Saudi-style chicken shawarma: marinated chicken thighs layered with warm spices, grilled and shaved thin, wrapped in flatbread with toum garlic sauce, pickles, and fries.
Shawarma (شاورما) in Saudi Arabia occupies a different flavour register from the Lebanese and Turkish versions — richer in warm spices, heavier in the heat from the garlic sauce (toum), and almost always served with french fries tucked inside the wrap alongside the chicken. The Saudi shawarma tradition draws from the region's love of bold, warming spice profiles: chicken thighs marinated in cinnamon, cardamom, cumin, coriander, turmeric, and black pepper, then grilled slowly and shaved into tender, charred strips. The toum — a Lebanese-origin emulsified garlic sauce made with pounded garlic, lemon juice, and oil whipped to a white, mayonnaise-like fluffiness — is applied with great generosity in the Saudi street-shawarma tradition, making the wrap richly garlicky. Pickled cucumber, tomato, and parsley complete the layering. While authentic Saudi shawarma is made on vertical rotisserie spits in commercial settings, this recipe produces excellent results using chicken thighs marinated and grilled in a very hot pan or griddle, achieving the same spice-perfumed, slightly charred quality.
Serves 4
Mix oil, all spices, salt, and lemon juice into a paste. Coat the chicken thighs thoroughly. Marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight in the fridge.
Heat a ridged grill pan or heavy frying pan over very high heat. Cook the chicken thighs for 5–6 minutes per side until deeply charred in spots and cooked through. Rest for 5 minutes.
Do not move the chicken for the first 4 minutes — letting it sit undisturbed creates the char marks that replicate the rotisserie sear.
With a sharp knife, slice the rested chicken into very thin strips — the thinner the better, mixing crispy edges and juicy interior pieces.
Warm the flatbreads. Spread a generous amount of toum on each bread. Pile on the sliced chicken. Add pickled cucumber, tomato slices, and parsley. Roll tightly or fold. Serve immediately.
Toum is easy to make at home: blend 1 head of garlic (peeled) in a food processor, then slowly drizzle in 1 cup neutral oil, alternating with 3 tbsp lemon juice, until you have a thick white emulsified sauce. Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Chicken thighs are far superior to breasts for shawarma — the fat content prevents them from drying out under high heat.
The hallmark of great shawarma is mixing textures: slice some pieces thick (for juiciness) and some paper-thin (for crispiness), combining them in each wrap.
Lamb shawarma: use boneless lamb shoulder, marinated identically, and cook 5 minutes longer per side.
Shawarma plate: serve over rice with a side salad and toum instead of in a wrap for a restaurant-style meal.
Marinated raw chicken keeps in the fridge for 24 hours. Cooked sliced chicken keeps for 3 days. Reheat in a hot pan to restore the char rather than microwaving.
Shawarma is derived from the Ottoman döner kebab concept, adapted and renamed in the Arab world. The word shawarma is an Arabic rendering of the Turkish çevirme (turning). The dish spread through the Levant and Gulf states in the 20th century, with each country adapting the spice marinade and accompaniments to local taste. Saudi shawarma is distinguished by its heavy spicing with Gulf baharat, its lavish garlic sauce, and the inclusion of fries inside the wrap.
A regular heavy frying pan on very high heat works well. The key is getting the pan screaming hot before adding the chicken — this is what creates the charred, caramelised exterior that makes shawarma distinctive.
Toum is a Lebanese garlic sauce — a stable emulsion of raw garlic, oil, and lemon juice that looks like thick white cream. It is sold at Lebanese and Middle Eastern restaurants and grocery stores. Homemade toum is easy and keeps for 2 weeks in the fridge.
Very thin — almost shaved. The thin slicing is what gives shawarma its specific texture and allows the charred edges to be distributed through every bite. Use your sharpest knife and rest the chicken fully before slicing.
Per serving (380g / 13.4 oz) · 4 servings total
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