Homemade Chicken Shawarma Recipe

Shawarma or Shawurma is an Arab dish, it is prepared by grilling on a spit, it is very popular in numerous parts of the world and is served almost everywhere from Restaurants to the fast food chains.

To prepare Shawarma, stack the strips of marinated meat and fat alternately on a vertical spit, it results in a large block of meats and fat.

How to make Shawarma at home

1. Firstly, cut the chicken breasts and thigh to 1 ½ inch pieces. Set this aside.

2. For marinating, take a mixing bowl,

• Add 1 ½ garlic minced about 1 large

• 1 ½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1 ½ tsp cumin powder/jeera

• ¼ tsp all spice powder

• ½ tsp chilli powder/Paprika

• 1/8 tsp turmeric

• 1/8 tsp cinnamon powder

• Salt as per the taste

• 1/8 tsp pepper

3. Mix all the above ingredients, then add 2 tbsp Greek yoghurt or hung curd.

4. Next add, lemon juice only if you desire slight tangy taste. You can mix around 1.5 tsps of lemon juice, mix everything well and check the salt.

5. Marinate the chicken well, and then the marinade should be thick and not runny.

6. Cover and refrigerate for minimum 12 hours to 24 hours, the longer it rest, it would turn more tender as well as flavourful.

Grilling the Chicken Shawarma

You can use grille pan, turn on the flame to the highest, and then heat a non stick pan with half tbsp oil. When the pan, turns really hot, place the chicken pieces separately, and ensure you do not crowd them. Flip them to all the sides, while cooking. You can do in batches, when you do not crowd the pan, it begins to release the moisture.

7. When the marinade starts to caramelize, then you can put the flame to medium high. Continue to cook, until the marinade completely dries up, only then chicken is completely cooked. Since the chicken is marinated well in yoghurt, it cooks fast.

8. You must control the flame; else it would char the meat. So, switch of the stove, for a while. Then take a wooden spoon and try to cut the chicken.

9. Cook further, for one or two minutes, chicken is cooked well. Set the chicken aside and then add quartered layers separated onions and quartered deseed tomatoes to the pan and add them to the pan and toss for few minutes.

Serving

Chicken shawarma is great to serve a party appetiser or even you can serve them as meal or you wrap it up in pita bread, naan, roti or tortillas.