A gluten-free and paleo grilled chicken shawarma recipe served with a dairy-free yogurt tahini sauce and marinated veggies. This Arabic meal packs in so much flavor and is guaranteed to be a showstopper dinner!
I am so excited to share this recipe for grilled chicken shawarma with you! Not only is the name super fun(ny), but it is out of this world delicious and flavor-packed! Remember that birthday of mine a few weeks ago? I had big plans of making this meal on my birthday, but the weather did not cooperate and I knew I wouldn’t be able to shoot (photos for this very blog post). I ended up having salmon and yucca instead. The following day, however, the sun was shining and it was the perfect day to make this amazing gluten-free feast! If you’ve never had chicken shawarma before, you are about to be introduced to something so insanely delicious, you won’t know what hit your tastebuds 😉
“Shawarma” is an Arabic/Middle Eastern meat preparation, it can use anything from chicken to beef, where the meat is slow cooked on a spit for hours or grilled. The meat is usually served as a sandwich of wrap, with fresh veggies like cucumber, tomato, onion, and topped with condiments like tahini or hummus. The flavors of the marinade for the meat is really what takes this dish over the top. I’m talking lemon juice, cumin, smoked paprika, just to name a few! Now, since I don’t have a spit, nor do I have all day, I chose to grill this winner-winner-chicken-dinner. Better yet, I grilled it right on my countertop, with this baby, that has proven to be the biggest lifesaver this summer!
What surprised me most about this killer chicken shawarma meal was the raving reviews I got from the fam about the yogurt tahini sauce! I’m the only one dairy-free in the house and everyone has long been accustomed to dairy-free goodness when I cook and bake. I was finally able to get my hands on Silk’s new almond yogurt and used that in my tahini sauce. Just almond yogurt, tahini, a squirt of lemon juice, and sprinkle of parsley and oregano. But my family was obsessed! It was the first thing they complimented me on and my mom has been begging me to just make some to keep in the fridge! And that’s not a bad idea; that sauce is delicious!
Grilled Chicken Shawarma with Yogurt Tahini Sauce & Marinated Veggies
- 4 Skinless Chicken Breasts
- Chicken Marinade:
- 1 Lemon (Juice + Zest)
- 1 Tsp Minced Garlic
- 1 Tsp Cumin
- 1 Tsp Smoked Paprika
- ½ Tsp Allspice
- ½ Tsp Black Pepper
- ½ Tsp Red Pepper Flakes
- ¼ Tsp Turmeric
- ¼ Tsp Cinnamon
- Yogurt Tahini Sauce:
- 1 Cup Unsweetened Plain Almond (or Coconut) Yogurt
- ½ Cup Tahini
- 2 Tsp Lemon Juice
- 2 Tsp Dried Parsley
- 1 Tsp Dried Oregano
- Marinated Veggies:
- 1 Red Onion
- 3 Vine Ripe Tomatoes
- 1 Medium English Cucumber
- 2 TB Chopped Fresh Parsley
- 2 TB Red Wine Vinegar
- 2 Tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- ½ Tsp Black Pepper
- In a large bowl mix together the chicken marinade and toss the chicken breasts in to coat. Marinate the chicken in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
- In the meantime, mix together the yogurt tahini sauce in a small bowl and set aside to serve cold.
- For the marinated veggies, cut the onion into large wedges, the tomatoes into wedges, and slice the cucumber.
- On the pre-heated grill, lightly grill the onion wedges for about 4-5 minutes each side.
- In a large bowl, combine the grilled onion wedges, cup veggies, and the rest of the veggie marinade ingredients. Toss together and set aside in the fridge to chill.
- Now grill the marinated chicken, about 10-12 minutes on each side, until fully cooked.
- Serve each chicken breasts with a side of the chilled yogurt sauce and marinated veggies.
Magic! The grilled chicken shawarma flavors with that cool and creamy yogurt tahini sauce and those fresh marinated veggies, tastes like pure heaven! I think this chicken is giving my favorite grilled chicken recipe a run for its money! So a post birthday dinner, in the summer (or winter), this grilled chicken shawarma will change…your life!
So tell me:
+ Do yo make/request/order a special birthday dinner?
+ Ever have chicken (or other ) shawarma?
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This grilled chicken with yogurt tahini sauce is amazing. It was so delicious. My friends also loved it. Thank you for sharing this awesome recipe.
I am so glad you enjoyed it! One of my all time favorites!