Sheet Pan Chicken Shawarma
We had Shawarma at friend’s house some time ago and it was awesome. It was take-out and not easily accessible from our house. Of course, we tried several places near us, and have been disappointed.
Lea receives notifications from the Food Network all time and this little gem was in a recent list.
This “Sheet Pan Shawarma” style recipe from the food network is brilliant in terms of flavor and ease. I did make some modifications and put it here on my blog so that it is handy for me when shopping. I can easily pull out the ingredients for purchase.
Also, I do like a lot of what the food network offers, but it is hard to view their content on my phone because of all the ads. My blog has no ads, and never will. I miss the days of David Rosengarten, Mario Batalie, and Early Emeril. Now there is way too much Iron Chef and other stuff that is neither instructional nor educational.
Enough talk, let’s get into it. This recipe is quick, easy, inexpensive, and delicious. Total prep time (including making Tzatziki) was 15 to 20 minutes. Bake is another 15 to 20 minutes.
The Recipe:
Equipment:
A ½ sheet pan 18” x 12” (ish)
Parchment paper to cover the pan, optional.
Mixing bowl
Ingredients:
For the Chicken
- 2 TBS Olive oil (28 – 30 grams)
- 1 TSP ground cumin
- ½ TSP ground cinnamon
- ¼ TSP ground allspice
- ¼ TSP ground cardamom
- ¼ TSP ground Turmeric
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced
- Salt and Pepper to taste – (about 2 TSP Salt)
- 1 LB boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into 1-inch thin strips
- 1 medium onion about 6 OZ – thinly sliced pole to pole
Dressings
1 cup Tzatziki
Tzatziki Ingredients:
- 1 cup full fat or 2% plain Greek yogurt like Fage
- 1 clove garlic finely minced
- Zest of one lemon
- Juice of one lemon (2 TBS)
- 1 TSP finely minced fresh mint
- 1 TSP finely minced fresh dill
- ½ English Cucumber seeded and diced small
- ½ TSP salt
- Pepper to taste
Pita bread – (I did not bake my own Pita) Maybe we’ll do this in the future.
1 Roma tomato seeded and diced small
1 cup of shredded lettuce
Step 1 – marinate the chicken (you can do this an hour before or the day before)
- Combine the cumin, cinnamon, allspice, cardamom, turmeric, garlic and olive oil. You can add the salt now, or season the chicken before baking, it is up to you.
- Cut the chicken into thin strips 1 inch long and add them to the marinade.
- Peel the onion cut it in half from pole to pole, and then slice it thinly from pole to pole.
- Toss the chicken and onion everything in the marinade, cover and refrigerate for an hour or more. Today, I marinated for about 4 hours.
Step 2 – Make the Tzatziki:
- Combine all of the ingredients for the Tzatziki, yogurt, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, mint, dill, cucumber, salt.
- Stir it up, put it in a small serving bowl, cover it with plastic and refrigerate.
Step 3 – get ready for dinner time:
- Preheat the oven to 450 °
- Spread the chicken and onions onto the parchment covered baking sheet.
- Dice up the Roma tomato and shred the lettuce
- Lightly toast the pita.
- When oven reaches temperature, put the baking sheet onto the middle rack and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes, until the chicken and the onions brown.
You can do this any way you like:
- Spread Tzatziki on the pita
- Scoop up some shawarma and put it onto the pita
- Top with tomato and lettuce
- Basically, a middle eastern taco
OR
- Cut the pita in half and open it like a pocket
- Fill it as you like
This is also lovely over some rice if you don’t want to go the pita route.
Kiss yourself for for making deliciousness.
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The original recipe from the food network is here.
And finally, this is why I feel comfortable calling it shawarma even though it is technically not.
The Education:
AI is awesome for this. In this case Google Gemini provided this summarized answer to my question, “what is real shawarma and how much leeway is there in calling something shawarma?”
Answer:
Assuming you mean “real” shawarma, it refers to a traditional Middle Eastern street food made by stacking seasoned, marinated slices of meat on a vertical rotisserie spit, where it slowly rotates and roasts for hours. The word shawarma comes from the Turkish word çevirme, which literally translates to “turning” or “rotating”. [1, 2, 3]
When it comes to how much culinary leeway there is in calling a dish “shawarma,” the answer depends entirely on whether you are looking at it from a traditionalist standpoint or a modern, commercial perspective.
The Strict Traditional Definition
For purists, a dish can only be considered true shawarma if it adheres to specific preparation methods:
- The Cooking Method: The meat must be cooked on a vertical, spinning spit. As the outer layer crisps up, it is shaved off in thin ribbons. [1, 4]
- The Meat: Traditionally, it is made using lamb, beef, or mutton, layered with pieces of fat to keep the meat juicy. Chicken and turkey are highly popular modern variations. [2, 5, 6, 7]
- The Presentation: It is typically wrapped in a soft flatbread (like pita, lafa, or yufka) along with traditional toppings like tahini, garlic sauce (toum), pickles, and onions. [5, 8]
Where the “Leeway” Comes In
In global culinary contexts, home kitchens, and western restaurants, the term “shawarma” has been granted a massive amount of leeway. It is frequently used to describe a flavor profile rather than a strict cooking technique.
- Deconstruction and Formats: You will frequently find “shawarma bowls,” “shawarma plates,” or even “shawarma salads” on modern menus. These swap the traditional wrap for rice, greens, or hummus, but keep the seasoned meat. [9, 10]
- Pan-Roasting and Baking: Because everyday home cooks do not own a massive vertical rotisserie, thousands of “homemade shawarma” recipes use chicken breast or thighs seasoned with shawarma spices (like cumin, paprika, turmeric, and garlic) that are simply baked in an oven or seared in a cast-iron skillet. [7, 11]
- Regional Interpretations: Even within the Middle East, there is immense variety. Syrian shawarma relies heavily on chicken and garlic sauce, Israeli versions frequently feature dark-meat turkey served with amba (mango sauce), and in the UK, menus sometimes simply refer to it as a “chicken wrap”. [5, 12]
Ultimately, while food purists argue that without a vertical turning spit it isn’t “real” shawarma, the culinary world widely accepts anything heavily infused with the traditional warm spice blend as “shawarma-style”. [11]
If you are trying to make or order some, let me know:
- Are you looking for a traditional restaurant or wanting to make it at home?
- Do you prefer chicken, beef, or a vegetarian alternative?
I can point you toward the right recipes or local styles!
Measurements
TBS = tablespoon
TSP = teaspoon
OZ = ounce
LB = pound
I use grams and milliliters interchangeably.
