My Oven Baked Chicken Shawarma recipe gives you tender chicken thighs with plenty of flavor and lightly browned edges. It is an easy way to make this popular Middle Eastern street food at home without needing a vertical rotisserie.
The chicken stays juicy, slices well, and works beautifully tucked into warm Pita Bread with Pickled Cabbage, fresh salad, and Shawarma Sauce. I often make extra because leftover chicken is perfect for chicken shawarma bowls the next day with rice, hummus, crunchy vegetables, and a little extra sauce.
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You can prepare the chicken in advance, then cook it when you are ready for dinner. It is simple enough for a weekday meal but has enough flavor to put out for family or friends.
What Is Shawarma?
Shawarma is a popular Middle Eastern street food made with marinated meat cooked slowly on a vertical rotating spit. Chicken, lamb, beef, or veal are stacked in layers, and the cooked outside is shaved into thin slices as the spit turns.
It is usually served in flatbread or pita with pickles, salad, garlic sauce, tahini sauce, or chili sauce.
Shawarma is closely related to Turkish döner kebab and Greek gyro because all three use seasoned meat cooked on a vertical spit. The spices, sauces, and fillings are different, which gives each one its own flavor and style.
This homemade chicken shawarma recipe gives you a similar result using an oven-safe skillet and a regular oven.
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 - Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are the best choice for this recipe. They stay juicy in the oven and have more flavor than chicken breast. You can use chicken breast, but it cooks more quickly and can dry out if left in the oven too long. Check it early with a meat thermometer if you decide to use it.
- Garlic - Fresh garlic gives the marinade its main savory flavor. Finely grate it or crush it into a paste so it mixes evenly through the tomato paste and spices.
- Tomato paste - Tomato paste adds color and a deeper savory taste to the chicken. You only need a small amount, as it is quite concentrated.
- Olive oil - Use mild olive oil for the marinade. It helps coat the chicken and keeps the spices evenly distributed.
- Milk - I also add a little milk. It loosens the tomato paste and makes a smooth marinade that clings well to the chicken thighs. I prefer milk here because yogurt can catch in a hot skillet.
- Spices - The spice mix is made with ground coriander, paprika, black pepper, chili flakes, and salt. It is not overly hot, but you can add more chili flakes if you prefer a little more heat.
How To Make Oven Baked Chicken Shawarma
Add the garlic, ground coriander, paprika, black pepper, salt, chili flakes, olive oil, tomato paste, and milk to a large bowl.
Mix until the tomato paste is fully combined and the marinade is smooth. Add the chicken thighs to the bowl and turn them until they are fully coated.
Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. For more flavor, leave the chicken overnight and cook it the following day. Do not leave the chicken in the marinade for longer than 24 hours. The texture can become too soft after that.
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
Place a large oven safe skillet or heavy based pan over medium high heat. Add the chicken thighs in a single layer and cook for about 1 minute on each side until lightly browned.
Use a large enough skillet so the chicken has room. Cook in batches if necessary, as overcrowding the pan can stop the chicken from browning properly.
You are not trying to cook the chicken through at this stage. The skillet is only there to give the outside some color before baking.
Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake the chicken for 14 to 15 minutes.
The chicken is ready when the thickest part reaches 165°F (74°C). Use a meat thermometer rather than relying only on cooking time, as chicken thighs can vary in size.
Take the skillet out of the oven and let the chicken rest for 5 minutes. Slice the chicken thighs thinly.
Return the sliced chicken to the skillet and cook over medium high heat for another 2 to 3 minutes. This gives the sliced edges more color and helps recreate the texture you get with shawarma meat shaved from a rotisserie.
Serve the Chicken Shawarma on a plate or wrapped in pita bread, and enjoy with your favorite toppings and sauces.
Recipe Tips From the Chef
- Use boneless chicken thighs if you can. They are more forgiving than chicken breast and stay tender at the high oven temperature.
- Keep the garlic very finely grated or crushed. Larger pieces can catch in the skillet and burn before the chicken is ready.
- Let the chicken rest before slicing. This gives the juices time to settle back into the meat and keeps the chicken moist.
- If you do not have an oven safe skillet, brown the chicken in a regular skillet and transfer it to a baking dish. Scrape any browned bits and juices from the skillet into the dish with the chicken.
- Do not use leftover marinade after the chicken has been sitting in it. Discard anything left in the bowl after you transfer the chicken to the skillet.
- Use a meat thermometer to make sure that the core temperature of chicken thighs reaches 165°F (74°C).
How To Serve Chicken Shawarma
Chicken shawarma is usually served in warm pita bread or flatbread with crunchy vegetables, pickles, and sauce.
For wraps, fill warm flatbread with sliced chicken, shredded lettuce, sliced tomatoes, cucumber, pickles, and red onion. Add a spoonful of shawarma sauce, Toum, Sumac Onions, Lebanese Cabbage Salad, or Acili Ezme Salad.
Chicken Shawarma Bowls
Chicken shawarma bowls are a good option when you do not want to use pita bread.
Start with rice, bulgur, couscous, or quinoa. Add chopped lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, hummus, pickled red cabbage, and sumac onions.
Top the bowl with sliced chicken shawarma and finish with Shawarma White Sauce, tahini sauce, or a little chili sauce.
You can also add Marinated Olives, fresh parsley, Air Fryer Pita Chips, or a spoonful of Lebanese Fattoush Salad. Leftover chicken works especially well here because it reheats quickly and gives you a completely different meal the next day.
Make Ahead, Storage, and Reheating
You can marinate the chicken up to 24 hours ahead. Keep it covered in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook.
Let cooked chicken shawarma cool completely before storing it. Keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
For longer storage, freeze the cooked chicken in a freezer safe container for up to 2 months. Defrost it overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
To reheat in the oven, place the chicken in an oven safe dish and cover it loosely with aluminum foil. Warm it at 325°F (163°C) for 15 to 20 minutes, until hot throughout.
For slightly crisp edges, reheat the chicken in an air fryer at 350°F (177°C) for 3 to 5 minutes. Check it after 3 minutes so it does not dry out.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can use chicken breast. It is leaner than thigh meat and cooks more quickly, so start checking the internal temperature a few minutes earlier. Remove it from the oven as soon as it reaches 165°F (74°C).
A chicken shawarma bowl usually starts with rice, bulgur, couscous, or quinoa. Add salad, hummus, pickles, sumac onions, and sliced chicken shawarma. Finish with white sauce, garlic sauce, tahini sauce, or chili sauce.
Slicing the chicken and cooking it for a few more minutes gives the edges more color. It also creates thinner pieces of chicken that work better in pita wraps and chicken shawarma bowls.
Related Recipes
For more delicious Middle Eastern chicken recipes 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 Homemade Oven-baked Chicken Shawarma as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂
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Oven Baked Chicken Shawarma Recipe
Ingredients
- 28 oz boneless chicken thighs (800 grams)
- 2 garlic cloves (minced)
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon chili flakes
- 1 tablespoon good quality olive oil
- ½ tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
- Add the garlic, ground coriander, paprika, black pepper, salt, chili flakes, olive oil, tomato paste, and milk to a large bowl. Mix until well combined.
- Add the chicken thighs and turn them until they are fully coated in the marinade.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Heat a large oven-safe skillet or heavy-based pan over medium high heat.
- Add the chicken thighs in a single layer and sear for about 1 minute on each side until lightly browned.
- Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 14 to 15 minutes, until the thickest part of the chicken reaches 165°F (74°C).
- Remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes.
- Slice the chicken thinly. Return it to the skillet and cook over medium high heat for another 2 to 3 minutes.
- Serve the chicken in warm pita bread with salad, pickles, and Shawarma White Sauce. You can also use it for chicken shawarma bowls with rice, hummus, vegetables, pickles, and sauce.
Notes
- Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are best for this recipe because they stay juicy in the oven and are less likely to dry out. You can use chicken breast, but start checking it a few minutes earlier as it cooks faster.
- Marinate the chicken for at least 2 hours. Overnight gives the garlic, tomato paste, and spices more time to flavor the meat. Do not leave it in the marinade for longer than 24 hours, as the chicken can become too soft.
- Use a large skillet and avoid overcrowding it. Cook the chicken in batches if needed so the thighs can brown properly before going into the oven.
- The chicken does not need to be cooked through during the searing stage. Brown it for around 1 minute on each side, then transfer the skillet to the oven to finish cooking.
- Use a meat thermometer to check that the thickest part of the chicken has reached 165°F (74°C). Cooking times can vary slightly depending on the size of the chicken thighs and the type of skillet you use.
- Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before slicing. This keeps it juicy and makes it easier to cut into thin strips.
- Returning the sliced chicken to the skillet for 2 to 3 minutes is important. It gives the edges more color and helps create the thin, lightly browned pieces you expect from chicken shawarma.
- If you do not have an oven-safe skillet, brown the chicken in a regular skillet, then transfer it to a baking dish with any juices from the pan before placing it in the oven.
- Discard any marinade left in the bowl after adding the chicken to the skillet. It has been in contact with raw chicken and should not be used as a sauce.
- For chicken shawarma bowls, serve the sliced chicken over rice, bulgur, couscous, or quinoa with hummus, chopped salad, pickled red cabbage, sumac onions, and Shawarma White Sauce.
- Store leftover cooked chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat it in a skillet, oven, or air fryer until hot throughout.
Sonya says
This recipe is delicious! It was easy enough to make which is a plus and it turned out great! Thank you, Ayla!
Ayla Clulee says
Hi Sonya,
It’s my pleasure! Thank you so much for your kind words. I’m so glad to hear that it turned out delicious for you!
Best wishes,
Ayla
Kristin says
So good! Made this tonight and served it over pita bread with your pickled cabbage, fattoush salad, hummus and the addition of pickles. I don't know why I never thought about adding pickles, but it made it seriously awesome. My only regret was not spending the time to do make the toum.
Ayla Clulee says
Thank you, Kristin! That sounds amazing, and I love the idea of adding pickles—it really does make a difference. Toum is definitely worth trying next time, but it sounds like your meal was already fantastic!
Best wishes
Ayla x
Sheri says
This recipe is perfect, it came out great!