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Chicken Shawarma Salad is a vibrant, flavor packed meal that brings the bold spices of the Middle East straight to your plate. Juicy, spiced chicken is nestified over crisp lettuce, fresh veggies, and drizzled with a creamy garlic or tahini dressing, making every bite as satisfying as it is refreshing.
This shawarma salad is a lighter way to enjoy all the deliciousness of classic shawarma without the wrap. Whether you’re meal-prepping for the week or whipping up a quick dinner, this chicken shawarma salad recipe is sure to impress. it’s everything you love about shawarma chicken salad, made fresh, fast, and irresistibly flavorful.
What Makes This Chicken Shawarma Salad Work
This chicken shawarma salad is all about bold flavor and fresh texture. The chicken is marinated in warm, smoky spices then cooked until juicy and golden—bringing that classic shawarma flavor home.
Paired with crisp veggies and a creamy garlic or tahini dressing, this shawarma salad is both hearty and refreshing. It’s balanced, satisfying chicken shawarma recipe you’ll want to make again and again.
What Goes Into This Chicken Shawarma Salad
This Chicken Shawarma Salad brings togethe bold spices, crisp veggies, and a creamy garlic yogurt sauce for a satisfying and refreshing meal. Here are a few standout ingredients that make it shine:
- Chicken Thigh Fillets: Juicy and flavorful, boneless skinless thighs are ideal for absorbing all the aromatic shawarma spices.
- Greek Yogurt: Used in both the marinade and the dressing, it tenderizes the chicken and adds a creamy, tangy base to the sauce.
- Tahini: A spoonful of sesame paste adds nuttiness and richness that balances the bold spices.
- Feta Cheese: Salty, crumbly feta adds a creamy bite that contrasts beautifully with the fresh veggies.
Note: Please see recipe card at the bottom for a full list of ingredients with measurements
How To Make Chicken Shawarma Salad
- Make the Marinade: In a bowl, mix together the yogurt, olive oil, tahini, garlic, spices, and salt to form a paste. Add the chicken thighs and coat thoroughly.
- Marinate the Chicken: Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight if possible, to allow the flavors to deeply infuse into the chicken.
- Cook the Chicken: Heat a cast iron skillet to medium-high. Lightly oil the surface and cook the marinated chicken until golden, charred on the edges, and fully cooked through.
- Warm the Flatbreads: While the chicken is cooking, heat a clean pan over low-medium heat. Warm each flatbread until soft and golden on both sides. Set aside on a serving plate.
- Prepare the Salad Base: In a bowl, combine lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, cucumber, red onion, olives, crumbled feta, and chopped parsley. Gently toss to mix.
- Make the Garlic Yogurt Sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together Greek yogurt, tahini, minced garlic, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt until smooth and creamy.
- Assemble the Salad: Once the chicken is cooked, let it rest briefly before slicing. Add it over the salad and flatbreads, arranging evenly.
- Serve and Enjoy: Drizzle everything generously with the sauce. Serve immediately while warm, and enjoy your homemade chicken shawarma salad.
This Chicken Shawarma Salad is hearty enough to stand alone, but a few well-chosen sides can make it feel like a full feast.
Pair it with a side of hummus and warm pita wedges for dipping, or serve with a small bowl of lemony couscous to soak up the extra sauce. A chilled glass of Pink Vodka Lemonade Cocktail or a light cucumber yogurt drink adds a refreshing contrast to the warm, spiced chicken. For something sweet to finish, try my soft Cinnamon rolls to end with a high note.
Recipe FAQ’s
Yes! While thighs stay juicier and soak up more flavor, you can absolutely use chicken breast for a leaner option. Just be careful not to overcook it.
For best results, marinate the chicken for at least 2 hours. If you have time, overnight marinating gives this chicken shawarma salad recipe even deeper flavor.
Shawarma is a Middle Eastern dish made by roasting spiced meat on a vertical spit. This shawarma chicken salad captures those same bold flavors using a stovetop or grill method at home.
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Chicken Shawarma Salad
Ingredients
Chicken Shawarma:
- 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt plain
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 tablespoon Tahini sesame paste
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander seed
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon ground fennel
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne pepper or red chili powder – optional
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 4 boneless skinless chicken thigh fillets
Salad:
- 4 cup lettuce shredded
- 2 tomatoes diced
- 1 ripe avocado diced
- 1 Lebanese cucumber diced
- 1/2 red onion chopped
- 1/2 cup Kalamata olives
- 1/3 cup feta crumbled
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley finely chopped
Garlic Yogurt Sauce / Dressing:
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon tahini
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice fresh squeezed
- 1 pinch salt to taste
Additional:
- 3 flatbreads I used white flour, or wraps of your choice
Instructions
- In a shallow bowl, mix all of the Chicken Shawarma ingredients together until formed into a well combined paste. Completely coat the chicken and allow to marinade for two hours or overnight, if time allows. (The longer the chicken is marinading, the better and more intense the flavour).
- When ready to cook, heat a cast iron pan or grill pan (or bbq grill plate), to medium-high heat. Add a small amount of oil, and grill or sear the chicken on both sides until cooked through and slightly charred around the edges.
- While the chicken is cooking, prepare flatbreads: heat a larger pan over low-medium heat and warm flatbreads until golden on each side and warmed through. Arrange onto serving plate.
- Top the flatbreads with the salad ingredients and lightly toss salad.
- Prepare garlic yoghurt sauce: Mix the yogurt together with the garlic, lemon juice and salt to season.
- Once chicken is cooked, slice and place on salad. Drizzle salad with the garlic sauce and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Just finished our marvelous salad! Another fantastic recipe Karina!!!!
Just made shawarma chicken wrapped in flatbread, with lettuce, tomato, pickled red cabbage, some mint on top. I didn’t like too much yogurt so just used mayo. it’s really good. Thank you for another great recipe.
Hi Karina I am Turkish an I’m saying this salad is very good salad. My mother makes our chicken similarity to this one. I show her your pictures and she love it.
OMG This salad is SUPADUPA!!
I made it for dinner tonight and it was absolutely Delish~~~
Thanks for sharing a GREAT recipe ♡♡
I tried it. And it was amazing.
Thank you for the wonderful recipe…
I totally crave salads (I guess there are worse things to crave) so am always looking for new ways to mix it up. This beauty has all the things that I look for. And that garlic yogurt. . .can we talk about how divine that sauce sounds. It’s making me want to change course today and whip one of these up.
Another totally DELICIOUS salad! You are absolutely the “Queen of Salads”! You make meal-time salads a pleasure to make and eat. Pinned. Thanks for another winner.
This said looks awesome, but the pics look like there’s cukes and avocado in there. Can you list the measurements that you used in the pics? Are there other ingredients you used that you didn’t list in the recipe? Thanks! Love your blog!
Hi Julie! Avocado and cucumber are in the ingredients list 🙂