Lebanon · Main · Medium
Chicken shawarma
Oven-roasted spiced thighs wrapped in flatbread with garlic toum and pickles
Lebanese-style chicken shawarma: thighs marinated in lemon, garlic and seven spice, roasted hot and finished under the grill, then rolled in thin flatbread with toum and pickles. A hot oven plus a final blast under the grill gives the crisp, caramelised edges of a rotisserie spit at home.
- Energy
- 800 kcalper serving
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Rest
- 4 h
- Protein
- 52 g
How was it?
Equipment
- Mixing bowl or zip bag for marinating
- Large roasting tray lined with baking paper
- Tall narrow jug and stick blender (or a food processor)
- Instant-read thermometer
- Sharp knife and board
- Wide frying pan or griddle
Before you start
- Trim excess fat from the chicken and pound the thickest parts to an even 1.5 cm.
- Peel the toum garlic and halve each clove to remove any green germ.
- Put the water for the toum in the freezer for 10 minutes.
- Slice the tomato, pickles and turnips; pick the parsley leaves.
Method
-
Marinate the chicken
900 g boneless, skinless chicken thighs2 tbsp olive oil45 ml lemon juice1 tbsp white vinegar4 cloves garlic2 tsp Lebanese seven spice (baharat)1 tsp ground cumin2 tsp sweet paprika½ tsp ground turmeric1 tsp black pepper6 g fine saltWhisk the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, all the spices and salt in the bowl. Add the chicken, massage the marinade in, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.
Done when The chicken is evenly stained a deep orange-yellow and the marinade clings to it.
Tip Overnight gives the deepest flavour; less than 2 hours tastes only of the surface.
-
Crush the garlic for toum
35 g peeled garlic cloves½ tsp coarse saltPut the toum garlic and coarse salt in the tall jug and blend with the stick blender for about 1 minute, scraping down, until it becomes a smooth paste.
Done when A sticky, almost white paste with no visible pieces of garlic.
-
Emulsify the toum
120 ml neutral oil1 lemon20 ml ice-cold waterWith the blender running, add the oil in a very thin stream, alternating every few spoonfuls with a little lemon juice and ice water, until all is used. Refrigerate while you cook.
Done when The sauce is thick, fluffy and bright white, like whipped mayonnaise, and holds its shape on a spoon.
Tip If it turns liquid and greasy, it has split: start again with 1 tablespoon of fresh garlic paste and blend the split mixture into it slowly.
-
Heat the oven
900 g boneless, skinless chicken thighsHeat the oven to 230 °C. Lay the chicken flat on the lined tray in a single layer, smooth side up.
Done when The oven is fully up to temperature and the thighs are not overlapping.
230 °C · 446 °F -
Roast the chicken
900 g boneless, skinless chicken thighsRoast on the upper-middle shelf for 20–25 minutes, turning once halfway, until the thickest piece reads 74 °C in the centre.
Done when The edges are browned and sizzling, the juices run clear and the thermometer reads 74 °C.
230 °C · 446 °F -
Char under the grill
900 g boneless, skinless chicken thighsSwitch the oven to the grill on high and grill the chicken for 2–3 minutes, watching closely, until the edges catch.
Done when Dark caramelised spots appear on the edges and the fat crackles.
Tip This step gives the rotisserie flavour. Do not walk away; the spices burn in under a minute.
-
Rest and slice
900 g boneless, skinless chicken thighsRest the chicken on the board for 5 minutes, then slice it thinly against the grain and toss the slices in the tray juices.
Done when The slices are juicy, the crisp edges stay on each piece and they glisten from the juices.
-
Warm the bread
4 thin Lebanese flatbread (khubz)Warm each flatbread in the dry frying pan over medium-high heat for 10–20 seconds per side.
Done when The bread is soft, pliable and just warm; it bends without cracking.
Tip Stack the warm breads under a clean towel so they stay soft.
-
Fill and roll
4 thin Lebanese flatbread (khubz)900 g boneless, skinless chicken thighs80 g pickled cucumbers60 g pink pickled turnips1 tomato15 g flat-leaf parsleySpread a generous layer of toum over each bread. Lay a line of chicken across the lower third, add pickles, turnips, tomato and parsley, then fold in the sides and roll up tightly.
Done when A tight, even roll with the filling held firmly inside and no gaps at the ends.
-
Toast the wraps
Put the wraps seam-side down in the frying pan over medium heat and toast for 1–2 minutes, turning, until crisp.
Done when The bread is golden and crackly in patches and the seam has sealed.
Common mistakes
The toum splits into a greasy liquid.
Fix The oil went in too fast or the mixture got warm. Add oil in a thread, use ice-cold water, and rescue it by blending it slowly into fresh garlic paste.
The chicken is pale and steamed.
Fix The tray was crowded or the oven was too cool. Use a single layer at 230 °C and finish under the grill.
The toum is harsh and bitter.
Fix Green germs were left in the garlic or olive oil was used. Remove the germs and use a neutral oil.
The wrap falls apart.
Fix It was overfilled or the bread was cold. Warm the bread, keep the filling to the lower third and roll tightly before toasting seam-side down.
Serving
Serve the wraps cut in half on the diagonal, with extra toum, pickles and hot chips or a fattoush salad on the side.
Storage and reheating
Cooked chicken keeps 3 days in the fridge, covered, cooled within 2 hours; reheat in a hot pan until it reaches 74 °C. Toum keeps up to 1 week in a sealed jar in the fridge. Assembled wraps do not keep; eat them straight away.
Make ahead
Marinate the chicken up to 24 hours ahead. Make the toum up to 3 days ahead; it mellows and thickens in the fridge.
Variations
Plate (shawarma platter)
Skip the wrap: serve the sliced chicken over rice or chips with toum, pickles, tomato and a green salad.
Cauliflower shawarma (vegan)
Toss 1 large cauliflower cut into florets with the marinade and roast at 230 °C for 25–30 minutes until charred at the edges. Toum is already vegan.
