This chicken shwarma recipe has quickly become a weeknight favorite in my house. It is one of the most famous street foods of the Middle East.

Flavored with lemon juice, garlic, cumin, and other Mediterranean spices, this easy chicken shwarma recipe can be made entirely in your home oven. Or you can make it even more quickly using a combination of your Instant Pot and oven.

What is shwarma?

Shwarma is a middle eastern meat dish. Traditionally, shwarma is made by marinating thin slices of meat and then stacking them on a vertical rotisserie that turns slowly as the meat is roasted. My husband calls it a “giant meat carrot,” because the rotating stack of meat is shaped somewhat like a carrot. lol.

Once the outer layer of meat is cooked, it is shaved off with a sharp knife. The remaining meat continues to cook and is shaved off in successive layers.

This easy shwarma recipe has been simplified for making at home. It starts with marinated chicken flavored with a traditional seasoning mixture. It can be either oven-roasted or cooked in an Instant Pot. Finally it is broiled to crisp up the edges, giving it that authentic spit-roasted shwarma flavor.

What ingredients do you need?

The unique mixture of lemon juice and Middle Eastern spices is what makes shwarma so special. Here are the ingredients you need to make homemade chicken shwarma:

• Lemon juice
• Olive oil
• Plain yogurt (you can use Greek yogurt or a European-style yogurt)
• Garlic
• Ground cumin
• Paprika
• Ground cumin
• Ground coriander
• Ground turmeric
• Ground cinnamon
• Boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• Onion

Do you need to use chicken thighs or will breasts work?

Normally, I think chicken breast and thighs are somewhat interchangeable, but in this case I highly recommend sticking to thighs. Because the chicken is cooked and then broiled, I fear that lean breast meat would just become too dry.

Dark thigh meat has more fat, which keeps it moist and tender even after broiling.

How to make homemade chicken shwarma in the oven or Instant Pot

This recipe is super easy!

1. Stir together the lemon juice, olive oil, yogurt, garlic, and spices. Add the chicken and onion, turn to coat, and marinate for 20 minutes or so.
2. To cook it in the Instant Pot, place the chicken and onions in the pot, cover and seal it, and set it to pressure cook on high for 12 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally and then transfer the chicken and onions, using a slotted spoon, to a sheet pan, breaking up the chicken pieces.
3. Or cook to cook it in the oven, arrange it in a single layer on a baking sheet pan in a 425ºF oven for 35 to 45 minutes, then break the chicken thighs into smaller pieces and spread them out on the sheet pan.
4. Put the sheet pan with the shredded chicken under the broiler and broil until it begins to blacken and char in spots.
5. Serve immediately.

Can you make it in advance?

Yes! You can make chicken shwarma and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat it, put it in the microwave for a couple of minutes, or wrap it in foil and heat it in a 350ºF oven for about 15 minutes.

How do you serve it?

In my house, we like to turn it into a chicken shwarma wrap. We wrap the meat in Middle Eastern flatbread or pita bread along with shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes and cucumbers, and sauces like tzatziki, harissa paste, tahini sauce, or the Lebanese garlic sauce called toum.

But this chicken is flavorful enough to serve with a simple rice or rice pilaf and a salad with tart, lemony vinaigrette.

For more ideas, check out my other Jewish Recipes!

More chicken recipes you’ll love

• Instant Pot Thai Chicken Curry
• Homemade Chicken Enchiladas
• Thai Chicken Satay
• Tandoori Chicken
• Korean Spicy Chicken with Gochujang
• Baked Chicken with Lemon Marmalade