We all know I have a deep love affair with Mediterranean food and this Chicken Shawarma Stuffed Pita situation is making me want to hop on a flight and jet off for a vacay!
It the chicken recipe to end all chicken recipes. You’ll flip. It’s marinated in the most glorious marinade. Then it’s grilled for a few minutes until fully cooked. THEN… it’s sliced and sautéed for a few minutes more to get those really delicious crispy bits that make you jump for joy. Everything gets rolled up in a pita and voila – the most perfect Chicken Shawarma lunch or dinner that maybe, just maybe, will make you feel like you’re beachside somewhere in the Mediterranean soaking up the sun.
Chicken Shawarma Stuffed Pita
We all know I have a deep love affair with Mediterranean food and this Chicken Shawarma Stuffed Pita situation is making me want to hop on a flight and jet off for a vacay!
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 2 lemons juiced
- ½ cup olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic peeled, smashed and minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon red-pepper flakes
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
For the Pitas
- 6 pieces of pita bread
- Chopped Parsley
- Cherry Tomatoes halved
- Cucumbers cubed
- 1 recipe Homemade Tzatziki Sauce
- Shredded Romaine
Instructions
- In a large zip-top bag, combine the lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, oregano and red-pepper flakes. Add the chicken, zip the top of the bag and give it a quick shake to combine. Refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 12 hours.
- Pre-heat a cast iron to medium high heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade and grill each chicken thigh for 4-5 minutes on each side until done. Remove and set aside to rest.
- Slice the chicken against the grain into thin strips and transfer back into the skillet and sauté for 2 minutes until just slightly crispy around the edges.
- Transfer the chicken to a large bowl and toss to combine with the parsley, cherry tomatoes and cucumbers.
- Place the chicken in the middle of a pita and top with the assorted toppings. Fold the pita up and wrap with parchment to hold it together.
Notes
You can also add hummus!
Nutrition Information
Calories: 641kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 20g | Cholesterol: 94mg | Sodium: 940mg | Potassium: 710mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 499IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 129mg | Iron: 5mg
Josh and Caleb would love this recipe! Yummmm.
omg. Pete would give an eye tooth for that sandwich- looks so good!
this looks so delicious! was wondering if using boneless chicken breasts would make a huge difference? thanks!
you could absolutely use boneless chicken breasts!
Want this so bad right now. I’m obsessed with shawarma but have never made it at home because it seems complicated. Didn’t realize it wasn’t as complicated as I made it up to be in my head!! Yum!!
Me too
Awesome chicken recipe for pita
Thank you
This looks so delicious. My cats LOVE chicken and I can barely keep them off the counter when I am slicing it up. I am going to try this Fancy Feast also and see if it keeps them occupied!!!
I was inspired and made it last night for dinner. My family loved it–and that included two teens!! Great recipe. Thank you.
That wrap looks so good!
This recipe was so good! My whole family enjoyed it. Thank you.
My boys love pita sandwiches!
I LOVE your tzatziki!! It makes everything even more delicious.
How much chicken?
it’s listed in the recipe! 2 lbs
I made this for supper last night, and ate the leftovers for lunch today. It was so good! I grilled the marinated chicken over medium heat on our gas grill, which gave it a nice charred, smoky flavor. And the homemade tzatziki is addictive! This was my first Gaby recipe, but certainly not my last!
LOVE hearing that! Thanks Kate
easy, light, filling and delicious dinner! It’s a keeper. Thank you Gaby!!! Looking forward to following your meal plans this summer. All our boys were happy; ages 3 – 19!!! Woohoo
I could not get the good pita and also just left the chicken for an hour to marinade (as I did an impromptu and could not wait longer) – but it was not bad – maybe needs a little more tang? I had 500gm of chicken breast and added 1&half lime – it was good eat though. Thanks! I will follow more receipies here – this was my first 🙂
Does the marinade need to be wiped off prior to cooking?
nope!
Gaby,
I just made this and it is absolutely delicious!!! My daughter doesn’t love spicy, so I reduced the amount of garlic and left out the red pepper and it was still incredibly flavorful. It was such a fun meal to put on the table, as I had hummus and baba ghanoush too. But your chicken schwarma stole the show!! I will definitely be making this again!
Debbie
Loved making it. Easy, tasty. Great idea for summer
Where is the recipe for the homemade tzarika sauce?
https://whatsgabycooking.com/homemade-tzatziki/
I’ve made this before and love it. We’re going to a friends cabin this weekend and I was wondering how you think it would be if I make it ahead and quickly reheat the chicken right before serving.
should be totally fine!
Where is the recipe for the T sauce???
https://whatsgabycooking.com/homemade-tzatziki/
Very good
Where is the Homemade Tzatziki sauce recipe? It makes sense that there should be a link, but I do not find one. Help this beginer out and give me ALL the tools I need to make this meal.
linked within the recipe!! For some reason it wasn’t showing up in red. Just fixed it