Description
A flavorful and easy Chicken Shawarma recipe served with crispy fries, fresh vegetables, and a creamy garlic yoghurt sauce wrapped in soft flatbreads. Perfect for a satisfying weeknight dinner with family-friendly customizable toppings.
Ingredients
Scale
Fries and Vegetables
- 400 g (14 oz) frozen French fries
- 2 tomatoes, sliced
- 1 red onion, finely sliced
- 1 tbsp roughly chopped fresh mint leaves (optional)
Breads
- 4 Lebanese flatbreads, pita breads, wraps, or naan breads
- ½ tsp sumac (optional)
Garlic Yoghurt Sauce
- 1 cup (250 g) Greek yoghurt
- 2 tbsp toum or Middle Eastern garlic dip/sauce, or substitute with ½ tsp freshly minced garlic and ½ tsp salt
Chicken Marinade
- 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) boneless, skinless chicken thighs (can substitute with chicken breast)
- 1 tbsp tomato paste (concentrated puree)
- 2 tbsp Greek yoghurt
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp freshly minced garlic
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp sea salt flakes
- ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- ¼ cup (60 ml) water
Instructions
- Cook the Fries: Preheat your oven or air fryer according to the instructions on the package of frozen French fries. Cook the fries until golden and crispy. Meanwhile, wash and slice the tomatoes and red onion, and chop the fresh mint leaves if using.
- Prepare the Garlic Yoghurt Sauce: In a small bowl, mix the Greek yoghurt with the toum or Middle Eastern garlic dip. If you don’t have either, substitute with freshly minced garlic and salt. Set the sauce aside to allow the flavors to meld.
- Marinate the Chicken: Place the chicken thighs into a large bowl. Add tomato paste, Greek yoghurt, lemon juice, minced garlic, ground cumin, ground cardamom, garlic powder, onion powder, sweet paprika, smoked paprika, sea salt flakes, black pepper, and olive oil. Toss thoroughly using tongs so each piece is well coated. For deeper flavor, cover and refrigerate the chicken for up to 24 hours, or proceed immediately to cooking.
- Cook the Chicken: Heat a large, heavy-based frying pan over medium-high heat until hot. Add the marinated chicken and cook for 5–6 minutes on each side, until the chicken is fully cooked through and slightly charred. In the last 3 minutes of cooking, add water to the pan to deglaze and loosen the crispy bits at the base. Remove chicken and let it rest briefly before slicing into thin strips. Drizzle with the pan juices.
- Assemble the Shawarma Wraps: Lay your choice of flatbread on a plate and spread a generous amount of the garlic yoghurt sauce in the center. Top with sliced chicken, crispy fries, tomato slices, red onion, shredded mint, and sprinkle with sumac if using. Fold the sides of the bread up like a taco to enclose the filling.
- Serve: Serve the wraps immediately, with extra garlic yoghurt sauce on the side for dipping if desired. Enjoy your delicious homemade chicken shawarma!
Notes
- This recipe is perfect for an easy and satisfying weeknight dinner that’s both delicious and customizable.
- Chicken thighs provide juicier meat, but chicken breast can be used for a leaner option.
- Instead of pan-frying the chicken, you can also cook it on a barbecue grill for an added smoky flavor.
- If toum or Middle Eastern garlic dip is unavailable, freshly minced garlic and salt make a great substitute in the yoghurt sauce.
- Sumac adds a tangy zest but is optional depending on availability and preference.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 wrap
- Calories: 819
- Sugar: 23.3 g
- Sodium: 1462 mg
- Fat: 37.7 g
- Saturated Fat: 7.3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 30.3 g
- Trans Fat: 0.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 93.8 g
- Fiber: 10.6 g
- Protein: 40.9 g
- Cholesterol: 127.9 mg
