Easy Chicken Shawarma

Shawarma is a very popular street food item from the Middle East, made from marinated meats like lamb, beef or chicken. It’s become increasingly popular here in the US, and now you can make it right at home with the most amazing spice mixture using just a few pantry staples.

I always opt to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs in chicken shawarma, but chicken breasts can absolutely be subbed here. And with a bit of olive oil, fresh lemons, garlic and your pantry spices, you can marinate your chicken for 2 hours or overnight, letting it soak up all that spice goodness.

Throw these bad boys on your grill (or a cast iron grill pan) before serving them in a salad or as a grain bowl. My personal favorite is to serve chicken shawarma with a side of tzatziki sauce and all the pita bread.

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 ½ tablespoons canola oil