Treat yourself to a popular Middle Eastern street food dish with this **Homemade Juicy Chicken Shawarma Sandwich**! Chicken thighs coated in a flavourful marinade of garlic, turmeric, cumin powder, olive oil, lemon juice, and a touch of cinnamon. The chicken is wrapped in a homemade pita bread, veggies, and a yogurt sauce! Enjoy on its own or with lemon baked potatoes!

Shawarmas sure were a staple in my diet when I came to Canada.

When I started university, I was so busy being always on the go! The new lifestyle was hard to adapt to, as anyone who’s gone to university can understand - not to mention if you’ve crossed the planet to do so! Yes, I’m known for loving to cook, but I was definitely in an adjustment period. Moreover, I first began my university life in residence, so the kitchen wasn’t the most accessible to say the least. However, as a side note, I have made Butter Chicken in my residence's kitchen! Let’s just say everyone on the floor totally gathered around for that feast!

Hanging around the other students, I had heard quite a lot about people picking up shawarmas for meals. What could shawarmas be? I love eating (duh), so I was intrigued. Plus, I was hungry, and was kind of bored of my typical fast food choices of poutine, sausage, McDonald’s, pizza…

So, after hearing all the rage about shawarmas, I finally decided to give it a try. Um, yum! I saw what the hype was about! Juicy meat and veggies, all wrapped in a warm pita bread. Reminds me of having Chicken Kathi Rolls or Seekh Kebabs from street vendors back in India!

I do have a confession to make, however. I’ve still never had a beef shawarma. Bucket list! I’ll definitely make a recipe when I finally go ahead and try it out! It does look good, but I’ve got a bias toward chicken as being my favourite meat!

Okay, so I really loved getting shawarmas when I didn’t want to cook for a satisfying meal. Plus, those potatoes they serve with the sandwich just blew me away!

When I got out of residence and cooked more frequently, I thought to myself “Why don’t I just make it?”. I tend to ask myself that a lot now after eating yummy foods at restaurants! You guessed it, I made it!

I was ultra ambitious and even made my own pita bread. Of course you don’t have to but I tend to go above and beyond. Hehe. Hopefully I inspire you to do the same, but I understand if you don’t want to take the time to do that! Simply use a store-bought pita bread!

What is Chicken Shawarma?

Technically this isn’t an authentic chicken shawarma because we’ll be baking our chicken in the oven! True shawarma chicken is cooked on a vertical spit. The meat is marinated and it turns and cooks on the spit for hours, basted in its juices and in fat. Then, it’s shaved into thin slices of meat from the surface and is served either on its own or in a pita bread, as I’m doing here!

So of course I don’t have a spit to cook the chicken, but the oven is the next best thing! The marinade will closely replicate the flavours from the chicken at the shops using just a few common pantry spices and I bet you what, it will be much tastier.

After the chicken has finished baking, I like to broil the chicken for 1-2 minutes on each side to get a slight char, smoky flavour. This step is always a must for me.

By the way, if this is a lot of work for you, then you can make a speedy version of this for a fast wrap that’s perfect for lunch time with this Quick Healthy Chicken Shawarma Wrap!

Can I Use Chicken Breast?

Yes, you can, but the chicken won’t be as juicy because chicken breast is leaner than chicken thighs. I would recommend grilling or pan-searing the chicken if using breast, and this can expedite the cooking process. Check out my Quick Healthy Chicken Shawarma Wrap that uses chicken breast and is pan-seared!

How to Make Homemade Juicy Chicken Shawarma Sandwich

In a large bowl, add the olive oil, lemon juice, cinnamon, turmeric, red pepper flakes, garlic, cumin, black pepper and salt to taste. Whisk well to combine the marinade.

Add the chicken thighs, mix well and marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes or overnight.

Preheat the oven at 425 F. Let the chicken cook through, for about 35 minutes, turning the chicken halfway along the way.

Once the chicken has cooked for about 35 minutes, turn on the broiler and move the oven rack with the chicken close to the heating element. Broil for 1-2 minutes on each side or until slightly charred.

Let the chicken rest while you prepare the ingredients for the sandwich. To serve, slice the chicken into small pieces and add to the sandwich.

Now you’re ready to make your sandwich!

Assembling the Chicken Shawarma Sandwich

To make the Yogurt-garlic sauce

Add all the ingredients for the Yogurt-Garlic Sauce, Greek yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and salt in a bowl and whisk well to combine. You can chill the sauce while the remaining components cook.

Toppings

In this chicken shawarma sandwich, we’ll be adding lettuce, onions, and a homemade Greek yogurt garlic sauce.

Tear the pita breads along the seam into two thinner pieces, and then lay them on a countertop with one half slightly overlapping the other. Slice the chicken if you haven’t done so already.

Spread a tablespoon of the sauce along the centre. Add the lettuce, onions, chicken and any other toppings of your choice.

Start rolling from the bottom, ensuring the wrap is tight and complete the wrap.

Wrap the sandwich with aluminum foil, making sure to seal at each end and serve warm.

If you wish, you can even toss the sandwich on a grill pan or panini press for 1-2 minutes until warmed through. Enjoy hot :)

Tips & Tricks For Chicken Shawarma Sandwich

Make sure to use soft pita bread to prevent cracking while wrapping. If you store your pita in the refrigerator, take the pita out (still in its bag) and let it come up to room temperature.
It can be hard to tear a pita bread into two thin circles. Start small and don’t make any quick movements. I only learned how to do this by looking at sandwich artists and tearing lots of bad pitas.
Be careful not to overfill the pita with the toppings, it can make wrapping hard and increase the chances of tearing.

Can You Make Chicken Shawarma Sandwich in Advance?

You could but I can’t really classify it as a make ahead due to the long marination time. If you are looking for a quicker meal-prep friendly version of this dish I’d recommend the Quick Healthy Chicken Shawarma Wrap. It’s much faster to make and uses less ingredients!

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Mediterranean, Sandwiches, Poultry

Mediterrenean

Yield: 6 small sandwiches

Author: Anadi

Print

Homemade Juicy Chicken Shawarma Sandwich

Treat yourself to a popular Middle Eastern street food dish with this Homemade Juicy Chicken Shawarma Sandwich! Chicken thighs coated in a flavourful marinade of garlic, turmeric, cumin powder, olive oil, lemon juice, and a touch of cinnamon. The chicken is wrapped in a homemade pita bread, veggies, and a yogurt sauce! Enjoy on its own or with lemon baked potatoes!

Prep time: 40 MCook time: 40 MTotal time: 80 M

Ingredients:

For the shawarma chicken

8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1/4 Cup olive oil
1/2 lemon, juiced (2 Tbsp)
pinch of cinnamon
1/4 tsp turmeric
red pepper flakes to taste
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp black pepper
salt to taste

To prepare the Yogurt-Garlic Sauce

1/2 Cup Greek yogurt
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
salt to taste

For the sandwich

iceberg lettuce, roughly chopped
onions, thinly sliced
yogurt-garlic sauce, as described below
6 small pita breads

Instructions:

To prepare the shawarma chicken

In a large bowl, add the olive oil, lemon juice, cinnamon, turmeric, red pepper flakes, garlic, cumin, black pepper and salt to taste. Whisk well to combine the marinade.
Add the chicken thighs, mix well and marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 425 F. Prepare the baking sheet with aluninium foil and arrange a wire rack over the baking sheet. Place the chicken on the wire rack and bake on the middle rack for about 35 minutes, turning half way along the cooking time.
Then, turn on the broiler and move the oven rack with the chicken close to the heating element. Broiled for 1-2 minutes on each side or until slightly charred.
Let the chicken rest while you prepare the ingredients for the sandwich. To serve, slice the chicken into small pieces and add to the sandwich.

Add all the ingredients for the Yogurt-Garlic Sauce in a bowl and whisk well to combine.

To assemble the sandwich

Tear the pita breads along the seam into two thinner pieces, and then lay them on a counter top with one half slightly overlapping the other.
Spread a tablespoon of the sauce along the centre. Add the lettuce, onions, chicken and any other toppings of your choice.
Start rolling from the bottom, ensuring the wrap is tight and complete the wrap.
Wrap the sandwich with two pieces of aluminum foil, making sure to seal at each end and serve warm.
If you wish, you can even toss the sandwich on a grill pan or panini press for 1-2 minutes until warmed through. Enjoy hot :)