Chicken Shawarma with Toum Garlic Sauce – Easy & Delicious Recipe
Craving authentic street-style shawarma at home? This Chicken Shawarma with Toum Garlic Sauce delivers juicy, flavorful chicken wrapped in warm bread with the famous creamy Lebanese toum sauce. It's easy to make, restaurant-quality, and perfect for family dinners or gatherings.
Tender chicken breasts are marinated overnight with bright citrus zest, garlic, yogurt, and warm shawarma spices, then pan-fried until golden and slightly crispy. Served in soft flatbread with generous toum sauce, fries, and pickles — this homemade version is better than takeaway and full of authentic Middle Eastern flavor.
In this detailed guide, you’ll learn how to prepare the perfect marinade, cook the chicken to juicy perfection, and assemble delicious shawarma wraps step by step.
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts
- For the marinade:
- Zest of 1 orange
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 2–3 tablespoons shawarma spice mix
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tablespoons yogurt
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- Vegetable oil for cooking
- Arabic flatbread or pita bread
- Toum garlic sauce (generous amount)
- French fries (optional)
- Pickles (optional)
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken: In a large bowl, combine orange zest, lemon zest, shawarma spices, minced garlic, yogurt, salt, black pepper, and cardamom. Add the chicken breasts and mix well to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight (or minimum 4–6 hours) for maximum flavor and tenderness.
- The next day, slice the marinated chicken into thin strips. Heat a wide pan over medium-high heat with a little oil. Add the chicken, sprinkle with extra shawarma spice and cardamom, and cook while stirring until golden, cooked through, and slightly crispy on the edges.
- Assemble the wraps: Warm the flatbread. Spread a generous layer of toum garlic sauce in the center. Add hot chicken strips, french fries, and pickles. Roll tightly into a wrap.
- Return the wrapped shawarma to the hot pan (seam side down) and toast for 1–2 minutes per side until the bread is golden and crispy.
- Serve immediately with extra toum sauce on the side. Enjoy while hot!
Tips for Success
- Overnight marination is key for juicy, flavorful chicken.
- Slice the chicken thinly after marinating for even and quick cooking.
- Use a very hot pan to achieve nice crispy edges on the chicken.
- Be generous with the toum garlic sauce — it’s the star of this recipe!
- You can add fresh tomato, lettuce, or onion if you like more vegetables.
- Toasting the wrap in the pan gives it that authentic crispy street-style finish.
Enjoy this homemade Chicken Shawarma with Toum Garlic Sauce — juicy, aromatic, and truly better than takeaway! 🍗🌯