This Chicken Doner Kebab Recipe is made with layers of marinated chicken, stacked on a skewer and carved off in thin slices as the edges brown.
Known as Tavuk Döner in Turkey, it uses boneless chicken thighs and a simple yogurt marinade. It cooks in the oven or on the BBQ, and one skewer feeds 4.
Jump to:
- What Is Chicken Doner (Tavuk Doner)?
- Difference Between Doner, Shawarma, and Gyro
- Ingredients You'll Need
- How to Make Chicken Doner Kebab - Tavuk Döner at Home?
- How to Serve Chicken Doner Kebab
- Recipe Tips From the Chef
- Storage and Make Ahead Instructions
- Recipe FAQs
- Related Recipes
- Chicken Doner - Tavuk Döner
The chicken needs a few hours in the marinade, but after that there's very little work left. It might look like something only a kebab shop can pull off, but you don't need a rotisserie to make it at home.
Just like Doner Kebab and Iskender Kebab, making it at home lets you choose exactly what goes into it.
What Is Chicken Doner (Tavuk Doner)?
Chicken doner is marinated chicken pieces stacked in layers on a vertical spit and roasted as it turns. The cook carves thin slices off the outside as they brown, and the stack keeps cooking. In Turkey it's everyday food, eaten in bread or over rice, usually without any sauce.
Döner means "turning" in Turkish, named for the way the meat cooks on the spit. Tavuk means chicken, so tavuk döner is simply the chicken version.
Difference Between Doner, Shawarma, and Gyro
Doner, shawarma, and gyro have some similarities, each with its roots in a different region. Doner is Turkish, shawarma is Middle Eastern, and gyro is Greek.
They all start with seasoned meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie and served in flatbread or over rice. The big difference is in the seasonings and extras, which reflect the flavors of their home regions.
If you want to try the Middle Eastern side, my Oven Baked Chicken Shawarma is the one to make.
Ingredients You'll Need
Please scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredients list with measurements, complete recipe method, recipe notes, and nutritional information.
- Chicken thighs - The best type of chicken for Doner Kebab is boneless, skinless chicken thigh meat. They have a higher fat content than chicken breast and are far more tender than other cuts.
- Tomato, parsley, onion - I finely blitz them to add extra flavor to the marinade.
- Yogurt - It helps tenderize the chicken, making it melt in the mouth. You can use milk instead if you prefer.
- Olive oil - I use cooking olive oil instead of extra virgin olive oil for the marinade. It provides flavor to the chicken thighs and helps keep them moist.
- Tomato paste - It is my favorite ingredient, especially when cooking Middle Eastern and Turkish dishes. Tomato paste adds an umami flavor to the chicken as well as a bright red color.
- Seasoning - I use a simple spice blend of salt, freshly ground black pepper, paprika, garlic powder, chili flakes, and thyme.
How to Make Chicken Doner Kebab - Tavuk Döner at Home?
Prepare the Marinade
Blitz the tomato, onion, and parsley to a smooth purée. Place the purée into a bowl along with yogurt, olive oil, garlic powder, tomato paste, freshly ground black pepper, salt, paprika, flaked chili, and dried thyme.
Mix everything until well combined, then add the chicken thighs, tossing them until they’re fully coated with the marinade.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the chicken marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. For the best flavor, let it marinate overnight.
Soak 2 bamboo skewers in water during the marinating time.
Build the Chicken Doner Kebab
Push half an onion onto two skewers that have been soaked, making sure the flat side rests on a flat surface.
Start threading the chicken thighs onto the skewers, pressing each piece tightly together in layers.
Once done, secure the stack with the other half of the onion on top. Keep your oven's or BBQ lid's height in mind before you start skewering the chicken.
If you're using a BBQ to cook your chicken doner, place it in a disposable aluminum tray. If you're cooking it in the oven, you can use a baking tray instead.
Cooking the Tavuk Doner on BBQ
Heat the grill to 205° C - 400° F, which is medium-high on most grills. Place the aluminum tray with the chicken doner on the grill and close the lid.
Let it cook for about 1 hour, until nicely charred and well-cooked on the outside. Remove the tray from the BBQ and slice off the outer layers of the chicken doner.
Place the doner back on the grill and continue cooking. You might need to repeat this process a few times, depending on the thickness of your chicken doner.
Once all the chicken doner is cooked and sliced, return the slices to the aluminum tray and warm them up before serving.
Cooking the Tavuk Doner in Oven
Set your oven to 205° C - 400° F. Place the prepared chicken doner stack into a large baking tray with edges or walls. Remove all the oven racks except the lowest one so the base of your doner doesn't touch the oven floor.
Place the tray with the chicken doner in the oven and cook for 35-40 minutes, until the outer layers are nicely charred. Remove the tray from the oven and slice off the outer layers of the chicken doner.
Return the doner to the oven and continue cooking. You may need to repeat this process a few times, depending on the thickness of your chicken doner.
Once all the chicken doner is cooked and sliced, place the slices back in the baking tray and warm them in the hot oven before serving.
How to Serve Chicken Doner Kebab
Briefly warm your flatbreads in a dry pan or directly over a gas flame for a few seconds on each side.
Place a few slices of chicken in the center of each flatbread. Top with slices of tomato, cucumber, grilled green pepper, and Sumac Onions, and drizzle on a generous amount of Shawarma Sauce over the top. I sometimes add Pickled Cabbage for extra tanginess.
Fold the flatbread around the filling and serve immediately. If you like, wrap the kebab in parchment paper to make it easier to eat.
Rolled up in thin lavaş, this wrap is called a dürüm in Turkey. For a doner plate instead, pile the carved chicken over rice and serve the salad and grilled peppers on the side.
Recipe Tips From the Chef
- I prefer using chicken thighs as they are generally more flavorful and juicier than chicken breasts.
- The longer the chicken marinates, the more flavorful it will be. Give it at least 4 hours, and overnight if you can. Do not marinate longer than 24 hours.
- If you have access to a grill, cook the chicken on it instead of roasting. It adds a nice char and smoky flavor.
- Keep your oven's or BBQ lid's height in mind before you start skewering the chicken.
- Carve only the browned outer layer each time, using a sharp knife. The inside finishes cooking as the stack goes back in.
- Spoon the tray juices over the carved slices before serving. They keep the chicken moist and carry a lot of flavor.
Storage and Make Ahead Instructions
You can marinate the chicken a day ahead and keep it covered in the fridge until you're ready to build the skewer. The marinated raw chicken freezes well for up to 2 months. Thaw it in the fridge before cooking.
Store the cooked chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. For longer storage, you can freeze the cooked chicken. Place it in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.
You can reheat the chicken in a preheated oven at 180° C - 356° F for about 10 minutes or until heated through.
Recipe FAQs
Chicken doner is layers of marinated chicken cooked as one stack and carved off in thin slices. Chicken shish is cubes of chicken grilled on separate skewers, so the pieces stay whole. The marinades can be similar. The cut and the way they cook are what set them apart.
Chicken breast is the usual reason, since it has much less fat than thigh meat. The other cause is leaving the stack in too long between carves. Slice off the browned layer as soon as it is ready, and spoon the tray juices over the slices.
Boneless, skinless chicken thighs. They have more fat than breast, so they stay juicy through the long cooking. Breast works if you prefer a leaner kebab.
Yes. This recipe stacks the chicken on skewers and roasts it in the oven or on a covered BBQ. Carving the outer layer in rounds gives you the same effect as the turning spit.
Related Recipes
For more delicious and famous Turkish kebab recipes to try at home, why not try:
Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.
I hope you enjoy the process of making this popular Turkish street food Chicken Doner Kebab - Tavuk Döner at home as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂
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Chicken Doner - Tavuk Döner
Ingredients
- 1¾ lbs chicken thighs (800 grams)
- 2 small tomatoes
- 1 medium onion
- ¼ bunch flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 2 tablespoon yogurt
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon chili flakes
- 1 large onion (cut in half)
Instructions
Prepare the Marinade
- Blitz the tomato, onion, and parsley to a smooth purée.
- Place the purée into a bowl along with yogurt, olive oil, garlic powder, tomato paste, freshly ground black pepper, salt, paprika, flaked chili, and dried thyme.
- Mix everything until well combined, then add the chicken thighs, tossing them until they’re fully coated with the marinade.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the chicken marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. For the best flavor, let it marinate overnight.
- Soak 2 bamboo skewers in water during the marinating time.
Build the Chicken Doner Kebab
- Push half an onion onto two skewers that have been soaked, making sure the flat side rests on a flat surface.
- Start threading the chicken thighs onto the skewers, pressing each piece tightly together in layers. Once done, secure the stack with the other half of the onion on top. Keep your oven's or BBQ lid's height in mind before you start skewering the chicken.
- If you're using a BBQ to cook your chicken doner, place it in a disposable aluminum tray. If you're cooking it in the oven, you can use a baking tray instead.
Cooking the Tavuk Doner on BBQ
- Heat the grill to 205° C - 400° F, which is medium-high on most grills.
- Place the aluminum tray with the chicken doner on the grill and close the lid. Let it cook for about 1 hour, until nicely charred and well-cooked on the outside.
- Remove the tray from the BBQ and slice off the outer layers of the chicken doner.
- Place the doner back on the grill and continue cooking. You might need to repeat this process a few times, depending on the thickness of your chicken doner.
- Once all the chicken doner is cooked and sliced, return the slices to the aluminum tray and warm them up before serving.
Cooking the Tavuk Doner in Oven
- Set your oven to 205° C - 400° F.
- Place the prepared chicken doner stack into a large baking tray with edges or walls.
- Remove all the oven racks except the lowest one so the base of your doner doesn't touch the oven floor.
- Place the tray with the chicken doner in the oven and cook for 35-40 minutes, until the outer layers are nicely charred.
- Remove the tray from the oven and slice off the outer layers of the chicken doner.
- Return the doner to the oven and continue cooking. You may need to repeat this process a few times, depending on the thickness of your chicken doner.
- Once all the chicken doner is cooked and sliced, place the slices back in the baking tray and warm them in the hot oven before serving.
How to Serve Chicken Doner Kebab
- Briefly warm your flatbreads in a dry pan or directly over a gas flame for a few seconds on each side.
- Place a few slices of chicken in the center of each flatbread. Top with slices of tomato, cucumber, lettuce, and Sumac Onions - Turkish Red Onion Salad. I sometimes add Pickled Red Cabbage for extra tanginess.
- I usually skip the sauce but you can add a drizzle of garlic yogurt sauce or tahini sauce over the top. You can make your own garlic yogurt sauce by mixing plain yogurt with minced garlic, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt.
- Fold the flatbread around the filling and serve immediately. If you like, you can also wrap the kebab in parchment paper to make it easier to eat.
Notes
- I prefer using chicken thighs as they are more flavorful and juicier than chicken breasts. Breast works if you prefer a leaner kebab.
- The longer the chicken marinates, the more flavorful it will be. Give it at least 4 hours, and overnight if you can. Do not marinate longer than 24 hours.
- You can marinate the chicken a day ahead, and the marinated raw chicken freezes for up to 2 months.
- If you have access to a grill, cook the chicken on it instead of roasting. It adds a nice char and smoky flavor.
- Keep your oven's or BBQ lid's height in mind before you start skewering the chicken.
- Carve only the browned outer layer each time, using a sharp knife. The inside finishes cooking as the stack goes back in.
- Spoon the tray juices over the carved slices before serving. They keep the chicken moist and carry a lot of flavor.
- Store the cooked chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze it for up to 3 months.
- Reheat in a preheated 180° C - 356° F oven for about 10 minutes, until heated through.
Liliana says
The whole family loved it! It was so easy to make it in the oven but I will give it a go on the BBQ when the summer is back. Thank you for sharing it!
Ayla Clulee says
Hi Liliana,
Thank you so much for your lovely comment, it made my day!
Best wishes
Ayla x
Ally says
I really wanted to love this, but the ingredient list didn't have salt and as a result I didn't add any and the chicken was quite bland. After re-reading the instructions it does mention to add salt. I ended up having to add it after the fact.
Ayla Clulee says
Hi Ally,
Thank you for your feedback, and I apologize for the oversight. The salt was missing from the ingredients list, even though it was mentioned a few times in the instructions. I’ve updated the recipe to include it and to ensure this doesn't happen again. I appreciate you bringing this to my attention and hope you'll give the recipe another try with the adjustment.
Best wishes
Ayla