Learn how to make a delicious Middle Eastern Chicken Shawarma Plate right at home. Loaded with succulent shawarma-spiced chicken, creamy hummus, fresh pita bread, and a delicious Lebanese tabbouleh, you'll never order out again!
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You and your dinner guests will absolutely love this chicken shawarma plate recipe! The recipe is easy to put together and over-the-top on the flavor scale!
You don't have to be an exceptional cook to marinate and grill chicken, whirl chickpeas in a food processor, and chop vegetables to make a Middle Eastern salad.
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😍 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- If preparing a chicken shawarma plate seems too overwhelming, you can prepare the Lebanese hummus ahead of time and buy pita bread instead of baking your own.
- Overall, this is a nutritious meal that everyone will love!
- Making your own chicken shawarma plate is much cheaper than going out to eat.
🔖 Ingredient & Substitutions
- Chicken: I prefer using chicken thighs in this Shawarma Plate recipe. Thighs are juicy and more flavorful than chicken breasts. However, you can use either. It's best to use boneless, skinless chicken to make shawarma because it cooks faster and is easier to slice.
- Lemon Juice: If at all possible, use freshly squeezed lemon juice instead of bottled.
- Olive Oil: Although this recipe calls for olive oil, you can substitute healthy avocado oil instead.
- Shawarma Seasoning: If you must, you can purchase shawarma seasoning, but I highly recommend this shawarma seasoning recipe!
- Serve With: Salad (tomatoes, cucumbers, onion), hummus, pita bread, and fresh herbs like parsley and mint.
🍗 How to Make A Chicken Shawarma Plate
Marinate the Chicken
Mix olive oil and lemon juice in a small bowl. Add crushed garlic.
Mix in shawarma seasoning, stirring to combine.
Place thawed chicken in a ziplock bag and cover with the marinade. Use a spatula to get every last drop.
Remove air from the bag, then seal. Massage the marinade into the chicken, then place on a plate and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours, but preferably longer.
Cooking Instructions
Grill marinated chicken over medium heat until done.
Another option is to slice chicken into strips and cook it in a lightly oiled and seasoned cast-iron skillet.
You can also cook the marinated chicken in the oven. Place the sliced chicken on a lightly oiled, foil-covered baking sheet and bake in a 425°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until browned.
🍽 Shawarma Serving Suggestions
So, how do you make a chicken shawarma plate? Glad you asked! Serve the cooked chicken on a plate, along with a Middle Eastern salad, Lebanese hummus, and pita chips. Or stuff the chicken in Middle Eastern bread or flatbread and add French fries, tabouli, biwaz (marinated onions), and drizzle with garlic tahini sauce.
Chicken Shawarma Bowls
Another option is to serve shawarma in bowls instead of on plates or platters. Shawarma Bowls are similar to Mexican rice bowls. First, you'll want to add some rice. I recommend vermicelli rice. Next, pile on some chicken shawarma and Middle Eastern salad. A sprinkle of sumac would also work.
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
Chicken Shawarma is extremely flavorful and can have some heat to it. Seasoned was exotic spices like cardamom, cinnamon, coriander, cloves, and allspice, you'll be taking your taste buds on a flavor-packed adventure!
Chicken Shawarma is usually prepared with dark meat or thighs. Using chicken thighs yields juicier results, but there are no rules that say you can't use chicken breasts.
Shawarma dates back to the Ottoman Empire (modern-day Turkey). The word "shawarma" means "turning" in Arabic. Highly spiced meat (lamb, beef, or chicken) is roasted while stacked on a rotating vertical spit, hence the name "Shawarma." But since most of us don't have a spit at home, you can cook the shawarma meat on the grill, in a pan, or in the oven.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- Slicing the chicken before marinating enhances the traditional shawarma flavor even further and ensures the marinade penetrates the chicken more evenly. This is especially recommended if you don't have hours to marinate the chicken.
- If you decide to slice the chicken while raw, you can still prepare it on the grill using a grill basket.
- This marinade is also tasty when used to marinate beef, pork, and lamb.
- To transform this recipe from a chicken shawarma plate to a chicken shawarma wrap, just stuff all the tasty ingredients inside a flatbread or this lavash bread recipe. You can even use these sourdough discard tortillas!
- Another delicious salad to try with shawarma chicken is tabbouleh.
🍖 More Middle Eastern Recipes
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📖 Recipe
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Ingredients
Method
- Mix olive oil and lemon juice. Add crushed garlic.
- Mix in shawarma seasoning, stirring to combine.
- Place thawed chicken in a ziplock bag and cover with the marinade. Use a spatula to get every last drop.
- Remove air from the bag, then seal. Massage the marinade into the chicken then place on a plate and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours, but preferably longer.
- Grill Chicken Shawarma over medium heat until done.
- Or slice chicken into strips and cook in a lightly-oiled and seasoned cast-iron skillet.
- You can also cook the chicken shawarma in the oven. Place the sliced chicken on a lightly oiled, foil-covered sheet pan and bake in a 425-degree F oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until browned.
- Serve the sliced Chicken Shawarma on a plate, along with a Middle Eastern salad, Hummus, and Pita Bread.
Nutrition
Notes
- Slicing the chicken before marinating enhances the traditional shawarma flavor even further and ensures the marinade penetrates the chicken more evenly. This is especially recommended if you don't have hours to marinate the chicken.
- If you decide to slice the chicken while raw, you can still prepare it on the grill using a grill basket (affiliate link).
- This marinade is also tasty when used to marinate beef, pork, and lamb.
- To transform this recipe from a chicken shawarma plate to a chicken shawarma wrap, just stuff all the tasty ingredients inside a flatbread or this lavash bread recipe. You can even use these sourdough discard tortillas!
- Another delicious salad to try with shawarma chicken is Lebanese tabbouleh.
Karen Young says
Wow!! We all love this Shawarma recipe!! We eat it often with Tzatziki and rice, as a bowl. I make several multiples of the seasoning, so I am always ready when the mood strikes. The ratio is one tablespoon to one pound of chicken. Thank you, Hilda!! (Also, we have shared this with many ppl, most recently our friend who are missionaries in Papua New Guinea)
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Karen, Your comment made my day, thank you!
Terry Smith says
I made it also and had enough to freeze the rice and vegetables. When I wanted to use up the leftovers I added cut up cooked chicken tenders. Yum!
Terry Smith says
Oops! I commented on the wrong recipe. I meant Spicy Vegan BiryaniRecipe. But I did make the chicken Shawarma a long time ago. It was very good.
Karen says
Hi,Hilda! I just began marinating the chicken for tonight and got a message that my guest has a cold and can't make it. Can I freeze the chicken in the marinade bag till they can come again? TIA!!
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Karen,
You sure can! Take care and stay well!
karen says
Made this last night. SOOO GOOD!! Hubs loved it so i made more seasoning this morning. Thx!! (Ps, I see you on the Assyrian cooking site! )
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Karen,
Thank you so much for the sweet review! I'm really glad you liked the Shawarma Chicken. Say hello next time! 🙂
Terry says
Wow, I have all that stuff! I’ll try it.
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Terry, yeah, I think you'll like it!
Kelly Methey says
Sounds delicious! I will have to try it or better yet have you make it for me! 🤣
Hilda Sterner says
Get your butt up to Montana and I will make it for you! 😍