Description
This Chicken Shawarma with Garlic Yoghurt Sauce recipe offers a flavorful Middle Eastern-inspired meal featuring marinated chicken thighs cooked to perfection in a frying pan, served with crispy fries, fresh vegetables, and a tangy garlic yoghurt sauce wrapped in flatbread or pita.
Ingredients
Scale
To Serve
- 400 g (14 oz) frozen French fries
- 2 tomatoes, sliced
- 1 red onion, finely sliced
- 1 tbsp roughly chopped fresh mint leaves (optional)
- 4 Lebanese flatbreads, pita breads, wraps, or naan breads
- ½ tsp sumac (optional)
Garlic Yoghurt Sauce
- 1 cup (250 g) Greek yoghurt
- 2 tbsp toum (or Middle Eastern garlic dip or sauce) – can be substituted with ½ tsp freshly minced garlic and ½ tsp salt
Chicken
- 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) boneless, skinless chicken thighs (can be substituted with chicken breast)
- 1 tbsp tomato paste (concentrated puree)
- 2 tbsp Greek yoghurt
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp freshly minced garlic
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp sea salt flakes
- ½ tsp cracked black pepper
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- ¼ cup (60 ml) water
Instructions
- Prep ingredients: Preheat your oven or air fryer and cook the frozen French fries according to the package instructions. Meanwhile, wash and slice the tomatoes and red onion, and roughly chop the fresh mint if using.
- Make garlic yoghurt sauce: In a small bowl, combine Greek yoghurt with toum or your garlic dip (or freshly minced garlic and salt if not using a garlic sauce). Stir well and set aside for serving.
- Marinate chicken: Place the chicken thighs into a large bowl. Add the tomato paste, Greek yoghurt, lemon juice, minced garlic, ground cumin, ground cardamom, garlic powder, onion powder, sweet paprika, smoked paprika, sea salt flakes, cracked black pepper, and olive oil. Toss everything together using tongs until each piece is thoroughly coated in the marinade. For extra flavor, cover and refrigerate it to marinate for up to 24 hours, or cook immediately if preferred.
- Cook chicken: Heat a large heavy-based frying pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the marinated chicken pieces and cook for 5 to 6 minutes on each side, until fully cooked through and slightly charred. Add the water during the last 3 minutes of cooking to loosen the flavorful crispy bits at the bottom of the pan. Remove the chicken and allow it to rest for a few minutes before slicing into thin strips. Drizzle the pan juices over the sliced chicken.
- Assemble wraps: Lay your choice of flatbread, pita, or naan on a plate. Spread a generous amount of garlic yoghurt sauce in the center. Top with sliced chicken, crispy fries, tomato slices, red onion, shredded mint leaves, and sprinkle with sumac if using. Fold the sides of the bread up like a taco.
- Serve: Serve the wraps immediately with extra garlic yoghurt sauce on the side for dipping to enjoy a delicious, fresh, and satisfying meal.
Notes
- You can substitute chicken breasts for thighs but note that thighs are more tender and juicy.
- Using an air fryer or oven for fries makes the meal quicker and easier.
- If preferred, cook the chicken on a barbecue or grill for smoky flavor.
- Sumac adds a tangy note but can be omitted if not available.
- Toum is a traditional Lebanese garlic sauce that enhances the garlic yoghurt sauce if you have access to it.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 wrap
- Calories: 560
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 750 mg
- Fat: 25 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 50 g
- Fiber: 6 g
- Protein: 35 g
- Cholesterol: 90 mg
