Chicken Shawarma Plate | This sheet pan chicken shawarma is easy to make, boldly flavored and the chicken is done in only 15-20 minutes. You can customize the rest of your plate with the sides that you like or any leftover or meal-prepped items you have on hand for a quick dinner. For my plate I use the sheet pan chicken shawarma, Mediterranean couscous, a simple cucumber salad, homemade hummus, and homemade Toum - a Lebanese garlic dip.
I love watching traditional foods being prepared. I've watched Chicken Al Pastor cook on a spit in Merida, Mexico and ordered the smoky, flavorful red tinged dish in tacos to devour on the spot.
I've had fresh gyro meat sliced off the spit in the street in Greece and stuffed into a thick pita, dolloped with Tzatziki sauce and topped with tomato and onion.
But… what happens when you're craving shawarma and you don't have a vertical rotisserie (aka spit) set up in your kitchen?
You make sheet pan shawarma chicken. That's right, we'll spice up the chicken with a shawarma inspired spice mix and cook everything up sheet pan style. Then you'll add various other tasty ingredients to make your very own chicken shawarma plate, and I'll show you how. And you can customize your plate!
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I use a variety of common spices mixed together with the roasted chicken for a beautiful blend of middle eastern inspired flavors.
The ingredients for the side dishes that I give you in this recipe are just a guide and you can use them and have the same dish as me, or you can use up whatever you have on hand, or make exactly what you like. If you have items meal-prepped or leftover from another dinner, use them here.
Don't like hummus? Use another dip like tzatziki or spinach artichoke dip. Don't like couscous? Use a quinoa or rice dish. Or potatoes. This chicken shawarma plate is a great way to use up leftovers, try little bits of different recipes at the same time and it's the perfect dish to meal prep.
While the chicken cooks in the oven you can make the couscous which just steams for 5 minutes, and the cucumber salad which also comes together quickly. Use your choice of dips or make my hummus or Toum recipe.
What is the origin of shawarma?
If you haven't heard of chicken shawarma before, it's a middle eastern dish consisting of spiced meat that is stacked on a vertical spit and then slowly roasted rotisserie style. Meat is then carved off once it's cooked. Chicken shawarma is a popular street food.
What is a chicken shawarma plate?
A chicken shawarma plate usually consists of the spiced chicken shawarma, a quinoa or couscous or tabbouleh, chickpea salad, hummus, toum and pita chips. My local shawarma place also serves pickled turnips with their shawarma plate. To make the perfect shawarma plate use side dishes that you love!
What condiments are used with chicken shawarma?
I like to use both a hummus (a whipped chickpea based dip) and Toum (a thick garlic dip).
Ingredients
About the ingredients for this recipe. See the recipe card below for exact amounts.
- Boneless skinless chicken breast strips: You can buy either a pound of the strips or a pound of chicken breasts and cut them into strips yourself.
- Olive oil + lemon juice: for extra flavor on the chicken
- Spices: I use a mix of spices including paprika, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, and ground cinnamon
- Bell pepper: Not in these photos but I use red bell pepper usually for this shawarma recipe
- Onion: a yellow, white, or red onion, whichever you prefer
- Grain Salad: I like my Mediterranean couscous salad for this shawarma plate but you could also use a Pearl Couscous Salad or a quinoa salad.
- Cucumber Salad: I use a simple cucumber salad but you could also use my cucumber tomato and chickpea salad, or a tabbouleh
- Pita: Use your favorite and cut into small triangles. I like to spray them with oil, season with salt and pepper and then bake for 8 minutes, or air fry for 5 minutes for crispy pita chips - so good dipped in Toum.
- Toum: Toum is a Lebanese garlic dip, heavy on the garlic flavor. Try my easy small batch Toum recipe.
- Hummus: Use your favorite! I'll give you a basic hummus recipe in the recipe card but I also have several other recipes on my website like Lemon Basil Hummus, Avocado Cilantro Lime Hummus, Roasted Sweet Potato Hummus and Butternut Squash Hummus.
Note on Ingredients: This recipe is for a shawarma plate, so you can just make the sheet pan shawarma chicken from the recipe card and then either use my side recipes or use your favorite recipes. This is a great time to use up leftovers also like chickpea salads or the last of a hummus container.
Instructions
Prep Tips
- Make or buy the dips like the Hummus or Toum
- Make a salad like cucumber salad
- Make a grain or potato like Mediterranean Couscous
- Cut pitas into triangles. Bake them if you want to
As I said above, you can make this whole plate the same as I do and I give you all of the recipes in the recipe card, or you can pick and choose and substitute what you want.
Below I'll show you step by step how to make the chicken and then put the plate together.
If you want more information on how to make super smooth hummus, how to make Mediterranean Couscous, and how to make a cucumber salad, check the recipe card and those blog posts.
Add the spices to the strips of chicken, bell pepper, and onion.
Mix everything around well with tongs.
Spread the chicken, pepper, and onions on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake at 400ºF (200ºC) for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through.
To make the shawarma plate, start with spreading hummus on a plate.
Add pita triangles.
Add toum.
Next add a few scoops of the Mediterranean couscous.
Add cucumber salad.
Now add the sheet pan shawarma chicken.
Add some of the onions and bell peppers (not shown in these photos).
Serve the finished plate.
All of the recipes used here last for several days in the fridge, making these recipes perfect for meal prep.
RECIPE TIP: Make pita chips by cutting pitas into small triangles - I use kitchen scissors for this. Spray them with oil and then season with salt and pepper. Bake for 8 minutes at 350ºF (180ºC) or air fry them for 5 minutes.
Substitutions
✔ Make this recipe vegetarian by skipping the chicken strips and adding extra onion and bell pepper.
> Don't like garlic? Use just hummus.
> Instead of the Mediterranean Couscous, try my Pearl Couscous Salad or Roasted Lemon Potatoes
Equipment
For this sheet pan chicken shawarma recipe I use a baking pan and I line it with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
When I make hummus I use the food processor attachment of my Ninja Kitchen System.
When I make toum, I use the immersion blender attachment from my 3-in-1 stick blender.
Storage
The chicken and the couscous keep in the fridge in a covered container for 3-5 days. The cucumber salad is good for a day or so - it can start getting watery.
The hummus and toum keep in the fridge for 5-7 days.
More recipes for Shawarma Plates
- Toum
- Roasted Sweet Potato + Garlic Hummus
- Avocado Cilantro Lime Hummus
- Lemon Basil Hummus
- Roasted Butternut Squash Hummus
- Mediterranean Couscous
- Pesto Couscous
- Pearl Couscous Salad
- Chickpea Salad with Cucumber + Tomatoes
Tips + FAQs
This chicken shawarma plate includes sheet pan chicken shawarma strips with onion, a couscous salad, a cucumber salad, toum, hummus and pita triangles.
Shawarma is typically serve with tabbouleh, cucumber salad, garlic sauce and pitas.
Authentic shawarma is made by stacking meat (chicken, lamb, or beef) on a vertical spit and slow roasting it. To make it at home without a vertical spit, you can roast it in the oven.
Recipe
Chicken Shawarma Plate
Ingredients
For the Sheet Pan Chicken Shawarma
- 1 lb chicken strips
- 1 onion cut into strips
- 1 red bell pepper cut into strips
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons ground paprika
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- pinch crushed red pepper flakes
Cucumber Salad
- ¼ cup diced red onion
- 1 cucumber diced
- 1 tablespoon chopped mint
- 1 tablespoon chopped parley
- 1 small tomato diced
- drizzle olive oil
- drizzle lemon juice to taste
Hummus
Toum
- 6-7 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 large egg white
- 1 cup neutral oil like canola, or vegetable
Mediterranean Couscous
- 1 ½ cups dry couscous
- 1 ½ cups water boiling
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup diced mixed bell pepper
- ¼ cup diced red onion
- 1 tablespoon capers chopped
- ¼ cup sliced black olives chopped
- juice of half a lemon
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- bunch of chopped parsley
Instructions
For the sheet pan chicken shawarma
- Preheat oven to 400ºF (200°C).
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the strips of chicken, onion, and bell pepper to a bowl. Sprinkle the spices over top and mix everything together well with tongs.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
For the Mediterranean Couscous
- Add the dry couscous, boiling water and salt to a bowl. Stir quickly and then cover with a lid. Let sit for 5 minutes and fluff with a fork.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and stir.
For the Cucumber Salad
- Add everything to a bowl and mix together. Season with salt and pepper.
For the Hummus
- Blend the chickpeas in a food processor until pureed.
- Add the rest of the ingredients except the ice and mix well for about 5 minutes or until smooth.
- Add the ice cubes, one at a time, blending and scraping the sides down until you have a smooth, whipped hummus.
For the Toum
- Add the garlic, salt and water to a tall, thin cup and blend with an immersion blender to break up the garlic.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and set the immersion blender on the bottom of the cup. Blend, pulling the immersion blender up as the ingredients whip into a thick dip.
To make the shawarma plate
- Spread some hummus on the plate and then add some pita triangles. Add a bowl of the toum. Scoop some couscous salad and cucumber salad onto the plate and then add some of the chicken, onions, and bell pepper. Serve.
Equipment
Video
Notes
Nutritional information is an estimate. Values vary based on products used. Read our full Nutrition Disclaimer.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you.
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