Chicken Shawarma

Name: Chicken Shawarma
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 4 h 20 min
Total time: 4 h 50 min
Cuisine: Levant
Ingredients: 150 g (⅔ cup) plain yogurt; 3 tbsp olive oil; 1 lemon, juiced; 4 cloves garlic, grated; 2 tsp ground cumin; 2 tsp sweet paprika; 1 tsp ground coriander; 1 tsp ground turmeric; ½ tsp ground cinnamon; ½ tsp ground cardamom; ¼ tsp cayenne; 10 g (1¾ tsp) fine sea salt; 1 kg (2¼ lb) boneless, skinless chicken thighs; 1 red onion, thickly sliced; 8 Pita Bread or flatbreads, warmed; 200 g (¾ cup) Aioli or Tahini Sauce; sliced tomato, cucumber, parsley, Quick Pickles, chili sauce

Spiced thighs, charred and sliced, in warm flatbread with garlic sauce

Serves: 4
Hands-on: 30 min
Total: 4 h 50 min
Level: Easy

Shawarma is traditionally carved from a vertical spit; at home, the same flavor comes from yogurt-and-spice-marinated chicken thighs grilled hot and fast, then sliced thinly. Served with garlic sauce, pickles and warm flatbread, it is a feast.

Ingredients

Marinade

150 gplain yogurt (⅔ cup)
3 tbspolive oil
1lemonjuiced
4 clovesgarlicgrated
2 tspground cumin
2 tspsweet paprika
1 tspground coriander
1 tspground turmeric
½ tspground cinnamon
½ tspground cardamom
¼ tspcayenne
10 gfine sea salt (1¾ tsp)

Chicken

1 kgboneless, skinless chicken thighs (2¼ lb)
1red onionthickly sliced

To serve

8Pita Bread or flatbreadswarmed
200 gAioli or Tahini Sauce (¾ cup)
sliced tomato, cucumber, parsley, Quick Pickles, chili sauce

Allergens: milk, gluten, egg, sesame, mustard, sulphites
Origin: Levant

Method

Mix the marinade ingredients. Toss the chicken in it to coat, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, up to 24. 4 h
Set up the grill for direct medium-high heat (about 220°C, 425°F). Clean and oil the grate.
Lift the chicken from the marinade, shaking off the excess. Grill over direct heat with the lid closed, turning every 3 minutes, until charred in places and the thickest part reads 74°C (165°F), 10–14 minutes. Grill the onion slices alongside until soft and charred. 12 min
Rest the chicken 5 minutes, then slice thinly across the grain. 5 min
Warm the flatbreads on the grill for 20 seconds per side. Fill with chicken, onion, salad and pickles and spoon over the garlic or tahini sauce.

Why it works

Yogurt's mild acidity gently tenderizes the surface without the mushiness of a strong acid marinade, and its milk sugars and proteins brown fast over high heat, giving deep char without drying the chicken. Thighs have more fat and connective tissue than breast, so they stay juicy at high heat and develop crisp edges.

Common mistakes

Marinating for days: the yogurt turns the surface mushy. 24 hours is the maximum.
Slicing thick: thin slices give the classic shawarma texture with more charred edges.

Variations

Sheet-pan shawarma: Spread the chicken and onion on a sheet pan and roast at 220°C (425°F) for 25 minutes.
Bowl: Serve over Perfect Rice with Fattoush.

Make ahead and storage

Marinate the day before. Cooked chicken keeps 3 days.

Notes

Grill-pan/oven fallback: cook in a very hot ridged grill pan over medium-high heat for 5–6 minutes per side to 74°C (165°F), or roast on a sheet pan at 220°C (425°F) for 20–25 minutes and finish under the oven grill (broiler) for 3 minutes to char. Allergens include the pita and aioli; tahini sauce adds sesame instead of egg. Mustard and sulphites only from the quick pickles.