Shawarma is the Middle East’s greatest street food: ribbons of spice-marinated chicken shaved off a turning spit into warm flatbread with garlic sauce and pickles. No spit at home: no problem. A screaming-hot oven or pan gets you shockingly close, and the marinade does most of the heavy lifting anyway.
The marinade that makes it
- Yogurt and lemon juice, the tenderizing base
- Cumin, coriander, paprika, turmeric and cinnamon
- Plenty of garlic and a spoon of tomato paste
- Boneless chicken thighs, always thighs, they char without drying
Cooking for maximum char
- Marinate at least four hours, overnight for the real thing.
- Roast the thighs stacked or overlapped in a very hot oven, mimicking the density of a spit.
- Rest, slice thin, then crisp the slices briefly in a hot pan for the signature charred edges.
- Pile onto warmed flatbread straight away.
The garlic sauce is half the dish
Toum, the fluffy Lebanese garlic sauce, is shawarma’s soulmate: garlic, lemon, salt and oil whipped into a cloud. A quick version blends garlic into good mayonnaise with lemon, and nobody at your table will file a complaint. Add crunchy pickles, tomatoes and a shake of sumac, then roll everything tight in the bread.
Build the full spread
Shawarma loves company: hummus, tabbouleh, chopped cucumber salad and extra flatbread turn one tray of chicken into a proper feast. The components all keep well, making this one of the best meal-prep dinners in the rotation: marinate on Sunday, and the week improves immediately.
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