Shawarma

Chicken Shawarma (Lebanese-style)

A home-kitchen take on Lebanon's great street food: spice-marinated chicken with garlic toum, pickles and crisp vegetables wrapped in flatbread. The real deal is cooked on a rotating spit, but a screaming-hot pan gets you the same charred, deeply seasoned crust.

Prep

40 min

Cook

20 min

Total

60 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •800 g (1¾ lb) boneless chicken thighs, trimmed; thigh gives the juiciest shawarma
• •60 ml (¼ cup) olive oil
• •30 ml (2 tbsp) lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• •8 g (1 tbsp) ground cumin
• •6 g (1 tbsp) ground coriander
• •6 g (1 tbsp) smoked paprika
• •4 g (2 tsp) ground turmeric
• •3 g (1 tsp) ground cinnamon
• •3 g (1 tsp) black pepper, freshly ground
• •2 g (1 tsp) sumac, optional but traditional
• •10 g (1 tbsp) fine salt
• •4 g (2 tsp) dried oregano
• •6 cloves garlic, crushed, for the marinade
• •1 medium red onion, sliced, for the marinade
• •120 g (1 cup) toum (garlic sauce), see separate recipe; 1 small jar store-bought works
• •100 g (about 1 cup) pickled cucumbers, Lebanese-style, sliced
• •60 g (about 1 cup) pickled turnip, optional, traditional pink pickle
• •200 g (7 oz) tomatoes, thinly sliced
• •60 g (2 oz) fresh parsley, chopped
• •250 g (about 8 oz) French fries, thin-cut, cooked until very crisp
• •4 large Lebanese flatbread, or pita; warmed

Steps

1. 1 Slice the chicken thighs into long, thin strips about 5 cm (2 in) long and 1 cm (½ in) thick. In a large bowl whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, crushed garlic, cumin, coriander, paprika, turmeric, cinnamon, black pepper, sumac, salt and oregano.
2. 2 Add the chicken and sliced red onion to the marinade and toss until every piece is coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, ideally 4 to 12 hours.
3. 3 Heat a large cast-iron skillet or heavy frying pan over high heat until smoking hot. Working in batches so the pan is never crowded, lay the chicken in a single layer and sear 90 seconds per side without moving it, until blackened char spots form and the chicken is cooked through.
4. 4 Check doneness: the interior must reach 74°C (165°F) on an instant-read thermometer and the juices should run clear with no pink in the thickest part. Transfer cooked chicken to a tray and let it rest 5 minutes; it will finish cooking gently in its own heat.
5. 5 While the chicken rests, warm the flatbreads briefly over an open flame or in a dry pan for about 20 seconds per side so they are pliable. Warm the toum by giving it a stir with a splash of cold water if it has firmed up.
6. 6 To assemble a shawarma, lay a warm flatbread on a board, smear a generous spoonful of toum across the centre, then layer on the sliced chicken, pickled cucumbers, pickled turnip, tomato slices, parsley and a handful of crisp fries.
7. 7 Fold the bottom of the bread up over the filling, then roll tightly from one side to the other into a wrap. Wrap the lower half in baking paper or foil to hold it together. Serve immediately while the meat is still hot and the fries are crisp.