The best chicken shawarma I ever ate was from a tiny cart in Beirut, wrapped in butcher paper, dripping garlic sauce down my arm. I've been trying to recreate it at home for a decade.
This is the closest I've come. The marinade is heavy on yogurt (it tenderises), lemon (it brightens), and a big hit of cumin, paprika and allspice for that unmistakable shawarma smell. It roasts in a hot oven until the edges get properly crisp and charred — no spit required.
Toum is the other half of the story. A cloud-white, punchy garlic sauce that you slather on before wrapping. Non-negotiable.
Why home cooks love this recipe
- The yogurt marinade tenderises chicken thighs into pure butter.
- Roasts in a single tray — no grill or rotisserie needed.
- Toum keeps in the fridge for 2 weeks; make a jar for the week.
Ingredients
- 800g boneless chicken thighs
- For marinade: ½ cup yogurt, 3 tbsp olive oil, juice of 1 lemon
- 3 tbsp shawarma spice (or: 2 tsp cumin + 2 tsp paprika + 1 tsp allspice + 1 tsp coriander + ½ tsp cinnamon)
- 6 garlic cloves, crushed
- Salt, black pepper
- For toum: 1 head garlic + 1 cup neutral oil + juice of ½ lemon + salt
- To serve: warm flatbreads, pickled turnips, sliced tomato, parsley
Method
- Whisk marinade ingredients together. Add chicken, coat well. Marinate at least 2 hours, ideally overnight.
- Preheat oven to 220°C. Spread chicken on a lined tray in a single layer.
- Roast 25–30 minutes until edges are deeply charred and juices run clear.
- Meanwhile make toum: blend peeled garlic with salt and lemon juice into a paste. With blender running, add oil in a THIN, slow stream — this emulsifies into a fluffy white sauce.
- Rest chicken 5 minutes, then slice thinly.
- Warm flatbreads. Spread toum, pile with chicken, tomato, pickles and parsley. Roll tight, slice in half, eat immediately.
Chef's tip
For toum, the oil MUST be drizzled in slowly — like making mayonnaise. Rush it and the sauce breaks. If it does break, save it: use as a marinade for the next batch of chicken.
If you make this recipe, we'd love to see it — tag @saveur or drop a photo in our reader gallery. Happy cooking.