Authentic Syrian Chicken Shawarma at Home
Syrian shawarma is chicken sliced thin and marinated in yoghurt, vinegar, garlic and shawarma spice for at least four hours, then seared in a hot pan. It's served in thin flatbread with toum garlic sauce, chips and pickles, and toasted at the end so the wrap crisps.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 270 min
- Calories
- 380
Shawarma is one of the best-known dishes of the Levant and a signature of Syrian cooking. What sets it apart is the marinade and the way it's wrapped — and both are entirely doable at home, to a standard that beats most takeaways.
Method
-
1
Marinate the chicken
In a large bowl, mix the yoghurt, oil, garlic, vinegar and all the spices with the sliced chicken. Cover and refrigerate for at least four hours — overnight is better, so it takes on the full flavour.
⏱ 240 min -
2
Cook it
Heat a little oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and stir until cooked through and lightly browned, then set it aside.
-
3
Make the toum
Blend all the sauce ingredients until smooth and creamy. A stick blender gives the best texture.
-
4
Assemble
Lay out the flatbread, spread a layer of toum, then the chicken, the chips and the pickles. Add parsley or cabbage if you like. Roll it tightly and toast it on a grill or in a hot pan until crisp on the outside.
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Tips that actually matter
- The longer the marinade, the deeper the flavour.
- For a natural smoky note, put a lit coal on a piece of foil inside the pot after cooking and cover it for a few minutes.
- Use thin saj bread — it's what gives you a wrap that holds like the takeaway version.
Making Syrian shawarma at home isn't just dinner — it puts one of the great flavours of the Levant on your table. It's easy, it's quick, and it works the first time.
People also ask
إيه الفرق بين الشاورما السوري والتركي؟
السوري بيتتبّل بالزبادي والخل وبهارات الشام وبيتقدّم بالتومية والمخلل. التركي أخف في البهارات وبيتقدّم غالباً بالطحينة أو الزبادي والخضار.
ينفع من غير سيخ رأسي؟
أيوه. حمّري الشرائح في طاسة تيفال سخنة جداً على دفعات صغيرة — الزحمة بتبخّر اللحمة بدل ما تحمّرها.
قد إيه أسيبها متتبّلة؟
من 4 لـ 12 ساعة. الزبادي بيطرّي بلطف، وأكتر من 24 ساعة القوام بيبقى طري زيادة.
Cook mode
Authentic Syrian Chicken Shawarma at Home
-
1
Marinate the chicken
In a large bowl, mix the yoghurt, oil, garlic, vinegar and all the spices with the sliced chicken. Cover and refrigerate for at least four hours — overnight is better, so it takes on the full flavour.
-
2
Cook it
Heat a little oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and stir until cooked through and lightly browned, then set it aside.
-
3
Make the toum
Blend all the sauce ingredients until smooth and creamy. A stick blender gives the best texture.
-
4
Assemble
Lay out the flatbread, spread a layer of toum, then the chicken, the chips and the pickles. Add parsley or cabbage if you like. Roll it tightly and toast it on a grill or in a hot pan until crisp on the outside.
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