With Creamy Garlic Tahini Sauce
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These chicken shawarma kebabs make a delicious dinner with hardly any work! Marinate the chicken in yogurt and spices for a couple hours and then skewer them for grilling. I like to serve them with an easy, creamy garlic tahini sauce, fresh veggies, warmed flatbreads and topped with pickled red onions.
I always love grabbing chicken shawarma from street carts in the city or at a Halal or Mediterranean restaurant. But always thought it was too difficult to make myself. Well when I actually attempted it, I found that its super easy. Of course I do not have a vertical rotisserie to make it super authentic. But the spices are at least spot on! And actually, I think this kebab method is as close to the vertical rotisserie that most people can easily achieve at home anyways.
The Spices
- Coriander
- Cumin
- Turmeric
- Paprika
- Cinnamon
- Clove
- Chilli Powder
The Method
Traditionally, shawarma is cooked on a vertical rotisserie, where thin slices of meat are stacked into a cone shaped and slow roasted. I tried to be as authentic to this method with the tools that I had at home: skewers and a grill!
So I cut the chicken into small pieces and marinated them for a few hours. Once ready to cook, just skewer the chicken and grill the skewers.
Once the chicken is grilled, it is important to let the chicken rest for a few minutes. At this point, you can just hand everyone a skewer or remove the chicken from the skewers, or even thinly slice the chicken to better replicate shawarma.
I like to have these with a quick garlicky tahini sauce!
Enjoy! These chicken shawarma kebabs are great as is as a low carb dinner or in a flatbread for a hearty hand held sandwich.
Chicken Shawarma Kebabs with Creamy Garlic Tahini Sauce
Ingredients
Chicken Shawarma
- 2 lbs chicken boneless skinless thighs, cut into 2-inch pieces
- ⅓ cup Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground clove
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
- 3 cloves garlic grated
- 1 onion cut into 1 inch cubes
Creamy Garlic Tahini Sauce
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ lemon juice of
- ½ cup tahini paste
- ½ Greek Yogurt
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
Additional Ingredients for Serving
- lettuce chopped
- tomatoes thinly sliced
- cucumbers thinly sliced
- flatbreads or naan
Instructions
Chicken Shawarma
- In a large bowl, mix together Greek yogurt, lemon juice, garlic and all spices to make the marinade. Add chicken and onion, toss everything to coat. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, up to overnight.
- Skewer the marinated chicken on skewers. I like to place the chicken close together to replicate a shawarma spit. Grill the chicken on medium high heat until the temperature reads 165°F. Let the skewers rest for at least 10 minutes before serving
- Serve with tahini sauce (see recipe below), flatbreads, lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers
Creamy Garlic Tahini Sauce
- In a small bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients for the sauce until smooth.
- Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.
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