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Home » Recipes » Homemade Chicken Shawarma

Homemade Chicken Shawarma

11/18/20

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This chicken shawarma recipe comes complete with tabouli, homemade garlic sauce and pickled turnips, all stuffed into a warm pita.

chicken shawarma sandwich in a pita, wrapped in foil

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What is chicken shawarma made of?

Traditionally, shawarma is a dish with pieces of well-seasoned meat. The meat can be everything from lamb to chicken, beef or veal. The meat is stacked into a cone-like shape and then roasted in front of a fire on a spit. As the meat on the outside cooks, it is shaved off into thin slices, put into warm pita bread, and topped with a garlicky sauce and mixed veggies.

For my recipe below, thin pieces of spice-marinated chicken breasts are served with homemade tabouli and a creamy garlic sauce, but you could use a rotisserie and whole chicken to get a deeper flavor.

Is this chicken shawarma recipe healthy?

The take-out version of this dish is not always the healthiest (depends on the restaurant and the toppings). But I have found the perfect combination of amazing flavors and healthier ingredients. So, yes! This is a healthier meal you can enjoy any time of the week. Just go light on the garlic sauce and fries 😉

This Chicken Shawarma recipe comes complete with taboule, homemade vegan garlic sauce and pickled turnips all stuffed into a warm pita. It's a surprisingly healthy copy cat!

Ingredient substitutions

  • Pitas – Wrap the fillings up in any flatbread or even a tortilla.

Here's what you can substitute for the remaining ingredients and components of this recipe:

Chicken Shawarma Marinade

  • Chicken breast – Boneless, skinless chicken thighs work great in this recipe and are something I substitute all the time. Using fresh chicken tenders will also help you reduce your prep time.
  • Olive oil – Any light-flavored oil adds fat needed to keep the chicken moist when you grill it.
  • Spices – Turmeric adds the classic yellow color. Cumin, paprika, coriander, nutmeg, and cinnamon are the common spices used to flavor the shawarma. You can vary the amounts of each to your taste. Add some red pepper flakes if you like it on the spicy side.

Tabouli Recipe

  • Parsley – Use either flat or curly-leafed parsley.
  • Tomato – Fully ripe tomatoes work best. But in a pinch, use red bell peppers for extra crunch.
  • Yellow onion – Any type of onion will work. If you want something with a mild, sweet flavour, I recommend Vidalia onions.

Garlic Sauce

  • Soy milk – You really can't substitute any other type of milk here, as soy milk creates the thickness (trust me on this!)
  • Sunflower oil – A light oil can work for this sauce but you want to make sure it's got a neutral taste.
  • Garlic – Use more or less to your taste.
  • Lemon juice – Apple cider vinegar will work if you don’t have lemon.

One little hack I sometimes use and minimizes my prep time is ordering a little takeout container of garlic sauce from a shawarma restaurant.

I know this may seem like you're defeating the purpose of making the dish from home, but if you don't normally use up soy milk or won't go through a large amount of garlic sauce, this can be a great alternative to get the flavors at home without having to buy a bunch of special ingredients.

However, my garlic sauce recipe is SO GOOD you'll probably be looking for excuses to eat it up LOL. I know days after making this recipe I'm usually poking my head around the fridge trying to round up some vegetables to dip, so you have officially been warned how addictive it is…

overhead: ingredients to make a chicken shawarma recipe

Where do you find pickled turnips?

They can usually be found in specialty grocery stores or sometimes in the condiment aisle, near the pickles.

Pickled red cabbage is a great substitute and more readily available.

If you can’t find the turnips but really want to experience the dish in an authentic way, you can make your own fermented pickled turnips.

What to serve with shawarma

All by itself, the meal will probably be enough to fill you up. But if you want a full take-out experience, or if you happen to have a group of your friends over, here are some things you might serve with it:

  • Chopped vegetables
  • Rice pilaf or cauliflower rice
  • Chickpea Salad
  • Avocado hummus
  • Lentil soup
  • Falafel

overhead: thin slices of chicken and vegetables with tabouli on flat pita bread

Storing and reheating

Store the fillings separately in airtight containers. The tabouli and chicken will both last 3-4 days, and the garlic mayo should stay fresh for 7-10 days. Reheat the chicken in the microwave for 30 second intervals so you don’t overcook it, sprinkling some water overtop so it doesn't dry out.

You can also throw leftovers into a skillet and reheat them over medium low heat with a bit of water until warmed through.

Freezing the chicken

To prepare the chicken ahead of time, freeze it raw in the marinade in a plastic freezer bag. Take it out of the freezer the night before you want to cook it. It will marinate while it thaws. You can then cook the chicken fresh.

You can also freeze the cooked chicken in a freezer bag or glass bowls. Let the chicken defrost in the fridge overnight, and then reheat accordingly.

closeup of chicken shawarma with pickled turnips, tabouli, and garlic sauce

More takeout copycat recipes

  • Pulled Chicken Burrito
  • Sweetfire Chicken
  • Texas Cheese Fries

Tools to make this recipe

  • Save some prep time and order a shawarma spice blend
  • You can also order garlic sauce online
  • Get your square glass meal prep bowls here to store your leftovers.
  • And of course I get all my free-range chicken breasts from Butcher Box
Homemade Chicken Shawarma

Homemade Chicken Shawarma

This Chicken Shawarma recipe comes complete with taboule, homemade vegan garlic sauce and pickled turnips all stuffed into a warm pita.
4.67 from 3 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Lebanese
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 589kcal
Author: Taylor Stinson

Ingredients

  • 4 pitas
  • 1 cup chopped pickled turnips (if you're in a bind, use sliced normal pickles or pickled red cabbage)
  • 1/4 bag frozen fries

Taboule Recipe

  • 2 cups chopped parsley
  • 1 small field tomato diced and deseeded
  • 1 small red onion diced
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Chicken Shawarma Marinade

  • 1 lb chicken breasts or thighs
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp coriander
  • 1 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Garlic Sauce

  • 1/4 cup unsweetened plain soy milk
  • 1/2 cup sunflower oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 tsp lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

  • Mix together spices, lemon juice, olive oil and minced garlic. Cut chicken breasts in half, lengthwise down the middle. Pour spice mixture in large freezer bag or bowl with chicken and marinate for at least 15 minutes, and up to 24 hours.
  • Preheat BBQ to med-high. Grill chicken for 12-15 min, flipping halfway through. Alternatively, you can cook the chicken in an oven-safe dish at 400F for 15-20 min until cooked through.
  • Meanwhile, prepare taboule by mixing all ingredients together. Make garlic sauce by blending all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Finally, cook fries in the oven according to package directions (usually 15 minutes, flipping once).
  • At this point, everything should be ready to come together. Heat pitas in oven for a couple minutes to soften them. Thinly slice chicken. Top pitas with garlic sauce, chicken, taboule, pickled turnips and fries. Fold up into a wrap and enjoy!

Notes

Making pickled turnips is SO easy! Get my go-to pickled turnips recipe and make them 5 days in advance.

Nutrition

Calories: 589kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 1935mg | Potassium: 1151mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 3159IU | Vitamin C: 66mg | Calcium: 154mg | Iron: 5mg
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @GirlonBloor or tag #girlonbloor!

This chicken shawarma recipe comes complete with tabouli, homemade garlic sauce and pickled turnips, all stuffed into a warm pita. #chickenshawarma This chicken shawarma recipe comes complete with tabouli, homemade garlic sauce and pickled turnips, all stuffed into a warm pita. #chickenshawarma This chicken shawarma recipe comes complete with tabouli, homemade garlic sauce and pickled turnips, all stuffed into a warm pita. #chickenshawarma This chicken shawarma recipe comes complete with tabouli, homemade garlic sauce and pickled turnips, all stuffed into a warm pita. #chickenshawarma

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About Taylor Stinson

Hey there, my name's Taylor! I’m the founder of The Girl on Bloor, a food blog where I share healthy meal prep recipes for busy people. I'm a busy city girl living in downtown Toronto on (you guessed it!) Bloor Street. I've got 10 years experience meal prepping, along with a Master's degree in journalism, and you can find my work across the internet featured on publications such as Buzzfeed, HuffPost, Women's Health, Reader's Digest and more. I also run the awesome 5-Day Meal Prep Challenge, which is a free email course and Facebook group where I share my meal planning strategies and easy meal prep tips and recipes. Be sure to check out my free beginner’s guide to meal prep and follow me on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram to get my latest recipes and meal prep tips!

Comments

  1. Bill Mcgarrity says

    July 12, 2020 at 09:15

    Where can you buy pickled turnips in the downtown area! Thanks

    Reply
    • Taylor Stinson says

      July 13, 2020 at 08:22

      Hey Bill – I usually find them at the Loblaws at Church and Carlton in Toronto!

      Reply

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Taylor Stinson

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I'm Taylor Stinson, a busy city girl living in downtown Toronto. Looking to switch up your weekly meal prep routine? I've got you covered with healthy recipes and meal planning resources. Join 1.5 million other monthly readers and dive in! MORE ABOUT ME..

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