Oven-Roasted Chicken Shawarma

Name: Oven-Roasted Chicken Shawarma
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Cuisine: turkish
Ingredients: 2 lemons, juiced; 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil; 6 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed and minced; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper; 2 teaspoons ground cumin; 2 teaspoons paprika; 1/2 teaspoon turmeric; A pinch ground cinnamon; Crushed red pepper, to taste; 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs; 1 large red onion, peeled and quartered; 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

By Sam Sifton

Updated Jan. 23, 2024

Oven-Roasted Chicken Shawarma — Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist; Hadas Smirnoff. Prop Stylist: Megan Hedgepeth.

Total Time: 45 minutes, plus marinating
Rating: 5(20,632)
Notes: Read community notes

Here is a recipe for an oven-roasted version of the flavorful street-side classic usually cooked on a rotisserie. It is perfect for an evening with family and friends. Serve with pita and tahini, chopped cucumbers and tomatoes, some olives, chopped parsley, some feta, fried eggplant, hummus swirled with harissa, rice or rice pilaf. You can make the white sauce that traditionally accompanies it by cutting plain yogurt with mayonnaise and lemon juice, and flecking it with garlic. For a red to offset it, simmer ketchup with crushed red pepper and a hit of red-wine vinegar until it goes syrupy and thick, or just use your favorite hot sauce instead.

Featured in: Chicken Shawarma Deluxe, No Rotisserie Required

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

2lemons, juiced
½cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
6cloves garlic, peeled, smashed and minced
1teaspoon kosher salt
2teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2teaspoons ground cumin
2teaspoons paprika
½teaspoon turmeric
A pinch ground cinnamon
Crushed red pepper, to taste
2pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1large red onion, peeled and quartered
2tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Make the recipe with us

Step 1
Prepare a marinade for the chicken. Combine the lemon juice, ½ cup olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, turmeric, cinnamon and crushed red pepper in a large bowl, then whisk to combine. Add the chicken and toss well to coat. Cover and store in refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 12 hours.
Step 2
When ready to cook, heat oven to 425 degrees. Use the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to grease a rimmed sheet pan. Add the quartered onion to the chicken and marinade, and toss once to combine. Remove the chicken and onion from the marinade, and place on the pan, spreading everything evenly across it.
Step 3
Put the chicken in the oven and roast until it is browned, crisp at the edges and cooked through, about 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven, allow to rest 2 minutes, then slice into bits. (To make the chicken even more crisp, set a large pan over high heat, add a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan, then the sliced chicken, and sauté until everything curls tight in the heat.)
Step 4
Scatter the parsley over the top and serve with tomatoes, cucumbers, pita, white sauce, hot sauce, olives, fried eggplant, feta, rice — really anything you desire.

Ratings

5 out of 5

20,632 user ratings

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

me!6 years ago

• White sauce = plain yogurt, scant 1/4 c. mayo, 1/2 lemon juiced + lemon zest, basil/parsley/zatar/sumac/minced garlic. Chill for 4-5 hours.
• Marinade meat overnight & cooked with peppers & onions. F
inish with broil for 2-3 minutes
• Serve with tortillas instead of pita + sliced cucumbers & tomatoes + feta. (Hummus is overkill side)
• Serve with chickpeas salad (olives, tomatoes, red onion, parsley/basil)

Sam Sifton6 years ago

Trim eggplant and cut it into long slices. Salt the slices and let them sit for 20 minutes or so, then pat them dry. Line a rimmed baking sheet with paper towel and place a wire rack on top. In a large, deep skillet, heat 1/2 cup oil until a drop of water flicked into pan sizzles. Working in batches, fry eggplant until just tender, 20 to 30 seconds per side. Transfer fried eggplant to rack to drain. Nice with shawarma!

Christine Staples6 years ago

I've lost track of how many times I've made this amazing dish since I first cut it out; there's some in the fridge right now. I have made the following additions: more onion - it's so good. More chicken - it goes so fast: 3 pounds. Two pounds of carrots, which I toss in the marinade and roast with the extra red onion. An astonishing recipe!

Linda E.6 years ago

I used chicken breasts to cut some of the fat here and reduced cook time to about 20 minutes so the chicken wouldn't dry out. It was delicious, juicy and light!

Danielle6 years ago

One of my favorites!!! Sometimes I buy extra chicken thigh packages and freeze the raw chicken thighs in the marinade 1 pound at a time. This way during a busy weeknight, I have an easy homemade recipe ready to go. I usually thaw it out first thing in the morning or even overnight. Works great!

Andybhoy6 years ago

2 1/2 tablespoons of oil is enough - 1/2 cup is way too much !

LiveToFish6 years ago

All dry ingredients have been combined and stored with a label "Shawarma Mix". Awesome.

cookies or cake6 years ago

I second the suggestion to double the onion. If you have tasty lemons (like Meyer) cut them into eighths and roast along with the chicken -- exceptional!

Alexandra Lightning6 years ago

This is a superb and easy supper. Marinated boneless thighs about 8 hours in fridge and cooked exactly according to recipe with the additional pan frying. Added a Greek salad made with seeded, English cucumber, mini San Marzano tomatoes (Trader Joe's), Kalamata olives, Greek feta, sherry vinegar and olive oil. No pita needed. Also made a yogurt sauce using 2% Fage (the best!) with lemon zest & juice, a couple cloves of garlic put through a press, and salt and pepper. Marvelous!

Pam6 years ago

Very easy, absolutely delicious. Combined the following to make a tahini sauce: 1 c plain yogurt, 2 T tahini, 1 T lemon juice. 1/2 t. salt.

Michelle6 years ago

Excellent for a party...I used 10 lbs of trimmed boneless chicken thighs, reducing the oil, and cutting onions into 8ths. Meat sliced nicely after the 10 minute post-cooking rest. Marinated for 24 hours, cooked the chicken in the marinade, & the meat held up fine. I used a lipped cookie sheet, to avoid spills in my oven. Everyone asked for leftovers to take home. Wonderful flavor, and easy to prepare. I served it with marinated feta, pita, couscous, moroccan carrot salad, etc.

ruthblue6 years ago

A flawless dish, and yet a couple of tips: no need to use a dish for the marinade. I put everything into a large ziplock, massaged the ingredients to blend, and then added the chicken. No mess and easy to store while the birds marinates. I also used chicken breasts, bone in, skin on. Unbelievably juicy and tender, and easy to cut into smaller pieces after roasting.

TK6 years ago

Agree with most everyone here - there's a reason this is a favorite! Followed the recipe to a "t" and everything came out perfectly - and served on Christmas Eve. Even the little ones (4 and 5) loved it! Two days later I'm out for more chicken thighs to make another batch. Served with chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, lettuce and a Tzatziki, Hummus, Sweet Chili sauce (all from Trader Joe's) and the NYT Rice Pilaf with Pistachios and Almonds. Delicious!!! Loved it!

Nicole S.6 years ago

The pan crisping at the end of this recipe really made this taste like the Schwarma I used to get in Jerusalem. Brought out the flavor more.

MSH6 years ago

Made this for dinner last night. Amazing. Used half the olive oil and the juice of one lemon, but kept the other herbs/spices the same. Served with white sauce (1/4 cup mayo, 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt, juice of half a lemon, 1 clove garlic, minced), chickpea salad, and toasted (in a skillet) pita bread. Yum, yum, yum. Watch the chicken carefully the last 20 minutes. Even though I turned the heat down, it would have over-cooked if I'd left it in the oven for the full 40 minutes.

Michael Napa1 day ago

That white sauce traditionally served with a lot of Middle Eastern foods (from my experience) is Tahini, thinned out with garlic and cilantro added. It’s drizzled over servings of hummus and always on schwarma or felafel. The red sauce is Harissa, the fiery/spicy mix found in jars at Middle Eastern Markets and lightly thinned out to make it easier to sprinkle, in small amounts.

AMA1 day ago

2/3 yogurt, 1 tsp lemon juice, salt pepper mint

DrewLV1 day ago

Great flavor! Will do this one again!

HeidiB1 day ago

Can I substitute yellow onion for red onion? Not a big red onion fan.

CCFinn1 day ago

This is delicious and a family favorite, almost on a weekly rotation now. I use chicken breast instead of thighs. In the summer we grill the chicken on the bbq instead of using the oven, along with some onion and bell peppers that are also coated in the marinade. I serve the shawarma with basmati rice, pita, yogurt-garlic-lemon sauce - yummy!

olivejuice4 days ago

This is the best recipe! So flavorful and always please my family and any guest we have.

Moira in Altadena4 days ago

First time making this recipe I’d just gotten back from a five mile, 2000 foot elevation gain hike on nothing but cafe au lait for breakfast and a light lunch. So hungry I was borderline delerious with an insane protein craving. Too hungry to slice anything but the chicken (breast, not thigh). I had paraley chopped already from lunch, didn’t marinate or measure, subbed dry garlic for cloves, and put it on broil so whole thing took 20-25 min start to finish. & it still turned out amazeballs!

Bnolen4 days ago

This is wonderful. Crisping the chicken in the pan was key. I wished I’d used a vidalia or white rather than red onion.

Loves_to_cook4 days ago

So I’ve made this with thighs and I’ve made it with breasts, although not together, mind you. I have a shawarma spice mix that I use plus I add smoked paprika, ground cloves, gochugaru flakes, and some ginger powder just because and it always comes out the same. Finger licking good and reminiscent of places in Jerusalem on Agrippas St in the 90’s. I use amba sauce to have on the meat and it too adds to my memories. I slightly broil it for a nice char

Karen4 days ago

I made a mistake - was looking at other recipe and added yogurt to marinade. I hope it turns out good. In oven now and smells great.

PF5 days ago

This was so tasty! The whole family loved it. I served it with a white sauce (mostly yogurt with some mayo, zaatar seasoning, parsley and lemon), rice pulao and cucumbers/tomatoes. Will definitely be adding to our rotation!!

Janet H1 week ago

I needed something easy & delicious to prepare the night ahead of time for company. This was great, and so easy!! Everyone loved it! I used boneless chicken breasts instead of thighs (cut into fourths), & after squeezing the lemons I cut the lemon into slices (removed the seeds) & added it to the marinade. Marinated for 20 hrs. I also added some chopped carrots to the onions. I cooked it for 30 minutes and it was perfect. Served it with couscous, pita, and sliced tomatoes.

christine1 week ago

This is a go to recipe on our house. It's great for a crowd and has a lot of wiggle room for variations.

meggeers1 week ago

Works with tofu Marinate no more than 12 hrs Cook sauce bless want crispy chicken Add carrots Watch chicken Reduce oil maybe Make with whit sauce Fry up eggplants Or tahini sauce

Lilikoi1 week ago

Serve with tahini yoghurt sauce, olives, rice, roasted peppers, moroccan carrots, pickled vegetables. Or pita instead of rice.

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