A simple and delicious Air Fryer Chicken Shawarma recipe that will take just 20 minutes to cook. If you have time, marinate the chicken in the spicy yoghurt overnight for juicy, tender meat. This is by no means the traditional way to cook Shawarma, but it makes a fabulous easy dinner!
WHAT IS CHICKEN SHAWARMA?
Shawarma is a Middle Eastern street food traditionally made from lamb or mutton. It is also made with veal, beef and chicken. The spiced meat is cooked on a large vertical rotisserie. The cooked meat is shaved off in thin slices and stuffed in flatbreads, pitta or with fries.
This is in no way an authentic Shawarma recipe. Obviously, the common home cook has no access to a large rotating spit roast/rotisserie, so it won’t taste anything like the Shawarma you would enjoy on holiday.
But we have to make the most of the tools we have, and thankfully the air fryer does a quick and easy job of making a pretty delicious chicken Shawarma. I’ve made this for my boys and their friends several times and I must say, it always goes down a storm! There is never any leftover for the next day!
Ingredients
Scroll to the bottom of the post to find a printable recipe card with ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.
- Chicken thighs (for ease I buy skinless and boneless chicken) are juicier, more tender and harder to dry out than chicken breasts. They are also much cheaper which is a bonus. I like to slice the thighs in half or three pieces so they cook faster. You can slice the chicken even thinner once it’s cooked.
- Fresh Lemon juice will help to tenderise the meat, so don’t be tempted to leave it out.
- Olive oil – regular, not extra virgin
- Spices – ground cumin, turmeric, paprika, coriander, black pepper, cardamon and cinnamon. For heat, add a little cayenne pepper. And of course, don’t skimp on the salt to season the chicken. I use regular fine salt here.
- Fresh garlic – you’ll need 3 large cloves
- Not all shawarma recipes require Greek yoghurt, but I like to add some to the marinade. Combined with the oil and lemon juice, it helps make the chicken extra tender and juicy.
How long should I marinate the chicken for?
If you’re in a hurry, 30 minutes would be the absolute minimum. BUT longer is better. I try and go for at least 2-3 hours, or ideally overnight so all the flavours can get a chance to mingle and get to know each other.
How to make air fryer chicken Shawarma
Make the marinade
Combine the chicken pieces, yoghurt, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and spices together, making sure you give the chicken pieces a really good coating. If I’m marinating for a few hours, I use a ziplock bag.
Cook the chicken
Preheat the air fryer to 180C. Add the chicken and cook for about 20 minutes, turning halfway through the cooking time.
Important! You need to cook the chicken in a single layer so the edges get crispy. If you overcrowd the basket, the chicken won’t brown properly. So cooking in batches is key.
For extra crispy bits (and who doesn’t want that?) remove the chicken from the air fryer once it’s fully cooked. Turn the temperature to 200C and return to the fryer for 3-4 minutes until the edges are nice and crispy.
rest the chicken
Rest the chicken for about 5-10 minutes. This will ensure the chicken is nice and juicy. If you want thinner slices of chicken, cut it after resting.
what to serve with air fryer chicken shawarma
Serve the chicken with:
- Flatbreads or Pitta bread
- red onion, peeled and finely sliced
- Fresh tomatoes
- Shredded lettuce
- Sliced gherkins
- Tahini or garlic sauce
To serve, grab your pitta bread, wraps, lettuce, garlic/tahini sauce and whatever else you’re having. I like to warm the bread up first. I put everything in bowls or a large platter and let everyone help themselves.
For a change, you could serve chicken Shawarma with creamy Tzatziki dip and this deliciously fresh Tabbouleh salad. This is a lovely meal on a hot Summer’s day.
did you make this recipe?
I hope you loved it! Let me know what you think by leaving a comment below. Don’t forget to rate the recipe by clicking on the stars in the recipe card.
Air Fryer Chicken Shawarma
This Air Fryer chicken Shawarma is delicious and very easy to make - it's perfect for feeding a crowd! Just don't expect to have any leftovers!
Ingredients
- 700g skinless and boneless chicken thighs
- Juice of one large lemon
- 4 tablespoon full fat Greek yoghurt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons paprika (not smoked)
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- TO SERVE
- Flatbreads or Pitta bread
- One red onion, peeled and finely sliced
- Fresh tomatoes
- Shredded lettuce
- Sliced gherkins
- Tahini or garlic sauce
- Fresh coriander
Instructions
- Cut the thighs into fairly thin slices. You can always slice them thinner after they are cooked, so don’t worry about getting them too thin - you just need the slices to be the same size so they cook evenly.
- Place the chicken in a bowl with the lemon, Greek yoghurt, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and all of the spices. Using your hands, give everything a really good mix, making sure that all of the chicken is completely covered in the marinade. Cover the bowl with some cling film and place in the fridge to marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes or overnight.
- Preheat the air fryer to 180C. Add a single layer of chicken and cook for about 18 minutes or until cooked through and registers 75C on a meat thermometer. You will probably need to cook the chicken in two or three batches - don’t overcrowd the fryer or the chicken won’t cook properly.
- Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate and rest for five minutes or so before serving in pitta or flatbreads with lettuce, tomatoes, sliced red onion, pickles and tahini or garlic sauce.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 556Total Fat: 24gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 214mgSodium: 1179mgCarbohydrates: 40gFiber: 4gSugar: 12gProtein: 49g
Calories and nutritional information are provided by a third party application and should be viewed as indicative figures only.