There’s something incredibly satisfying about a chicken shawarma plate loaded with Mediterranean flavors. Juicy spiced chicken, fluffy yellow rice, fresh salad, creamy hummus, and cool tzatziki come together to create a meal that’s both nourishing and deeply satisfying. This homemade chicken shawarma platter brings the flavors of your favorite Mediterranean restaurant right to your kitchen.
A nourishing shawarma platter you’ll crave
What I love most about this chicken shawarma plate is how it brings together everything you need for a wholesome, satisfying meal in one colorful dish. The chicken is marinated in a simple shawarma marinade, giving it that bold Mediterranean flavor without needing complicated ingredients.
My little secret? I quickly brown sliced onions in the same pan with the flavorful shawarma pan juices, adding a rich, savory layer that makes the whole dish even more irresistible.
When served over fluffy yellow rice with fresh salad, creamy hummus, cool tzatziki, and crunchy pita chips, it turns into the kind of meal that feels both nourishing and comforting.
You can build it as a generous chicken shawarma platter for the holiday table or assemble an easy chicken shawarma rice bowl or chicken shawarma hummus bowl for weeknight dinners and meal prep.
Recipe video
Let’s see how to make this awesome shawarma plate:
Ingredients and substitutions
For chicken shawarma
- Chicken: Boneless chicken thighs turn out juicy for this recipe. If you only have chicken breasts, tenderize them first using this technique before using.
- Shawarma marinade: Lemon juice and ground spices: paprika, cumin, cardamom, turmeric, cinnamon, coriander, cayenne, black pepper, garlic powder and salt. It is ok to omit either of the two: cardamom or cinnamon, if you can’t find. But one of them is essential to bring out the shawarma flavors.
- Onions to soak up all the pan juices
- Olive oil (or any frying oil of your preference) to sear the chicken.
To construct the shawarma plate
How to make chicken shawarma plate: Step by step
(You can find the exact measurements and instructions in the printable recipe card at the end of this page. Here are step-by-step instructions with pictures to help you easily understand the recipe.)
Make shawarma marinade
Halve the boneless chicken thighs.
Mix the shawarma spices in a small bowl. Reserve 1 teaspoon of the spice mix.
Add lemon juice and the remaining spice mix to the chicken.
Toss until all the pieces of chicken are well coated with the shawarma marinade. Leave them to marinate for at least 30 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Cook shawarma chicken
Heat oil in a large pan and add the marinated chicken. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes on medium-high heat.
Flip the chicken pieces and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes until well browned and cooked through.
Remove the chicken onto a plate and keep aside. Let it rest for 5 minutes.
This is where the magic happens: When the chicken rests, it leaves behind some flavorful juices. Reserve the juices.
Transfer the chicken onto a chopping board. Slice them thinly.
Make spicy browned onions
Thinly slice the onions and add the reserved spice mix. Gently toss the onion slices with the spices.
The pan will have some oil left from frying the chicken. Add the onions and stir on low heat until they are browned.
Add the reserved pan juice from the chicken. Cook until the juices evaporate and are completely absorbed by the onions.
Build your shawarma platter
- Mediterranean yellow basmati rice pairs perfectly well with the shawarma chicken.
- Quick cucumber onion tomato salad that doesn’t need a dressing.
- Creamy cucumber dill tzatziki to balance the spiciness of the chicken.
- Smoked paprika hummus or spicy harissa hummus
- Additionally, you can add warm pita or crispy pita chips. There you go! Your fancy shawarma plate is done.
Variations
- Chicken shawarma and rice: If short on time, you can make plain boiled rice instead of the yellow rice. Plain rice still tastes delicious when combined with the aromatic chicken.
- Chicken shawarma rice bowl: For weeknight dinners, you can skip hummus and pita. You’ll still have enough and more to serve.
- Chicken shawarma hummus bowl: Similarly, you can skip rice on days you don’t feel like eating rice.
- Combine hummus and salad into a single dish by making this easy Mediterranean hummus salad.
Making ahead
Except for the cucumber salad, all the ingredients of the shawarma plate can be made 3 to 4 days in advance. So you can have different combinations as discussed above to make different bowls throughout the week.
More Mediterranean chicken recipes
- One-pan chicken shakshuka
- Sun dried tomato pesto chicken
- Garlic parmesan chicken skewers
- Honey garlic lemon pepper chicken
- Sheet pan chicken legs and potatoes
Chicken Shawarma Platter Recipe
Ingredients
Shawarma marinade
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon coriander
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom
- ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Chicken shawarma
- 500 grams (1.1 pounds) boneless chicken thighs
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 3 onions
Other ingredients for shawarma plate
- 1 bowl Mediterranean yellow rice (click here for the recipe)
- 1 bowl Mediterranean cucumber salad (click here for the recipe)
- 1 cup cucumber dill tzatziki (click here for the recipe)
- 1 cup paprika hummus (click here for the recipe)
STEP BY STEP IMAGES
Scroll back to find detailed recipe photos!
Instructions
Make shawarma marinade
- Halve 500 grams (1.1 pounds) boneless chicken thighs.
- Mix the shawarma spices in a small bowl: 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon coriander, ¼ teaspoon turmeric, ¼ teaspoon cardamom, ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon black pepper and ¾ teaspoon salt.
- Reserve 1 teaspoon of the spice mix.
- Add the remaining spice mix and 1 tablespoon lemon juice to the chicken.
- Toss until all the pieces of chicken are well coated with the shawarma marinade.
- Leave them to marinate for at least 30 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Cook shawarma chicken
- Heat ½ tablespoon olive oil in a large pan and add the marinated chicken.
- Cook for 4 to 5 minutes on medium-high heat.
- Flip the chicken pieces and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes until well browned and cooked through.
- Remove the chicken onto a plate and keep aside. Let it rest for 5 minutes.
- When the chicken rests, it leaves behind some flavorful juices. Reserve the juices.
- Transfer the chicken onto a chopping board. Slice them thinly.
Make spicy browned onions
- Thinly slice 3 onions and add the reserved spice mix. Gently toss the onion slices with the spices in a large bowl.
- The pan will have some oil left from frying the chicken. Add the onions to the same pan and stir on low heat until they are browned.
- Add the reserved pan juices from the chicken. Cook until the juices evaporate and are completely absorbed by the onions.
Build your shawarma platter
- 1 bowl Mediterranean yellow rice
- 1 bowl Mediterranean cucumber salad
- 1 cup cucumber dill tzatziki
- 1 cup paprika hummus
- Additionally, you can add warm pita or crispy pita chips.
Video
Notes
- Marinate the chicken for maximum flavor: The magic of great shawarma is in the shawarma marinade. If you have time, let the chicken marinate for at least 4 hours or overnight. The lemon and spices tenderize the chicken and help the flavors soak in beautifully.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan: When cooking the chicken, give the pieces some space. Overcrowding causes the chicken to steam instead of caramelize.
- Use high heat for better caramelization
In traditional shawarma shops, meat cooks slowly on a vertical rotisserie and develops caramelized edges. At home, cooking the chicken over fairly high heat helps recreate that slightly charred flavor. - Let the chicken rest before slicing: Once the chicken is cooked, let it rest for a few minutes before slicing it. This helps the juices redistribute so the chicken stays moist.
- Slice the chicken after cooking: For the best shawarma texture, cook chicken fillets and then slice them into thin strips. This mimics the texture of traditional shawarma you’d find in a Mediterranean shawarma plate.
- Add the sauces generously: Hummus and tzatziki aren’t just sides—they’re part of what makes a great chicken shawarma hummus bowl. A generous spoonful of each adds creaminess and ties the whole plate together.
- Build layers for the best shawarma bowl: When making a chicken shawarma rice bowl, start with warm rice, then add chicken, salad, hummus, and tzatziki. The warm and cool layers create the perfect balance of flavors and textures.
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