Our super easy Chicken Shawarma Marinade brings the best flavor to any cut of chicken! Made with an amazing spice blends that come together in 5 minutes. Perfect for easy weeknight dinners that will wake-up your tastebuds in all the best ways!
At our house, we make some form of chicken pretty often and we have a variety of marinade recipes, like Greek Chicken Marinade and Balsamic Chicken Marinade. We have always loved a classic Middle Eastern chicken shawarma, so we knew it was time to add this flavorful marinade to our list. You probably already have these chicken shawarma ingredients in your pantry and fridge. Just mix them up, marinate, and cook chicken any way you want!
Looking for More Marinades?
If you love a homemade marinade as much as we do, you definitely need to try our Chicken Fajita Marinade!
Key Ingredients + Substitutions
- plain yogurt – we used plain Greek yogurt, but feel free to pick-up a dairy-free alternative at your local grocery store.
- lime juice – a little bit of acidity really helps to amplify all the delicious flavors!
- tequila – for best results add a splash to help with the depth of flavor, but option to omit, if you want.
- minced garlic – everything is always better with some fresh garlic.
- onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, cumin, cinnamon, ground cloves, salt and pepper – a wonderful combination of warm spices that bring bold flavors to this simple chicken shawarma marinade!
- raw chicken – we highly recommend boneless skinless chicken thighs, but any cut of chicken will work here – chicken breast, bone-in chicken thighs, chicken legs, etc.
How To Make Chicken Shawarma Marinade
The first steps to making this easy recipe are to gather all of the marinade ingredients. Place them in a large mixing bowl or ziplock bag and whisk to combine. Add the chicken to the bowl and toss to coat. Let it marinate for a maximum of 30 minutes (after that, the acid in the lime juice will start to breakdown the chicken).
Best Ways To Cook Chicken Shawarma
When your marinated chicken is ready to cook, there are so many options! A few of our favorite cooking methods for making shawarma chicken are:
- Outdoor Grill – Heat gas grill to medium-high heat (approx. 400 degrees F.). Place a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil over top the grill grates (or grill pan)* and spray with extra virgin olive oil or non-stick cooking spray. Place chicken on top, over direct heat and let cook approx. 3-4 minutes per side or until the internal temperature at the thickest part reaches 160 degrees F. Transfer grilled chicken to a plate and let rest 5-10 minutes before slicing.
- Oven Roasted Chicken – Remove chicken from the marinade, allowing excess liquid to drip off. Place them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until their internal temperature at the thickest part of the meat reaches 165 degrees F (use a meat thermometer).
- Air Fryer – simply marinate chicken and then follow our directions for Air Fryer Chicken Thighs.
- Stovetop – the recipe card below has the simple instructions for making stovetop chicken shawarma!
Best Ways To Serve Chicken Shawarma
Once your juicy chicken is ready to eat, serve it up with our super easy garlic white sauce, tzatziki sauce, or tahini sauce. And if you are looking for a side dish, we recommend a rice pilaf, pita bread, a simple salad, naan bread, or turn it into a Chicken Shawarma Bowl with all the fresh veggies!
Make this easy shawarma marinade recipe and loved it?! We would love it if you would take a minute and leave a star rating and review – it is also helpful if you made any substitutions or changes to the recipe to share that as well. THANK YOU!
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Chicken Shawarma Marinade Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Marinate Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Marinade
- Method: Refrigerator
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern-Inspired
Description
A seriously delicious Chicken Shawarma Marinade recipe that is perfect for the stove-top or grill! Serve with some Garlic White Sauce!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon tequila
- 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Instructions
- Prep Marinade: In a large bowl whisk together the plain Greek yogurt, lime juice, tequila, garlic, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, cumin, cinnamon, cloves, kosher salt and ground black pepper.
- Marinate Chicken: Add chicken thighs and toss to coat. Let marinate 30 minutes.
- Cook Chicken: Bring a large non-stick skillet to medium-high heat. Add chicken and sear on both sides, 1-2 minutes. Reduce heat and cook chicken 2-5 minutes per side or until fully cooked (internal temp. of 165 degrees F.) – don’t add all the marinade to the pan, but it is nice to cook the chicken in a little bit of it. Transfer to cutting board and let chicken rest 5 minutes before slicing. We love serving it with some Garlic White Sauce!
Notes
- Grill Cooking Method: Heat grill to medium-high heat (approx. 400 degrees F.). Place a piece of heavy-duty foil over top the grill grates (or your favorite grill mat)* and spray with olive oil or your favorite non-stick. Place chicken on top over direct heat and let cook approx. 3-4 minutes per side or until the internal temperature at the thickest part reaches 160 degrees F. Transfer to a plate and let rest 5-10 minutes before cutting into thin slices of meat.
- *Grill Mat or Aluminum Foil: we tested this without foil on a very clean and well-greased grill grates and we had some major issues with the chicken sticking to the grill grates. We re-tested using foil and it worked perfectly so that is what we recommend to avoid that issue!
- Bone-In Chicken Thighs: you can definitely use bone-in chicken thighs for this simple marinade, if you prefer, just be sure to adjust the cook time accordingly.
- Chicken Breast or Chicken Legs: you can use either of these just adjust the cook time accordingly.
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