These Chicken Shawarma Wraps are easy because most of it is made on a single sheet pan! Chicken thighs are tossed in a homemade shawarma blend and garlic before being roasted in the oven with onions and lemons. The chicken comes out so incredibly juicy and flavorful! Tuck thin slices into pita and topped with the crisp pickles, onions and creamy Lemon Tahini Yogurt Sauce.
Chicken shawarma wraps have to be one of my favorite foods in life.
I took an easy approach with the shawarma and tossed chicken thighs in lemon juice, TONS of fresh garlic and my go-to blend of aromatic shawarma spices. Then I place it onto a sheet pan with onion and lemon slices and then roasted it all in a hot oven for 20 minutes. Twenty minutes!
Typically toum (garlic sauce) is slathered quite heavily on to soft warm pitas. But not today. We’re brightening this shindig up with a lemon tahini yogurt sauce that’s so delicious I could eat by the spoonful. And it won’t leave you with dragon breath, but if you want to up the garlic in the sauce, be my guest! Bring it.
I make the tahini yogurt sauce first so the flavors have a chance to blend and marry. Add 1 cup full fat plain yogurt, 2 tablespoons tahini, 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 2 tablespoons parsley, 1/2 a clove of grated garlic, 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest and a few pinches of kosher salt, to taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
To Make These Chicken Shawarma Wraps You Will Need:
- boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- extra light olive oil plus 2 teaspoons
- juice from 1/2 a lemon
- fresh garlic (finely grated or squeezed through a garlic press)
- kosher salt
- cardamom
- white pepper
- cinnamon
- smoked paprika
- ground clove
- nutmeg
- yellow onion, sliced vertically
- sliced lemon
Now you can grab a sheet pan and all the chicken shawarma ingredients and let’s get cooking.
Preheat your oven to 425℉ (or 220℃).
Start by placing 2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken thighs into a bowl with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, juice of half a lemon, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon ground cardamom, 1/2 teaspoon white pepper, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1/8 teaspoon of both ground clove and ground nutmeg. Then finely grate in 4 to 6 cloves of fresh garlic.
I prefer grating the garlic ( instead of finely mincing) because this will allow the garlic to melt into the chicken instead of burning because the pieces are too large.
Toss well to coat the chicken evenly.
Next arrange the chicken, sliced onion and lemons onto a rimmed, metal baking sheet. Drizzle 2 teaspoons of olive oil over the onions and then slide the sheet pan into your preheated oven for 20 minutes. Be sure to rotate the pan halfway through.
Look at that deliciousness!
For crispy edges, I’ll flip on the broiler for a few minutes after the chicken is fully cooked.
The chicken is out of this world. You could add this to a salad, tuck it into lettuce or eat as is with a side of rice pilaf. However today, we’re serving these up by smearing that lemon tahini yogurt sauce in the center of a toasty warm pita, topping it with the chicken shawarma, onions and pickles.
The chicken is so juicy and flavorful and that along with the crisp pickles and creamy sauce makes this one dang good chicken shawarma wrap. Pat loves these and Haileigh (my oldest) told me I need to start making these every week. Hmmm let me thing… okay! Malloree only had the chicken and dipped her pita into hummus. But she gave me two thumbs up on the chicken and said “Mom, this is really good.”
I. Die.
Enjoy! And if you give these Chicken Shawarma Wraps a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!
Chicken Shawarma Wraps with Lemon Tahini Yogurt Sauce
Ingredients
LEMON HERB TAHINI YOGURT SPREAD:
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1/2 clove garlic paste
- 2 tablespoons parsley
- 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
- kosher salt, to taste
CHICKEN SHAWARMA:
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 4 to 6 cloves garlic, finely grated or squeezed through a garlic press
- 1 teaspoon cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/8 teaspoon ground clove
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 large yellow onion, sliced vertically
- 1 lemon, sliced
FOR THE WRAPS:
- 6 pitas
- sliced pickles, I buy Claussen and then slice them myself
Instructions
FOR THE SPREAD:
- Combine the ingredients and refrigerate until ready to use.
FOR THE CHICKEN SHAWARMA:
- Preheat your oven to 425℉ (or 220℃).
- Toss the chicken thighs with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, cardamom, white pepper, cinnamon, paprika, clove and nutmeg.
- Place onto a rimmed metal baking sheet along with the onion and lemon slices. Drizzle the remaining 2 teaspoons of olive oil over the onions.
- Roast for 20 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. For crispy edges, flip on the broiler for a few minutes once the chicken is fully cooked.
- Once cooked, let cool and then slice into thin strips.
- Place a few spoonfuls of the tahini yogurt spread onto a warm pita. Top with slices of chicken, onions and pickles.
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This recipe was so delicious! My husband said it was the best dinner he’s had in a while and my 1 year old son devoured the chicken! I will be making this dish often. Thank you for sharing!
I’m so glad Jennifer! Thanks for stopping by and leaving a wonderful comment and review! 🙂
Currently devouring this, the spread is bang on shawarma sauce! This ones a keeper.
I’m so glad Kyle! Thanks for stopping by and leaving a review! 🙂
My family is loving this dish! I got a very enthusiastic thumbs up the first time I made it and have made it several times since. I really appreciate your site and the uncomplicated yet diverse variety of recipes you offer. Keep it up!
Hi!! This looks so delicious! I was wondering what brand pitas you usually buy? Thanks!
Hi Jocelynn! I honestly cannot remember the name of them! I prefer to use the Mediterranean wraps that are large (dinner plate size) and are on the thinner side. They’re usually by the deli area in my grocery store. For this post, I could only find pocketless pitas, but truthfully any pita should work. You could even make homemade pitas ( http://www.simplyscratch.com/2010/09/homemade-rustic-pita-bread.html ) if you have the time. 😉