Happy Sunday and welcome back to dinner, sorted 👋 . Let’s get your dinner, sorted.
sheet pan shawarma wraps
serves: 4 | time: 30 minutes
Shawarma is a middle-eastern dish that is typically layers of meat slow-roasted on a pit and typically served in a pita with a variety of veggies and sauces. The flavors are heavenly and exactly what I look for in a meal. A flavor bomb of meat, tangy pickled veggies, a sweet garlic sauce, plenty of carbs. YUM. So while this recipe that’s done on a sheet pan in less than an hour is clearly not a traditional shawarma, the flavors and vibe are inspired from the traditional dish.
Now I know there’s plenty of sheet pan shawarma recipes out there, but I’ve tried quite a few and they always seem to fall flat. So of course, I had to figure this out. I pulled out all the stops to amp up the flavors with the perfect spice blend, and the textures with a few secret ingredients, all while still clocking in just around the 45 minute mark (half of which is in the oven hands-off time 🎉 ).
Browse all my recommended tools in one place: Complete Kitchen Collection.
microplane
2 small mixing bowls
in foil (for wrapping - optional)
For the chicken
1 1/2 lbs chicken thighs (8ish pieces)
3 tbsp mayo
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cardamom
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
For the sweet garlic sauce
2 cloves garlic
3/4 cup plain yogurt
1 tsp sugar
Zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 tsp salt
For the rest
1 red bell pepper
1/2 red onion
Frozen fries (I prefer an herby shoestring fry)
4 pitas (a thinner style is better)
Pickles or pickled veggies for serving
Parsley for serving
Sriracha for serving
marinate your chicken
dice chicken thighs into bite-size cubes and add to a bowl.
add in 3 tbsp mayo, 1 tbsp tomato paste, 1 tsp white wine vinegar, and all your seasonings: 1/2 tsp allspice, 1/8 tsp cloves, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp cardamom, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1/4 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp black pepper and 1 tsp salt. Mix and let sit.
This will taste incredible even without marinading, but will be even better if you marinade for an hour up to overnight.
get cooking
preheat oven to 400F and place top rack about 6 inches from the top of your oven.
slice pepper and onion and add to sheet pan, tossing in a bit of oil and salt.
add chicken to sheet pan and fries to a separate sheet pan (the chicken juices will make them a bit soggy otherwise). Bake everything for about 15 minutes, flipping halfway and finishing with a broil for about 5 minutes on high, to crisp things up a bit.
make your sauce
in a small bowl mix together 2 cloves minced garlic, 3/4 cup plain yogurt, 1 tsp sugar, zest and juice of 1/2 lemon and 1/2 tsp salt. Set aside.
assemble
warm pitas in the microwave for 15 seconds. Top with chicken, fries, sliced pickles, and fresh parsley. Wrap in tin foil and serve immediately.
