This easy recipe for grilled Chicken Shawarma Kebabs can be made with either boneless chicken breasts or thighs and makes a delicious summer dish. Serve these chicken kebabs with tahini sauce and a side salad such as this Tabbouleh or this refreshing Cucumber Yogurt Salad.
Perfect for your next barbecue, these chicken shawarma kebabs are made of chicken breast pieces that are seasoned with a delicious combination of spices traditionally used for chicken shawarma.
In the Middle-East, shawarma is made by layering and cooking the seasoned meat on a vertical rotisserie spit. Thin slices of meat are then cut off the outer layer and piled on to pita bread with your choice of chopped lettuce, sliced tomatoes, onions, pickles, chopped parsley and a hefty amount of tahini sauce!
How to Make it
Making this chicken shawarma recipe is easy and takes very little hands on time. The spices used for the marinade, combined with olive oil and a bit of lemon juice help ensure tender and flavourful chicken kebabs.
Please see the recipe card at the end of the post for ingredient amounts.
Ingredients Overview:
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs.
- Olive oil
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Garlic cloves
- Spices - You'll need allspice, cardamom, cinnamon, paprika, cumin and salt.
Steps Overview:
The longer you marinate the chicken pieces the more flavourful the kebabs will be. Anywhere from 3 hours to overnight will produce tender and tasty chicken.
- Prepare the marinade for chicken shawarma by combining the spices, salt, lemon juice, garlic paste and olive oil in a large bowl.
- Cut the chicken breasts or thighs into bite-sized pieces and add them to the marinade. Mix well, cover the bowl and refrigerate.
- Remove the marinated chicken from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before you are ready to grill and thread the chicken pieces onto skewers. You can use metal or wooden skewers, but remember to soak wood skewers in water for at least 30 minutes before using them, this prevents the wood skewers from burning too quickly.
- Prepare your charcoal or gas grill. If you're using a gas grill, preheat it to medium-high heat, and brush the grill with oil. Grill the chicken kebabs on a hot grill for about 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until golden and cooked through.
Serving Suggestions
Chicken Shawarma Kebabs can be served as part of a chicken shawarma platter with pita bread, sliced tomatoes, red onion, chopped lettuce, parsley and tahini sauce. You can also serve it with sliced radishes, pickled turnips or pickles. Chicken shawarma can also be enjoyed in a pita wrap.
Storage Instructions
Store any leftover Middle-Eastern chicken kebabs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. If you need to store shawarma kebabs for longer, they can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
Tahini sauce can also be stored in the refrigerator for up to 10 days and can be used to drizzle on falafel, fish, roasted vegetables, especially roasted broccoli and cauliflower, and can even be used as a salad dressing.
Grilled Kafta Kebabs (made with ground meat) is another popular Middle-Eastern dish. They are incredibly easy to prepare and make a tasty summer meal. Enjoy!
More Summertime Favorites
- Fattoush
- Hummus
- Plum Upside-Down Cake
- Peach and Blueberry Cake
- Lemon Zucchini Loaf
- Blueberry Lemon Cobbler
Chicken Shawarma Kebabs
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken breasts boneless, skinless
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 5 large garlic cloves
- 1-1/4 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon cardamom
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon cumin
Instructions
- Prepare the marinade for chicken shawarma by combining the spices, salt, lemon juice, garlic paste and olive oil in a large bowl.
- Cut the chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces and add them to the marinade. Mix well, cover the bowl and refrigerate.
- Remove the marinated chicken from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before you are ready to grill and thread the chicken pieces onto skewers.
- Prepare your charcoal or gas grill. If you're using a gas grill, preheat it to medium-high heat, and brush the grill with oil.
- Grill the chicken kebabs on a hot grill for about 4 to 5 minutes. Rotate kebabs and grill for another 3 to 4 minutes until golden and cooked through. *Cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of the pieces of chicken and the grilling temperature.
- Serve hot with tahini sauce.
Notes
- The longer you marinate the chicken pieces the more flavourful the shawarma kebabs will be. Anywhere from 3 hours to overnight will produce tender and tasty chicken.
- If using wood skewers, soak them in water for at least 30 minutes before using them, this will prevent the wood skewers from burning too quickly.
- Note that the nutrition information is for chicken kebabs only and does not include tahini sauce or sides used to accompany the shawarma kebabs.