Chicken Shawarma Wrap

About This Recipe

Real shawarma comes off a vertical spit, has been marinating for 24 hours, and is shaved paper-thin by someone with a proper knife and a proper technique. My version is the home-cook cheat: chicken thighs marinated in the same spices, cooked flat on a hot pan, sliced thin, and wrapped in a warm tortilla with all the good things.

Is it authentic? No. Is it delicious? Absolutely. And it takes 25 minutes instead of 25 hours.

The marinade is the whole game. Yogurt, garlic, cumin, coriander, paprika, cinnamon, a squeeze of lemon juice, and a drizzle of olive oil. That's the flavor profile of every good shawarma joint. The yogurt tenderizes the chicken and gives it a slight tang that plays well against the warm spices. Marinate for at least 30 minutes; overnight is better.

Once cooked and sliced, the chicken goes into a warm flatbread with garlic sauce (toum, if you're serious about it, or garlic mayo if you're not), pickles, tomato, cucumber, and shredded lettuce. Wrap it tight and eat it standing over the sink because there's no dignified way to eat a shawarma wrap. That's part of the charm.

Street food from your kitchen. Weeknight dinner that feels like a treat.

Ingredients

🔄 Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

Instructions

1. 1

   Marinate 1.5 lb chicken thighs (sliced) overnight in shawarma spice blend with yogurt.

2. 2

   Cook chicken in screaming-hot cast iron for 90 seconds per side.

3. 3

   Warm 4 large flour tortillas or lavash.

4. 4

   Make garlic sauce, pickled vegetables (cucumber + onion in vinegar).

5. 5

   Build wraps: tortilla, garlic sauce, chicken, pickled vegetables, shredded lettuce, sliced tomato, sumac, parsley, lemon.

6. 6

   Roll tightly. Optional: toast the rolled wrap 30 sec per side. Wrap in parchment for handling.