Chicken Shawarma on Skewers

This is proper oven shawarma — spiced yoghurt-marinated chicken thighs stacked on a double skewer and roasted until golden and charred at the edges. It’s the kind of meal you plan a day ahead, then slice straight onto the table with flatbreads, garlic sauce, onion and tomato. One oven, one tray, and a spice blend that does all the heavy lifting.

Serves 4

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1 hours 15 minutes

Looking for more Middle Eastern-inspired chicken? Try my Greek Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki, my Sheet Pan Chicken Kebabs, or my Crispy Lamb Pitas with Tahini Yoghurt Sauce.

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Helpful Tips

Storage

Store sliced chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Freezes well for up to 3 months — freeze sliced and portion-ready for easy meal prep.

Substitutions

Chicken thighs only — breast will dry out at this cook time and temperature. Don’t swap it.
Gluten-free: Serve in gluten-free wraps or on a rice base instead of flatbread.

Serving Suggestions

Pile the sliced chicken into flatbreads with garlic sauce, sliced tomato, and fresh herbs.

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Ingredients Directions

Serving Scaler

Serves 4 1x 2x 3x

Ingredients

1 kg boneless, skinless chicken thighs

For the Marinade:

80g full-fat Greek yoghurt
3 tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves, grated
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp sweet paprika
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground cardamom
½ tsp ground black pepper
1½ tsp salt

For the Skewers:

2 large brown onions, halved horizontally
2 long metal skewers or wooden skewers soaked in water for 30 minutes

To Serve:

Flatbreads or pita
garlic yoghurt sauce or tzatziki
Sliced tomato and cucumber
Fresh parsley or coriander

Directions

Note: Before the raw chicken touches the marinade bowl, set aside 3 tablespoons of marinade in a separate small bowl for basting. Do this first! You can’t go back once the chicken is in.

Open each chicken thigh out flat, butterflying any thick pieces so they’re fairly even.
Add all the marinade ingredients to a large bowl and mix well. Add the chicken and mix thoroughly until every piece is completely coated. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 8 hours, ideally 24 hours.
Remove the chicken from the fridge 30–45 minutes before cooking to take the chill off. This helps it cook evenly all the way through.
Sit both onion halves cut-side down on a foil-lined baking tray. Push one skewer firmly through the centre of each onion so both stand upright side by side.
Stack the marinated chicken thighs across both skewers, threading each piece onto both skewers at once. Press the whole stack with your hands into a tight, compact block. Gaps cause uneven cooking, so pack it as firmly as you can.
Preheat your oven to 190°C fan-forced. Place a small oven-proof dish with 200ml of water on the lower rack to create steam and keep the chicken moist. Sit the skewer tray on the rack above.
Roast at 190°C for 50–60 minutes, basting with your reserved marinade every 15 minutes. Check at the 45-minute mark with a meat thermometer — the internal temperature should be climbing towards 65–68°C at this point.
Increase the oven to 220°C or switch to the grill/broiler setting for the final 10–15 minutes until the outside is deeply golden and charred at the edges.
Check that the thickest part of the stack has reached 74°C internal temperature. Rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
Use a sharp knife to slice down the outside of the stack, letting the pieces fall onto a board.
Pile into flatbreads with garlic sauce, tomato, onion and fresh herbs.

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Nutritional Information

( per serving, based on 4 servings )

Nutrient	Amount
Calories	480 kcal
Protein	52 g
Carbohydrates	12 g
Fat	24 g
Fibre	2 g

Nutritional information is approximate and provided as a general reference only. Actual values may vary. This is not a substitute for professional dietary advice.