed, rotating the spit and basting the chicken, until the chicken is well charred on the outside and its internal temperature reaches in the thickest part closest to the skewer is 160°F. All told this will take about 1 1/2 hours. Slice. Allow the chicken to rest for a few minutes at room temperature so its juices redistribute as the internal temperature rises to 165°F. Take a large chef’s knife and thinly slice the chicken from top to bottom. Rotate the spit and keep shaving the chicken off until all the chicken and onions have landed in the pan attached to your spit. Serve. Serve the chicken shawarma on a large platter, adding the fixings–tomatoes, cucumbers, pickled onions, olives, and pickles–around the chicken. Add sliced pita and tahini to the side.
What to Serve with Grilled Chicken Shawarma
My husband, Saba, and I often do shawarma night at our house, and we put everything out family-style to let everyone serve themselves. My favorite fixings are:
Something fresh: No shawarma is complete without tomatoes and cucumbers (you could even make this Tomato Cucumber Salad), but you can also do whole parsley sprigs and mint leaves. Something pickled: I love these tangy Sumac Picked Red Onions and try to keep them stocked in my fridge, but any of your favorite pickles will work well. I used cornichons. I also love to throw Kalamata olives on the platter if I have them on hand. Something creamy: I usually go for nutty dairy-free Tahini Sauce, but Tzatziki would also be delicious. Flatbread: Make your own Pita from scratch, or use a good store-bought version. For a gluten-free option, turn them into salad bowls by swapping out the chicken in this Chicken Shawarma Salad Bowl recipe.
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