This quick, easy chicken shawarma bowl is a healthy, flavorful weeknight dinner. Savory, tangy, and aromatic, it requires minimal effort to prepare.
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Shawarma originated in the Ottoman Empire (now Turkey) during the 18th-19th century. As the Ottoman Empire spread across the Middle East, this cooking technique was adapted with local spices and ingredients. Today, each region has its variations, distinctive spice blends, and accompanying sauces.
The cooking method remains similar across regions—meat stacked on a vertical rotisserie—but the spice blends, accompaniments, and serving styles create distinctly different eating experiences throughout the Middle East.
This chicken shawarma bowl is my take on a favorite and uses modern techniques to replicate the authentic flavors we all know and love. My favorite way to serve it is with a steaming bowl of basmati rice and a chopped salad, similar to kachumber.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- Balanced meal: This balanced chicken shawarma bowl contains lean protein from the chicken, complex carbohydrates from the rice, and plenty of vitamins and minerals from the fresh vegetables.
- Quick preparation: Don't be daunted by the long list of ingredients. This recipe is super easy and perfect for busy weeknights.
- Great for meal prep: The chicken can be marinated ahead of time and refrigerated for 24 hours or frozen for up to 3 months.
Ingredient notes
The chicken
- Chicken: I use thin chicken cutlets to save time cutting the chicken into thin strips. However, you can use a more budget-friendly option, such as boneless breasts or thighs.
- Spices: The spice blend I use for my chicken shawarma bowl contains 11 easy-to-source spices. I like to use sumac for an authentic flavor, and it's pretty easy to source. However, feel free to make the shawarma without it if you prefer.
- Garlic: Homemade garlic paste is straightforward to prepare and adds more flavor than storebought, but opt for whatever is easier.
- Cooking oil: While olive oil is more traditional in this Middle-Eastern recipe, I recommend canola or any other high-smoke point cooking oil since we're cooking this in the air fryer.
- Lemon: The acidity in the lemon adds flavor and helps tenderize the chicken.
The sauce
- Yogurt: I use full-fat plain yogurt for my sauce's creamy texture and pourable consistency.
- Garlic: A key element in the sauce, homemade garlic paste is best.
- Tahini: I make my tahini sauce by grinding ¼ cup of sesame seeds and one tablespoon of olive oil, but you can buy it from your local grocery store.
- Spices: Salt and black pepper are all you need for this easy sauce.
- Lemon: Fresh lemon juice adds a nice tang to the sauce.
The salad
- Red onion: The perfect onion for salads, red onion also adds a pop of vibrant color to the chicken shawarma bowl.
- Tomato: Use a firm tomato, like vine or beefsteak, for the chopped salad.
- Bell pepper: A combination of red and yellow bell peppers adds a sweet flavor and contrast of colors.
- Cucumber: Persian cucumbers have a firm, crisp texture, thin skin, and few seeds. These are readily available at grocery stores and are often labeled mini cucumbers.
- Parsley: Fresh Italian parsley with a flat leaf gives this chopped salad a fresh aroma and flavor.
- Lemon: Fresh lemon helps keep the vegetables crisp and is the only dressing you'll need.
Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list of ingredients, measurements, and recipe instructions.
Substitutions & variations
- Cook it in the oven: If you don't have an air fryer, cook the chicken in the oven at 425℉ for 15 minutes.
- Use a premade sauce: Instead of making your own, you can buy a mix of tzatziki sauce or a traditional Middle Eastern garlic sauce known as toum.
- Use a premade seasoning: Use a store-bought shawarma seasoning instead of making your spice blend.
- Try it with beef: Use flank or sirloin steak, cut it into thin strips, and make a beef shawarma bowl instead.
- Substitute the rice: For a healthier option, use quinoa, couscous, or cauliflower rice as the base for your chicken shawarma bowl.
Step-by-step instructions
- Step 1: Mix all of the marinade ingredients in a bowl and whisk. Marinate the cut chicken in the mixture for 30 minutes.
- Step 2: Air fry the chicken at 350℉ for 10 minutes. (For oven instructions, refer to the recipe card below).
- Step 3: Mix all the ingredients for the sauce, whisk to a smooth consistency, and set aside to use later.
- Step 4: Finely dice all the vegetables and parsley and mix with the lemon juice, a pinch of salt, and black pepper.
Expert Tips
- Cut the chicken thin: For best results, cut the chicken into thin strips, about ¼ inch thick and 2 inches long. This ensures the meat is well marinated and helps speed up the cooking time.
- Don't overcook the meat: I've tested this recipe multiple times, and the sweet spot is 10 minutes in the sir-fryer or 15 minutes in the oven. Cooking the chicken for too long will result in dry, stringy meat.
- Ensure your sauce is the perfect consistency: The shawarma sauce must be thick but pourable. If you need to thin it out, add a tablespoon of milk until it reaches the ideal consistency.
Recipe FAQS
What are some serving options other than rice?
I love using this chicken for wraps or as a salad topper. You can also serve it as a family-style meal with hummus, baba ganoush, and warm pita.
How do I store my leftovers?
The chicken shawarma, rice, and chopped salad should be refrigerated in separate air-tight containers for up to 3 days. The chicken can be frozen for up to 6 weeks. However, the rice and salad must be prepared and served fresh.
Other chicken recipes you may like
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Chicken Shawarma Bowl
This easy and flavorful chicken shawarma bowl includes air-fried chicken, fluffy rice, fresh vegetables, and a creamy tahini based sauce.
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Ingredients
Chicken Shawarma
- 1 lb boneless chicken (see notes)
- ⅛ cup cooking oil (see notes)
- ½ lemon
- 1 tablespoon garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon coriander powder
- ¼ teaspoon cumin powder
- ⅛ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon sumac
- ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon powder
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ginger powder
Shawarma Sauce
- ¼ cup full fat yogurt
- 1 tablespoon tahini sauce
- ½ tablespoon garlic paste
- ½ lemon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Chopped Salad
- ½ red onion (see notes)
- ½ tomato (see notes)
- 2 Persian cucumbers
- ¼ red bell pepper
- ¼ yellow bell pepper
- 2 tablespoon chopped parsley
- ½ lemon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Basmati Rice
- 1 cups extra long grain basmati rice (see notes)
- 1½ cups water
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
Instructions
Chicken Shawarma
- Slice the chicken breast into very thin strips that are 2 inches in length. (see notes)
- Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl with the chicken and set aside for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes air fry the chicken at 350℉ for 10 minutes. (see notes for oven instructions)
Shawarma Sauce
- Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl and whisk with a fork to make a smooth pourable sauce. (see notes)
Chopped Salad
- Dice all of the vegetables and parsley, mix with the salt, black pepper and lemon juice and set aside.
Basmati Rice
- Wash and soak the rice in 3 cups of water for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, drain the water and add the soaked rice to a cooking pot with the 1½ cups of fresh water.
- Add the salt and cooking oil and cook on high heat until all but 2 tablespoons of the water remain.
- Cover the pot with foil, followed by the lid, and steam on the lowest setting for 15 minutes. (see notes)
- After 15 minutes, uncover, fluff the rice with a fork and serve immediately.
Notes
Chicken: This recipe calls for boneless chicken cut into thin strips. I use thin chicken cutlets to save time. However, you can use a more budget-friendly option, such as boneless breasts or thighs. Cut the chicken into thin strips, about ¼ inch thick and 2 inches long, for best results.
Cooking oil: Use any neutral, high-smoke cooking oil, such as avocado, canola, or peanut.
Onion: I used half a small red onion, which measures ½ cup for this recipe. You may only need a quarter if you're using a larger onion.
Tomato: For the chopped salad, use half a large, firm tomato, such as vine or beefsteak.
Rice: The best quality rice will produce a fluffy texture and separate grains, and my go-to is always extra-long grains, which are between 7.5mm and 8.5mm long.
Sauce: The shawarma sauce needs to be thick yet pourable. I use plain, full-fat yogurt because Greek yogurt makes the sauce too thick. If you opt for Greek yogurt, add 1-2 tablespoons of milk to thin it as necessary.
Steaming the rice: Use the lowest setting possible to steam the rice so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. Also, cover the rice with foil before steaming it to create a tight seal and make it fluffy.
Cooking the chicken in the oven: Place it on a baking sheet and cook it for 15 minutes in a preheated oven at 425℉.
Nutrition
Serving: 1servingCalories: 463kcalCarbohydrates: 49gProtein: 30gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 75mgSodium: 1315mgPotassium: 747mgFiber: 3gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 658IUVitamin C: 55mgCalcium: 85mgIron: 2mg
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