A dish that is rather new to me is chicken Shawarma. I had not heard of it until I came across this recipe in Cooking Light. According to Wikipedia, this is a Middle Eastern dish. This dish is basically marinated chicken bits served on pitas with tomatoes, lettuce and a delicious yogurt sauce. The chicken gets a lot of its flavor from seasonings such as garlic, cumin and curry powder. The process is very simple. The chicken is first sliced into strips, then marinated and grilled. If you don’t have a grill an indoor grill pan or even the broiler would probably work just fine. I personally used whole wheat pitas and did not care for the flavor of them myself. If you are looking to try something different, I recommend giving this a try. Enjoy.

Chicken Shawarma Recipe
Ingredients
- Marinade –
- 1lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (sliced into strips)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 3 garlic cloves (minced)
- Sauce-
- ½ cup plain reduced-fat Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove (minced)
- 4 (6 inches) pitas
- 1 cup romaine lettuce (chopped)
- 2 tomatoes (diced)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl combine lemon juice, curry powder, olive oil, salt, cumin, and minced garlic.
- Add chicken and toss to coat. Let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.
- To prepare the sauce- In a small bowl whisk together yogurt, tahini, lemon juice, and 1 minced garlic clove. Set aside.
- Spray grill grates with cooking spray and Pre-heat the outdoor grill. Thread chicken onto skewers and place onto the grill. Grill for 4 minutes on each side or until chicken is fully cooked.
- Place pitas on the grill rack and grill for 1 minute on each side or until lightly toasted. Place 1 pita on each plate. Top with chicken, lettuce, tomato and add the dressing.
Megan
Sunday 20th of February 2011
I tripled this three days ago and have been eating a little bit every day. I love the chicken! Next time I may use a little less salt and lemon juice but besides that I though it was SO flavorful and tasty. I also put the chicken on a salad with a little ranch and then today I put some on pita bread with jalapeno hummus, feta cheese, mixed greens and tomatoes :) yum!
heidi
Saturday 24th of July 2010
I really like shawarma so I made this last night for dinner. It was amazing!!! Great recipe, simple and delicious.
Kent
Monday 5th of April 2010
Oh, I was kidding... Isn't it misspelled?
Bobby
Saturday 3rd of April 2010
Kent - I believe it was originated around Lebanon and Israel. But I am not positive :)
Kent
Saturday 3rd of April 2010
Bobby, what part of the Meddle East is this dish? :-P