Description
Chicken shawarma with garlic sauce brings together marinated, seasoned chicken with a creamy garlic punch that your family keeps coming back for. Spiced meat piled into warm pitas with sauce and fresh toppings makes weeknight dinner something you actually look forward to.
Ingredients
Scale
Protein:
- 2 pounds chicken thighs
Spices and Seasonings:
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ground paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Sauce and Marinade:
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup plain yogurt
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
Instructions
- Combine 4 minced garlic cloves, 1/4 cup plain yogurt, 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tsp ground cumin, 2 tsp ground paprika, 1 tsp ground turmeric, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp black pepper in a bowl, whisking everything together until smooth.
- Place your 2 lbs of chicken thighs into the marinade and turn them to coat all sides evenly.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour so the flavors penetrate the meat.
- Heat your grill or oven to 400°F and let it reach temperature before cooking.
- Transfer your marinated chicken thighs to the grill or oven rack and cook for 6 minutes on the first side at 400°F.
- Flip each piece and continue cooking for another 6-8 minutes at 400°F until the internal temperature reaches 165°F and the juices run clear.
- While your chicken cooks, blend 1/4 cup mayonnaise with 4 minced garlic cloves in a small bowl until the sauce is creamy and well combined.
- Once the chicken finishes cooking, let it rest for a few minutes on a cutting board.
- Slice the cooled chicken against the grain into thin strips about 1/4 inch wide.
- Arrange your sliced chicken in warm pita bread and drizzle generously with the garlic mayo sauce before adding your preferred toppings.
Notes
- Marinating your chicken for at least two hours instead of one gives the spices deeper flavor, and overnight marination works beautifully if your schedule allows it.
- Chicken thighs stay juicier than breasts during cooking, so stick with thighs even though they take a couple extra minutes to cook through.
- For a dairy-free version, replace the yogurt marinade with equal parts olive oil and lemon juice, then use tahini mixed with garlic and lemon for your sauce instead of the garlic mayo.
- Let your cooked chicken rest for five minutes before slicing so the juices stay inside the meat rather than running onto your cutting board.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 12-16 minutes
- Category: Roasted Chicken
- Method: Grilling
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 465 kcal
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 730 mg
- Fat: 38 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 29 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 3 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 28 g
- Cholesterol: 115 mg