Healthy Chicken Shawarma Recipe

This homemade chicken shawarma recipe is always on the list of my top signature recipes we’re most proud of. It’s super aromatic, full of exotic spices, and when wrapped in pita bread, it’s simply perfect. It’s no surprise then that I recommend it for World Food Day (October 16).

What is Shawarma?

Shawarma is a common name for dishes that have thin slices of shaved meat, such as beef, lamb, chicken, turkey, or veal.

It’s often served with pita bread, lots of vegetables, and a sauce of choice.

One reason it became famous is thanks to the cool rotating vertical spit. Layers of meat are grilled slowly and evenly, then shaved off.

The meat we use in today’s recipe is chicken. Either chicken breasts or thighs are fine, but thighs are juicier and that’s what we’re going with.

It’s a shame that we don’t own a revolving spit, so couldn’t do it the traditional way. But on the bright side, we can bake them in the oven and that’s more convenient for you too!

Is Chicken Shawarma Healthy?

This recipe corresponds with our healthy eating guidelines, based on the USDA’s guidelines and approved by prestigious nutritionists.

First, it yields around 497 calories, about 60% of which come from the chicken meat and healthy fats.

Also, the amount of saturated fat is moderate— 5 grams, less than 22% of what’s recommended every day. Its effects on our bodies are yet to be confirmed, so meanwhile, we’re keeping an eye on it.

And since overconsumption of sodium is linked to high blood pressure, we don’t add lots of salt to the seasoning mix. The sodium is thus kept at around 600 milligrams per serving.

Besides all that, our recipe offers a vast amount of vitamins B, C and A, and minerals like iron, magnesium, zinc, etc.

Shawarma Ingredients

Let’s have a look at what our recipe calls for:

1. Chicken

The only cut we find appropriate is the thigh. It’s juicier, more tender than the breast, and definitely more convenient than the leg and wing.

If you decide to use chicken breast because it’s more packed with protein, do expect drier meat. Chicken thigh may have less protein, but it’s not too little, and has amazing flavor.

With that said, we recommend this oven baked chicken breast recipe if you want to have chicken breast for dinner.

2. Shawarma Seasoning

The soul of authentic homemade chicken shawarma lies in the spices. The basic shawarma marinade includes cumin, turmeric powder, ground coriander, garlic, and paprika.

In this recipe, we also add a dash of lemon juice to make the meat more tender and aromatic.

3. Pita Bread

This yeast-leavened, round, flatbread is a popular carbohydrate source in Middle Eastern cuisine. Needless to say, it is a must for chicken shawarma.

You can either get store-bought or make the bread yourself, depending on your preference. We prefer homemade foods, but to skip the hassle, we chose to buy pita bread locally instead.

There are lots of brands and many of them are full of sodium, which we try to regulate. After lots of searching we picked out a lower-sodium option, mentioned in the recipe card.

If you can’t get the one we recommend, you can try using less salt to season the chicken.

4. Vegetables

Crisp cucumber, fresh lettuce, and tomatoes add both freshness and plenty of nutrients to this protein-dense meal.

To serve, treat them as you would in tacos: chop them into bite-sized pieces. We chopped the lettuce finely, sliced the cucumber thinly, and quartered the cherry tomatoes.

To add a creamy twist, we also use avocado in this recipe. It mellows out the intense flavor of the seasonings and most importantly, gives us lots of healthy fats.

Chicken Shawarma Sauce

As juicy as the chicken is, the shawarma wrap will turn out tastier with a complementing sauce.

1. Tahini Sauce

Tahini is a condiment made of toasted sesame seeds, finely blended with oil until they become a thick paste. It is seen as a unique part of Middle Eastern cuisine, included in many dishes.

To prepare the sauce, toast and blend the seeds, then simply add lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper to the paste and stir. If it’s too thick, continue to add lemon juice until it reaches a sauce-like consistency.

You should end up with a tangy, creamy, fragrant sauce.

2. Garlic Sauce

Also a staple of the cuisine, garlic sauce is really straightforward— a blend of garlic, salt, lemon juice, and oil. It’s recommended you use a neutral oil, so the flavor of the sauce won’t be too intense.

The sauce begins with chopping garlic finely using a strong food processor. Then, add half of the oil in slowly (like how you would when making mayonnaise) to gradually emulsify the sauce.

Finally, add lemon juice in (slowly) along with the rest of the oil, and season to taste.

3. White Sauce

Not to be confused with the Italian Béchamel sauce, this white sauce includes Greek yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, and seasonings. We used this in our recipe because it’s easy to make and requires simple ingredients.

To make the white sauce, chop the garlic finely and mix it with the other ingredients.

How to Make Chicken Shawarma

Here’s a summary:

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Marinate the chicken

Prepare the sauce

Sear the chicken

Cook the onion

Finish cooking in the oven

Garnish and serve

Tips for Making Juicy, Tender Meat

If not handled properly, chicken meat can become dry and tough instead of heavenly tender.

The secret is lemon. The lemon juice in the marinade contains acid that tenderizes the chicken meat and also makes it juicier.

And, never cut the meat before cooking. It may absorb flavor faster and cook faster that way, but the meat juice will evaporate more quickly as well, leaving you with dry chicken.

Chicken Shawarma Calories

As mentioned before, our recipe yields 500 calories per serving. Since most of the calories are from proteins and healthy fats, we want a side filled with healthy carbs.

To turn it into a 750-calorie meal and meet the health guideline criteria, we chose hummus. It’s a creamy, aromatic dip made of chickpeas, garlic, oil, lemon juice, and seasonings.

What to Serve with Chicken Shawarma

As a staple of Middle Eastern cuisine, chicken shawarma should always be accompanied by a side of hummus. It’s traditional to put hummus inside the pita bread and put the chicken on top.

But since there’s yogurt sauce for that, we cut up some celery and carrot sticks and served them with hummus, also upping the veg content.

Healthy Chicken Shawarma Recipe

5 from 3 votes

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This healthy chicken shawarma recipe is simple to make, and is perfect for any time of the day. Make some hummus and your meal is set!

Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 25 mins

Inactive Time 30 mins

Total Time 1 hr 15 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Middle East

Servings 4 servings

Calories 497kcal

Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 12 oz skinless boneless chicken thighs
• ▢ 10 oz onions sliced
• ▢ 1/2 tsp cumin
• ▢ 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• ▢ 1/2 tsp turmeric
• ▢ 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• ▢ 1/8 tsp cayenne powder
• ▢ 1/2 tsp table salt
• ▢ 1 tsp ground coriander seeds
• ▢ 2 tbsp lemon juice
• ▢ 3.5 tbsp olive oil divided into 1, 1 and 1.5
• ▢ 8 tsp garlic minced (divided into 5 and 3)
• ▢ 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
• ▢ 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• ▢ 3.5 oz Romaine lettuce washed and spin-dried
• ▢ 3.5 oz cherry tomatoes quartered
• ▢ 3.5 oz avocadoes sliced
• ▢ 4 oz cucumbers chopped
• ▢ 4 pita breads

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  
• Marinate the chicken with 5 tsp garlic, 1 tbsp olive oil, 6 tsp lemon juice, and the rest of the spices for 30 minutes.
  
• Make the sauce by mixing Greek yogurt, 1.5 tbsp olive oil, 3 tsp garlic, and crushed red pepper flakes. Refrigerate until needed.
  
• In a preheated cast-iron skillet, sear the marinated chicken over medium heat, 2.5 minutes on each side. Mix onions in with the rest of the marinade.
  
• Turn off the stove, take the chicken out and cook the onions with the marinade using only the residual heat in the pan, about 1 minute.
  
• Place the chicken back on top of the onions and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
  
• When it’s done, cut the chicken up and assemble it on pita bread to serve.
  

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Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Healthy Chicken Shawarma Recipe

Amount Per Serving (1 serving)

Calories 497 Calories from Fat 216

% Daily Value*

Fat 24g37%

Saturated Fat 5g31%

Trans Fat 1g

Polyunsaturated Fat 1g

Monounsaturated Fat 2g

Cholesterol 86mg29%

Sodium 604mg26%

Potassium 755mg22%

Carbohydrates 45g15%

Fiber 4g17%

Sugar 7g8%

Protein 30g60%

Vitamin A 2434IU49%

Vitamin C 20mg24%

Calcium 223mg22%

Iron 4mg22%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

FAQ

1. What Is the Difference between a Gyro and Shawarma?

To anyone who has tried a chicken gyro and shawarma, it is easy to spot similarities. Mixing up the two is common if you don’t pay close attention.

Both are a type of doner kebab— serving shaved meat, from a large turning meat cone, in pocket bread.

The difference is in the topping choices.

Traditionally, gyros are more commonly made of pork rather than chicken, lamb or beef. It’s wrapped in pita bread and has tzatziki sauce drizzled in.

Meanwhile, shawarma can be made of all sorts of meat, and calls for a whole range of toppings.

2. How Long Does It Last?

Cooked chicken shawarma can be stored in the fridge for up to two days.

Of course, keeping the thighs whole before sliding them into the fridge allows them to retain more moisture.

Also, you may want to refrigerate the vegetables and sauce in separate containers. If you cut up the avocados, use them straight away because they will turn brown after several hours.

3. Can You Freeze Chicken Shawarma?

Although reheated chicken isn’t as juicy as freshly-cooked, you can place them in Ziploc bags and freeze for longer use.

Instead of freezing cooked chicken, you can marinate a big batch, freeze half of it and use half of it. The longer it sits, the more flavor it has, so it’s a win-win situation.

However, if your chicken was frozen when you bought it and you let it thaw, do not refreeze it raw.