Juicy chicken marinated in yogurt, lemon and Levantine spices, seared over high heat and thinly sliced. Served with creamy garlic toum in flatbread or a bowl for a high-protein meal.
Written by
Ecem Akkaba · Dietitian
Dietitian, graduate of İstanbul Medipol University. She develops the recipes and nutrition values on FitZen.
Updated:
Lebanese Chicken Shawarma – Spiced Chicken with Garlic Toum contains 430 calories per serving: 39 g protein, 28 g carbohydrate and 19 g fat. It takes 40 minutes in total and makes 4 servings.
Shawarma is a Middle Eastern classic of spiced meat cooked on a slowly turning vertical spit. In the Lebanese version, chicken is marinated in yogurt, lemon and warm spices from cinnamon to cumin, and served alongside "toum," a fluffy emulsion of garlic and oil.
At home, without a vertical spit, you can chase the same charred flavor by getting a skillet or grill very hot. Using skinless thigh meat keeps it juicy while keeping the fat in balance.
Rich in protein, this meal makes a balanced plate with fresh vegetables and whole-grain flatbread. Served as a bowl, it can be paired with bulgur instead of rice or with plenty of greens, making it lighter and more nourishing.
Make the marinade by mixing the yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, cumin, coriander, paprika, cinnamon, allspice, salt and pepper in a bowl.
Add the chicken thighs to the marinade, coat them thoroughly and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, ideally overnight.
Make the toum: crush the garlic with a pinch of salt, then in a blender drizzle in the oil very slowly while adding the lemon juice bit by bit until you have a fluffy emulsion.
Heat a skillet or grill over medium-high until very hot and cook the chicken 5–6 minutes per side until charred outside and cooked through.
Rest the cooked chicken for a few minutes, then slice it into thin strips.
Warm the flatbreads briefly in a pan or oven.
Spread toum over each flatbread, add chicken, tomato, pickles and parsley, then roll up tightly.
Alternatively, serve the sliced chicken as a bowl over rice or bulgur with the toum on the side.
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