This Air Fryer Chicken Shawarma is a delicious twist on the traditional Middle Eastern dish. We’ve taken this classic and made it into a healthy, easy-to-make meal that your whole family will enjoy.
This tender chicken is marinated in a flavorful blend of spices, then cooked and served with a creamy lemon sauce. If you love air fryer chicken recipes you may also enjoy this Air Fryer Tandoori Chicken recipe.
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Air Fryer Shawarma
Shawarma is an incredibly popular dish originating in the Middle East. It consists of thin slices of meat, usually chicken, and is served with a variety of flavorful accompaniments.
The hot air from the air fryer helps to crisp up the skin of the chicken while keeping it juicy and tender on the inside. The marinade also adds lots of flavor and ensures that your chicken is packed with plenty of deliciousness.
Why I Love This Recipe
This delectable and healthy Chicken Shawarma is a modern twist on the classic Middle Eastern dish. Marinated in a special blend of spices, this lightly crisp and tender chicken is cooked to perfection, and it’s sure to become a family favorite!
- Easy to make
- Looks beautiful on a plate
- Fills the house with a delicious aroma
If you love air fryer chicken recipes like this one, then you may also enjoy this Air Fryer Spatchcock recipe.
Ingredients
To make this delicious recipe, you will need a few simple ingredients. All of these ingredients are easy to find at your local grocery store, and after your first bite you will be so glad that you made the trip!
- chicken – For this recipe you will need some boneless skinless chicken breasts so grab an extra pack on your next trip to the store.
- spices – Before you head to the store check your spice cabinet and make sure that you have cumin, paprika, cloves, turmeric, ground cinnamon, salt, black pepper, and dried parsley.
- tahini paste – You can typically find tahini paste in the international aisle of your local grocery store.
Substitutions
Chicken: Instead of chicken breasts, you could also use boneless skinless chicken thighs.
Oil: I used olive oil for this recipe, but if you’re out of olive oil you can use canola oil or avocado oil instead.
Variations / Options / Add-Ins
If you are looking to mix things up a bit, here are some other delicious ingredients that you can add to this recipe:
Herbs – Fresh herbs such as parsley, cilantro, or mint.
Onions – Add some finely diced onions to your marinade for additional flavor.
Spicy – Add some hot chili flakes or cayenne pepper to the marinade for a spicy kick.
Equipment Needed / Helpful Tools
You don’t need many kitchen tools to help you make this recipe. Just gather what you need and you’ll be ready to make this delicious recipe.
air fryer – You will need an air fryer for this recipe. I used an 8 quart air fryer, if you have a smaller one you may need to cook in batches.
aluminum foil – You are going to use this as a pan of sorts, so I recommend using heavy duty foil.
How to Make Air Fryer Chicken Shawarma
This delicious and healthy chicken recipe is a savory twist on the classic Middle Eastern dish. It requires some time and effort to make, but the result is well worth it. Just follow the instructions below and you will have a meal that the whole family will love.
Step 1: Whisk together the marinade
In a medium-size bowl, add all your ingredients for the chicken seasoning. Mix.
Step 2: Cut the chicken
Cut your chicken into even-sized slices.
Step 3: Marinate the chicken for best results
Add your chicken slices to your chicken seasoning mix. You can cook right away, or you can allow them to marinate. Best to marinate for at least six hours or overnight.
Step 4: Preheat and prepare the air fryer basket
When ready to cook, line your air fryer with aluminum foil creating a tray with raised edges to keep in the marinade. Then, preheat your air fryer to 400° for 5 minutes.
Step 5: Air fry the chicken breasts
Cook at 400°F for 8-10 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 160°F.
Step 6: Make the salad
While your chicken is cooking, add all the salad ingredients to a small bowl; stir, and mix well. Set aside.
Step 7: Make the tahini sauce
Add all the ingredients for the tahini sauce in a small mixing bowl and mix until the sauce is smooth and creamy. Set aside.
Step 8: Assemble the shawarma
Once your chicken is done cooking, you’re ready to assemble your Shawarma. Add to your pita bread or flatbread your lemon tahini sauce, chicken slices, and top with your salad.
Step 9: Serve and enjoy
Fold and bring the edges together. Enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
Instead of going out to the store to pick up a package of Naan bread, I like to use this air fryer naan bread recipe and make my own at home. These air fryer sweet potato fries are the perfect side to serve with this dish.
Pro Tips
Here are a few tips to make sure that your air-fried chicken shawarma turns out perfectly every time that you make it.
- Make sure to preheat the air fryer before cooking. This ensures that your chicken cooks evenly and comes out nice and juicy!
- I recommend marinating your chicken for at least six hours for the best results.
- If you are using chicken thighs you may need to add additional cook time to ensure the fattier meat is cooked all the way through.
- I prefer to use fresh minced garlic, and fresh squeezed lemon juice for this recipe. It really gives the best flavor.
- If you don’t have naan, you can use wraps or a tortilla from the grocery store instead.
- If you are low-carb or gluten free you can use the chicken and salad to make it into chicken shawarma bowls instead and serve with rice or cauliflower rice.
- Instead of tahini sauce, you could swap that out and make a yogurt sauce with greek yogurt and dill instead.
- I prefer to use red onion for the salad, because I think it gives the best flavor.
FAQs
Do you have questions about this chicken shawarma wraps recipe? Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions for this recipe.
Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to four days.
To reheat this dish, you can either microwave it or use an air fryer to heat it up. For the air fryer, cook at 350°F for 3-4 minutes or until warm.
Yes, you can use any type of meat of your choice, such as beef or lamb. Just adjust the cooking time to accommodate the thickness of the meat and ensure it is cooked all the way through.
More Air Fryer Recipes
If you like air fryer recipes, give these recipes a try:
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📋 Recipe
Air Fryer Chicken Shawarma
Equipment
- Air Fryer
- foil
- Mixing bowls
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds boneless chicken breasts about 3 breasts
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 slices naan bread
Chicken seasoning:
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Tahini Sauce
- ½ cup tahini paste
- 1/3 cup warm water
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 teaspoons parsley dried
Salad
- 1 cup diced tomatoes
- 1 cup cucumber diced
- 2 tablespoons minced red onion
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- In a medium-size bowl, add all your ingredients for the chicken seasoning. Mix.
- Cut your chicken into slices.
- Add your chicken slices to your chicken seasoning mix. You can cook right away, or you can allow them to marinate. Best to marinate for at least six hours or overnight.
- When you are ready to cook, line your air fryer with aluminum foil creating a tray with raised edges to keep in the marinade.
- Then, preheat your air fryer to 400° for 5 minutes.
- Cook chicken at 400°F for 8-10 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 160°F.
- While your chicken is cooking, add all the salad ingredients to a small bowl; stir, and mix well. Set aside.
- Add all the ingredients for the tahini sauce in a small mixing bowl and mix until the sauce is smooth and creamy. Set aside.
- Once your chicken is done cooking, you’re ready to assemble your Shawarma.
- Add to your pita bread or flatbread your lemon tahini sauce, chicken slices, and top with your salad.
- Fold and bring the edges together. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Make sure to preheat the air fryer before cooking. This ensures that your chicken cooks evenly and comes out nice and juicy!
- I recommend marinating your chicken for at least six hours for the best results.
- If you are using chicken thighs you may need to add additional cook time to ensure the fattier meat is cooked all the way through.
- I prefer to use fresh minced garlic, and fresh squeezed lemon juice for this recipe. It really gives the best flavor.
- If you don’t have naan, you can use wraps or a tortilla from the grocery store instead.
- If you are low-carb or gluten free you can use the chicken and salad to make it into chicken shawarma bowls instead and serve with rice or cauliflower rice.
- Instead of tahini sauce, you could swap that out and make a yogurt sauce with greek yogurt and dill instead.
- I prefer to use red onion for the salad, because I think it gives the best flavor.
Healthy and easy dinner…..look forward to trying it….
I hope you like it! Thanks for commenting.