Shawarma-Spiced Grilled Chicken With Tahini-Yogurt Sauce

By Lidey Heuck

Updated April 1, 2024

  • David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
About 4¼ hours
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour, plus 3 hours' chilling
Rating
5(1,170)
Comments
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This beginner-friendly chicken recipe from Lidey Heuck’s cookbook, “Cooking in Real Life” (S&S/Simon Element, 2024), is inspired by spices often used in shawarma, and uses several easy tricks to ensure juicy meat with a nice char. The chicken breasts are pounded slightly, just until they are an even thickness throughout, so they cook quickly and uniformly. (You can skip this step if you’re using thighs.) The yogurt in the marinade does double duty: It tenderizes the chicken and adds a layer of protection between the chicken and the hot grill. The chicken is served with a sprinkle of fresh herbs, a squeeze of lemon juice and a quick, creamy tahini-yogurt sauce that pairs nicely with the warm spices. Should you have any leftover chicken, it would be delicious packed into a wrap with cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce and extra tahini-yogurt sauce.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings

FOR THE CHICKEN

  • 1 teaspoon sweet paprika

  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin

  • ½ teaspoon ground coriander

  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger

  • ½ teaspoon ground turmeric

  • ¼ teaspoon ground allspice

  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • Salt and pepper

  • 1 ½ cups plain yogurt

  • ¼ cup minced yellow onion

  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the grill

  • 2 garlic cloves, minced

  • 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs (or a combination)

  • ½ lemon, for serving

  • Fresh parsley or mint leaves (optional), for serving

FOR THE TAHINI-YOGURT SAUCE

  • 1 cup plain yogurt

  • 2 tablespoons tahini

  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

  • ½ garlic clove, finely grated or minced

  • Salt

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

9 grams carbs; 179 milligrams cholesterol; 438 calories; 9 grams monosaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 19 grams fat; 2 grams fiber; 840 milligrams sodium; 56 grams protein; 5 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Make the marinade: In a large bowl, combine the paprika, cumin, coriander, ginger, turmeric, allspice and cinnamon with 1½ teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Add the yogurt, onion, olive oil and garlic; mix well, then set aside.

  2. Step 2

    Pat the chicken pieces dry with a paper towel. If using breasts, cut the breasts in half crosswise, so you have one thicker, rounded piece and one thinner, triangular piece. Working in batches, place the chicken pieces on a large cutting board and cover them with a sheet of parchment paper. Using a meat mallet or rolling pin, pound the chicken until each piece is about the same thickness as the others, between ½-inch and ¾-inch-thick. (Be careful not to pound so hard that you tear the chicken.)

  3. Step 3

    Add the chicken to the marinade and toss well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to 24 hours.

  4. Step 4

    Meanwhile, make the tahini-yogurt sauce: In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, tahini, lemon juice and garlic; season to taste with salt. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 3 days.

  5. Step 5

    Before grilling, let the chicken come to room temperature for 30 minutes. If using a charcoal or gas grill, clean the grates and brush them with oil. Set the grill to medium-high or heat a grill pan slicked with olive oil on the stovetop over medium-high.

  6. Step 6

    Lift the chicken from the marinade (no need to brush off excess marinade) and grill until cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes on each side, covering the grill halfway through, if necessary, to retain the heat.

  7. Step 7

    Transfer the chicken to a plate, sprinkle generously with salt and squeeze the lemon half over the pieces. Allow the chicken to rest for at least 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley or mint (if using) and serve the tahini-yogurt sauce on the side.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
1,170 user ratings
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Comments

Gus Brown

Another grill-less cook, here. With summer approaching, kindly remember to provide alternate cooking methods in grilling recipes. A majority of NYT readers, many of whom are apartment dwellers, do not have access to outdoor cooking.

artkoea

@Gus Brown just use another recipe. If not, it’s simple: and cook it on a cast iron or in the oven. Grilling is just a cooking method, use the rest of the recipe or marinade. This is a grilling recipe. How can somebody want to make a grilled recipe without grilling? Its like asking for an alternative to shrimp in a shrimp based dish. No need to make a bitter comment about a nice recipe. Many like to go outside in the summer and grill. This recipe is for them. There are thousands of other recipes year round.

Cheryl

Suevee I agree, shawarma spice mix would be easier, more space-efficient and cheaper. However, perhaps you could consider 'beginner friendly' to mean an introduction to the basic spices of so many non-European cuisines? If you buy these, you have most of the spices you will need for Mexican, Thai, Middle Eastern and Indian cuisines!

M.S.

For those without a grill, lodge makes a really solid 10.5 in square cast iron reversible griddle pan for about $30. Fits perfect over a large burner and gives things a taste like they were cooked on a gas grill.

Monica V.

I’ve tried numerous shawarma recipes, and this one tastes authentic. In lieu of grilling I baked chicken tenders on a baking sheet at 420 for 30 minutes and then for 7-8 minutes at convection broil.

ginny

I haven’t tried this but I saw a similar recipe for non-grill cooking. Stack all the chicken into a loaf pan and bake until cooked. Save the juices! Take the chicken loaf out and slice thin for stuffing into pitas. Looked delish!

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