This middle eastern inspired Chicken Shawarma Bowls recipe has some of my favorite flavors combined into a fresh and protein packed bowl.
You know I love a good bowl recipe! Make sure to try my Hawaiian Bowl, Hot Honey Salmon Bowl, Jerk Chicken Bowl, and this Korean Ground Beef Bowl.
Everyone’s Favorite Chicken Shawarma Bowls
Everyone’s Favorite Chicken Shawarma BowlsGo ahead and move aside every favorite dinner recipe you think you have, because these Chicken Shawarma Bowls are about to make a very permanent spot on your list! If the incredibly flavorful and juicy oven roasted chicken doesn’t get you first, the fresh veggie side-kicks, and hummus and tzatziki toppings will seal the deal.
There’s always a little magic in bowl-style dinners that have grains, veggies, protein and sauce making harmony together. And although this isn’t traditional chicken shawarma in the meat-roasting-on-a-spit, sense (since most of us aren’t lucky enough to have one of those lying around), we try our best to get some of that same amazing flavor from the seasoned chicken roasting in our good old fashioned oven.
Trust when I say to save every bit of leftovers for a great meal prep lunch.
How to make Chicken Shawarma:
Marinate Chicken: Mix the shawarma marinade ingredients together then marinate the thighs for at least one hour or overnight. Cook jasmine rice according to package instructions. Make the tzatziki sauce by combining all the ingredients in a bowl.
Cook Chicken: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Grease a baking pan, remove chicken from the marinade then place the chicken thighs and chopped red onion on the pan. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until baked through. Allow chicken to rest for a few minutes before slicing thinly.
Assemble: Add a scoop of cooked rice to the bottom of your bowl. Top with chopped chicken and red onion, a few cucumbers and tomatoes, then a scoop of tzatziki sauce and hummus. Top with fresh chopped parsley, feta cheese, and a little crushed red pepper, if desired.
Save any leftover tzatziki sauce to enoy with Gyros, Chicken Gyros, or these Beef Gyros.
More flavorful favorites:
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Recipe
Chicken Shawarma Bowls
Ingredients
- 6 to 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 2 lemons , juiced
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground tumeric
- pinch ground cinnamon
- crushed red pepper flakes , to taste
- 1 red onion , roughly chopped
For the Bowls:
- 1/2 cup hummus , or whole chickpeas
- 1 English cucumber chopped
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes , halved
- 1 1/2 cups dry jasmine rice
- fresh chopped parsley , chopped, for garnish
- feta cheese crumbles , for topping, optional
Tzatziki Sauce:
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 small piece English cucumber , peeled and diced
- 1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
- 3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- salt and pepper , to taste
Instructions
- Mix shawarma marinade ingredients together, add chicken thighs and marinate for at least one hour or overnight, in the fridge.
- Cook rice according to package instructions. Make the tzatziki sauce by combining all the ingredients in a bowl.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Grease a baking pan, remove the chicken from the marinade and place the chicken thighs and chopped red onion on the pan.
- Roast chicken for 30-40 minutes or until cooked through (165 degrees F). Allow the chicken to rest for a few minutes before slicing.
- Assemble: Add a scoop of cooked rice to the bottom of your bowl. Top with chopped chicken and red onion, a few cucumbers and tomatoes, and a scoop of tzatziki sauce and hummus. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley, feta cheese, a little crushed red pepper, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
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I originally shared this recipe August 2018. Updated November 2019 and April 2024.
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This was easy and absolutely delicious! Very authentic tasting.
I can’t wait to make this again! It was delicious! Thank you!
I didn’t have chicken thawed so I just did everything else and wow! The flavors in this dish are amazing! 😍
My friends & I enjoyed this easy (to create) and delicious lunch.
It’s something I’ll prepare again.
I made a few modifications but I used this recipe as a base. It was delicious! If you have the time, try making this with pickled red onions. It’s an extra step but well worth it. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. It’s definitely a keeper.
My son was yelling “SAVE SAVE SAVE!” as we ate this. It was soooo good! I made it with chicken breast instead of chicken thighs because that’s what I had in my freezer and it was still delicious! I also cooked the chicken in my air fryer instead of oven.
These are the best thighs I have ever had. Must be that marinade!
By far the best chicken shawarma I’ve ever made. This one is going into a regular rotation. Easy but FULL of flavor.
I didn’t have cucumber so no tsaziki sauce. No hummus either. This did not matter because best chicken thighs I’ve ever had.
So good. This is going to be a go-to weekly recipe.
Love love love this recipe! So delicious and flavourful. I add some more red onion with my tomato’s and cucumbers, but still delicious made just as the recipe is.
Easy and tasty meal, we skip the pita and eat it over rice, parsley, and finely shredded romaine in more of a shawarma bowl. Made it a few times now, my family is fond of spices so I over do it on the marinade and it’s still a favorite. Definitely marinate atleast 12hrs. GREAT meal-prep meal too.
This was so amazing! The flavors are just unreal! I did not have parsley so I substituted with fresh mint… very delicious. My son is the pickiest of eaters, and he went back for seconds. If you haven’t made this yet, make it!
Great dish, made it numerous times. Also a great freezer meal! I put everything into a freezer gallon bag (I usually double the recipe) for the chicken to marinade in and put it right into the freezer. I thaw for 2 days in fridge and roast accordingly. Amazing! After a few makes the only thing I changed is I now use whole grain farro to make it healthier and more substantial.
Another great recipe !!
Loving the flavours!
Made taziki so easy!!
Thanks!
Seriously good but cheated and used Trader Joes chicken Shawarma but did make my own hummus and followed all the rest. Everybody raved!
I made the recipe exactly. It was amazing. I will definitely put this in our recipe rotation. Thanks!
Made this tonight and absolutely loved it. I used shallot rather than red onion (what I had on hand), but kept everything exactly the same. Delicious!
Looks so good, will make it this week for sure. I will leave out the rice (too many carbs) but it should be delicious anyway:)
Use cauliflower rice
Made this tonite. Amazing!! Delicious flavours and textures. Definitely putting this one in the rotation. Fabulous 😋
We LOVED this dish. My 16 yo daughter said at 10:30 last night, “I can’t stop thinking about that dinner…” It was delicious – all the flavors and textures. I was able to double the chicken without doubling the marinade – it’s a good thing I did… there still weren’t any leftovers. Thanks for another winner, Lauren!
This is about to become a staple meal at my house. So flavorful and delicious.
Made it this week, and based on your suggestion, doubled for leftovers. An absolute hit with our three teenagers, and my husband and I had it for lunch the next several days. Super easy and DELICIOUS!
I love to hear that! Thanks for coming back to comment!
This was such a tasty dish. You know when you watch a favourite sitcom and you can’t decide who your favourite character is? That was like this bowl. Everything went so well together.
Thanks so much Jeff!
Do you serve this cold or hot?
I warm the pita and the chicken is warm when I serve it–everything else is cold.
Omg. Delicious!! My kids loved this too! The measurements for marinade were perfect! I marinated and cooked in my air fryer on °400 for 10 min and I used breast (cause that’s all I had). I am definitely saving this recipe!! Restaurant quality!!
Thanks so much! The air fryer is a great idea- I may need to try that soon!
Hey,
Thank you for shawarma recipe, I really really like the way you explained it, Me and my family like shawarma when we ate it in asian restaurant so i’m going to try this one in upcoming weekend where we set together once in a week so this will be amazing can you please tell me if i use persian saffron in it ? this will be perfect or not give me some suggestion
Thanks
Debra
Hi!
This is so delicious. Thank you so much for this amazing recipe.
I am looking forward to try some of your other recipes.
Hi ??
I have made so many of your recipes and never fail- they are so delicious! My kids and husband love them, too.
I was nervous cooking with turmeric. I didn’t even have it in my spice rack. I am so glad I did. This is so AMAZING! The marinade is also delicious when used on chicken breasts on the grill.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and love for food/cooking.
Love from Utah ❤️
What a wonderful compliment– thank you so much Nicole! <3 I'm really happy you enjoyed these bowls, and even happier that you've tried so many of my recipes. Thanks for your kind comment.
I love your bowl recipes and this was no exception! They are always so well balanced and flavorful! I especially loved the flavor of the chicken shawarma and tzatziki sauce. Please keep them coming 🙂