Name: Chicken Shawarma Sandwich with Yogurt Sauce Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: International
Ingredients: 1 lb chicken, chicken thigh (boneless and skinless) is preferred, but chicken breast is OK too; 2 tsp cooking oil, such as avocado oil or olive oil, only for braising method, skip when you grill; 1/4 tsp baking soda, for marinating chicken breast only, optional; 4 pita bread; half tomato; a few slices of red onion rings; a few lettuce leaves; 1 tbsp homemade chicken shawarma dry rub; a small bunch of parsley, or previously frozen homemade parsley pesto; 1 cup homemade Greek Yogurt Sauce

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Chicken Shawarma Sandwich well-liked Middle Eastern pocket food. Homemade from scratch pita bread and yogurt sauce is absolutely a treat. So refreshing, naturally yummy, and easy to make.

I became a big fan since I tried it at Pita Inn and was determined to figure out a homemade easy, tasty and healthy Chicken Shawarma recipe since. So glad I’ve got it and excited to share it with you here.

This delicious Chicken Shawarma features homemade from scratch chicken dry rub, homemade from-scratch pita bread and homemade Greek Yogurt sauce. It is especially suitable for summer days, picnics, and/or packed lunch for school or work.

chicken Shawarma sandwich with Yogurt Sauce

How to marinate and prepare Chicken?

In order to make this delicious chicken easier and quick, I came up with this chicken shawarma dry rub made of simple limited ingredients. It is super quick and easy to blend.

With this at hand, all you need to do is to sprinkle the dry rub evenly over the chicken thighs, on both sides.

For spices, I like to get bulk organic wholesome spices. I store them in airtight glass jars and use a spice grinder to grind them into powder.

How to tenderize Chicken Breast?

You might be wondering, can I use chicken breast for Chicken Shawarma? Well, boneless and skinless chicken thighs meat, which is much tender and flavorful compared to chicken breast, works best for this recipe.

However, chicken breast can potentially work out too. You just need to do some extra steps to tenderize it first thing first:

Firstly, slice the chicken breast horizontally into halves so that they are not overly thick.
Secondly, pound the chicken breast with a meat tenderizer.
Lastly, toss the chicken breast pieces with a tiny bit of baking soda to further tenderize the meat. For one pound of chicken breast, use 1/4 tsp baking soda.

How to Cook Chicken Shawarma?

After you’ve marinated the chicken with chicken shawarma dry rub, either braise, grill or bake shall work out great. Braise takes the least amount of time, is usually my go-to method of cooking food.

The way I braise, it essentially combines grill and steam together, which is a super efficient cooking. What’s more, when done correctly, it can mimic the taste of grilled or pan-fried chicken, but only takes about 15 minutes. Bone-less chicken thighs are very quick to cook. Drumsticks take a bit longer time to cook.

Chicken Shawarma Sandwich with Yogurt Sauce Recipe

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Chicken Shawarma Sandwich with Yogurt Sauce is a well-liked pocket food. So refreshing, naturally yummy, and easy to make at home.

Ingredients

1 lb chicken, chicken thigh (boneless and skinless) is preferred, but chicken breast is OK too
2 tsp cooking oil, such as avocado oil or olive oil, only for braising method, skip when you grill
1/4 tsp baking soda, for marinating chicken breast only, optional
4 pita bread
half tomato
a few slices of red onion rings
a few lettuce leaves
1 tbsp homemade chicken shawarma dry rub
a small bunch of parsley, or previously frozen homemade parsley pesto
1 cup homemade Greek Yogurt Sauce

Instructions

Make Pita Bread In Advance:

Homemade Pita Bread using the traditional Chinese way of making pocket bread is easy, yummy, and ensures a perfect pocket every time. See here for a detailed guided recipe.

Make Greek Yogurt Sauce:

See here for a detailed guided recipe.

Make the Chicken Shawarma Dry Rub and Marinate the Chicken:

See here on a detailed recipe on how to make this simple Chicken Shawarma Dry Rub.
After rinse and pat dry the chicken, sprinkle the chicken dry rub evenly on chicken, both sides and gently pat.

Braise, Grill or Bake the Chicken:

Once the chicken is marinated, you can either braise, grill or bake the chicken. Before you put the marinated chicken on the grill, pat the chopped parsley on the chicken. For braising, we are going to add to the pan.
I usually use braising method as a quick and easy way. Turn the heat to medium and heat a hard-anodized pan for 2 minutes, and then drizzle 2 tsp avocado oil onto the pan and spread out evenly using a silicone spatula. Lay the marinated chicken flat on the pan, and cook for 2 minutes.
Flip the chicken, sprinkle the chopped parsley or a small block of previously made frozen parsley pesto on the top, and cook for another 2 minutes.
Pour 1 cup of water in a circular motion into the pan along the edge, cover the pan with a lid and cook for about 8-10 minutes, or till the water is almost disappearing.
Remove the lid, flip the chicken, drag the chicken to where there is braising juice left and fold the juice to the chicken, turn the heat to low and cook for another 5 minutes or so, or till the chicken is properly cooked and caramelized.

Assemble Chicken Shawarma Sandwich:

Heat up the pita bread on a cast iron griddle, about 1-2 minutes on each side on medium heat.
Slice tomato and red onion. Cut the lettuce into bite-size pieces. Slice the chicken into bite-size thin strips.
Cut the pita bread horizontally into halves. For each half, fill the pocket with lettuce, tomato, and red onion, and top with sliced chicken.
Add the Greek Yogurt Sauce to the taste. All done! Enjoy a naturally yummy and healthy Chicken Shawarma!

Notes

For packed lunch, I usually wrap the half sandwich in non-bleached parchment paper to keep it fresh.
A coffee/spice grinder is a useful kitchen gadget to turn organic whole spices into powder.