Try this easy and delicious recipe for chicken tacos with a twist!
Chicken Shawarma is a traditional middle eastern street food with bite-sized chicken pieces that is wrapped in a thin pita, with Mediterranean veggies and sauces! It is usually a rotisserie chicken on a spit, that is grilled and sliced to perfection! Here are some of the toppings we used for this twist recipe!
This was inspired by my love for tacos, and pairs well with this amazing homemade Mediterranean style chimichurri sauce.
Ingredients
garlic, lemon, olive oil, boneless skinless chicken thighs, sea salt, and torillas. Twist: shawarma spice mix. Toppings: radishes, red onions, jalapeños, cilantro, mint, avocado, red peppers, tahini sauce or salsa!
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Gather ingredients and mix in a large bowl.
Combine all spices into a large bowl and mix thoroughly into chicken pieces.
Hint: Add toppings on two tortillas so that your delicious taco doesn’t fall apart on the way to your taste buds!
Substitutions
- Cilantro - instead of cilantro, you can use parsley
- Corn tortillas - use whole wheat tortillas for a low carb option
Variations
- Spicy - add aleppo or red pepper flakes while cooking to heat up the dish
- Deluxe - add guacamole, green salsa verde
Equipment
In this recipe, I baked the chicken in the oven. Many times though, I use this Lodge Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Reversible Grill which is my favorite to kitchen hack to use when we don't feel like heating the oven or firing up the grill!
Storage
Store the chicken shawarma leftovers separately from the other ingredients in the fridge, and recombine when ready. Top on salads for a low carb version. Good for 2-3 days.
Top tip
Chicken shawarma can be topped on salads for a low carb version!
In addition, this recipe calls for a chicken shawarma spice blend. However, if you can’t get your hands on a premade mix, it’s very easy to make your own! You can simply add these spices in a bowl, combine and mix! The portions below are for a large spice mix that can be stored in an airtight container and used for other recipes such BBQ'ing chicken on the grill... yum!
Homemade Shawarma Spice
• 2 tbsp sweet paprika
• 1 tbsp allspice
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp Aleppo pepper or hot pepper flakes (optional)
For this chicken shawarma recipe, all you need is 3 tablespoons of the homemade shawarma spice. Store the remaining in an airtight container. We hope you enjoy this easy and delicious recipe, and please let us know if you added a twist in the comments below!
Chicken Shawarma Tacos
Ingredients
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- 1 juice, squeezed lemon
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 5-6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 tsp sea salt
Twist
- 1 tbsp chicken shawarma spice mix
Taco toppings
- 2-3 sliced radishes
- 1/2 finely chopped red onion
- 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
- 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
- 1 jalapeño, deseeded and finely chopped
- 1 sliced avocado
- 1/2 red pepper sliced
- 1 tbsp tahini sauce
Serve with:
- small white corn tortillas
Instructions
- Step 1 In a large bowl, mix chicken thighs, shawarma mix, lemon juice, garlic, sea salt and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Let it marinate for 3 hours (or overnight for more tenderness and flavor).
- Step 2 Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place marinated chicken onto a baking sheet lined with foil and bake until cooked through, about 35 minutes. Let it cool, and thinly slice into bite-sized pieces. Place back in oven for 5 additional minutes to crisp chicken and let spices and juices absorb.Note: sliced chicken can also be cooked on a grill pan on medium-high heat for 6-7 minutes on each side.
- Step 3 Warm the tortillas on the stove or toaster oven. To assemble, fill them with chicken, radishes, chopped red onion, jalapeños, red pepper, parsley and cilantro. Top with tahini sauce or your favorite hot sauce!
Jamie Howe says
This chicken shawarma spice blend is something I am going to make in bulk. We often have shawarma bowls but somehow I had not thought about tacos. This will be a regular star on taco Tuesday now!
Rose Chamaa says
Oh! I love taco Tuesdays too 🙂