Name: Chicken Shawarma with Creamy Garlic Sauce
Ingredients: 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs (forget breasts, thighs are where it’s AT for shawarma); 1/4 cup olive oil (the good stuff if you’ve got it); 3 tbsp lemon juice (from REAL lemons please, not that bottle garbage); 3 garlic cloves, minced (or 5-6 if you’re like me and measure garlic with your heart); 2 tsp cumin (the backbone of good shawarma); 2 tsp paprika (smoked if you’ve got it); 1 tsp turmeric (for that gorgeous color); 1 tsp ground coriander; 1 tsp salt; 1 tsp black pepper; 1/2 tsp cinnamon (secret ingredient that makes people go “what IS that?”); 1/4 tsp cayenne (more if you like it spicy, you rebel); Pinch of ground cloves (just a tiny bit goes a LONG way); 1 cup plain Greek yogurt (full fat is best, this isn’t the time for diet food); 3 tbsp tahini (stir it well first – that oil separation is annoying AF); 2-4 garlic cloves, grated on a microplane (depends on how vampire-repellent you want to be); 2 tbsp lemon juice; 2 tbsp olive oil; 1/2 tsp salt; 2 tbsp ice cold water (to make it silky smooth); 1 tbsp fresh parsley or mint, chopped (optional, but adds a nice freshness); Pita bread (warm it up for like 30 seconds or it’s just sad); Diced tomatoes (the ripest you can find); Diced cucumber (Persian ones are best but English work too); Thinly sliced red onion (soak in ice water for 10 mins if you don’t want dragon breath); Fresh parsley or mint leaves; Pickles (the pink turnip ones if you can find them, otherwise cucumber pickles work); Lettuce or cabbage, shredded (for that crunch factor); Hot sauce (if you’re brave); Lemon wedges (because fresh > everything)

Description

So shawarma is this amazing Middle Eastern street food that’ll blow your taste buds away. Traditionally, it’s made by stacking marinated meat on a vertical rotisserie where it slowly roasts all day, getting all caramelized and juicy. They shave off the crispy bits as they cook and stuff them in pita with sauce and veggies. Since most of us don’t have a giant spinning meat tower in our kitchen (though a girl can dream), I’ve figured out how to make a pretty killer version at home that’ll satisfy your shawarma cravings without having to find a street vendor at 2am.

Ingredients

Scale

For the Chicken Marinade:

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs (forget breasts, thighs are where it’s AT for shawarma)
1/4 cup olive oil (the good stuff if you’ve got it)
3 tbsp lemon juice (from REAL lemons please, not that bottle garbage)
3 garlic cloves, minced (or 5–6 if you’re like me and measure garlic with your heart)
2 tsp cumin (the backbone of good shawarma)
2 tsp paprika (smoked if you’ve got it)
1 tsp turmeric (for that gorgeous color)
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cinnamon (secret ingredient that makes people go “what IS that?”)
1/4 tsp cayenne (more if you like it spicy, you rebel)
Pinch of ground cloves (just a tiny bit goes a LONG way)

For the Creamy Garlic Sauce:

1 cup plain Greek yogurt (full fat is best, this isn’t the time for diet food)
3 tbsp tahini (stir it well first – that oil separation is annoying AF)
2–4 garlic cloves, grated on a microplane (depends on how vampire-repellent you want to be)
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp ice cold water (to make it silky smooth)
1 tbsp fresh parsley or mint, chopped (optional, but adds a nice freshness)

For Serving:

Pita bread (warm it up for like 30 seconds or it’s just sad)
Diced tomatoes (the ripest you can find)
Diced cucumber (Persian ones are best but English work too)
Thinly sliced red onion (soak in ice water for 10 mins if you don’t want dragon breath)
Fresh parsley or mint leaves
Pickles (the pink turnip ones if you can find them, otherwise cucumber pickles work)
Lettuce or cabbage, shredded (for that crunch factor)
Hot sauce (if you’re brave)
Lemon wedges (because fresh > everything)