Sheet Pan Chicken Shawarma with Garlic Sauce – a quick and easy homemade version of your favorite street food.
Sheet Pan Chicken Shawarma Recipe with Garlic Sauce
Tender juicy chicken thighs in a flavor packed marinade. The thighs are roasted with red onions on a sheet pan and served with a homemade garlic sauce. Serve the chicken shawarma and garlic sauce in a warm pita flatbread loaded with crispy lettuce, sliced onions, fresh tomatoes, and crunchy cucumbers. We serve with seasoned French Fries on the side and they are amazing dipped in the garlic sauce! This chicken shawarma also makes great bowls served over rice or amazing salads.
Sheet Pan Chicken Shawarma Ingredients and Shawarma Marinade
- Chicken Thighs – Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs – Chicken Tenderloins or Thinly Sliced Chicken Breasts would be a good substitute if you prefer white meat.
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
- Lemon Juice – freshly squeezed lemon juice from about two large lemons.
- Garlic – minced fresh garlic. Garlic powder can be substituted.
- Kosher Salt and Pepper
- Spices – Ground Cumin, Smoked Paprika, Turmeric, Crushed Red Pepper, Dash of Cinnamon
- Red Onion – white or yellow onions can be substituted.
Garlic Sauce Ingredients
This easy garlic yogurt sauce is a traditional topping for shawarma and is super easy to make.
- Mayonnaise – good quality mayo.
- Greek Yogurt – Plain greek yogurt, whole or reduced fat will make the sauce a little richer. Fat-free greek yogurt will make the sauce a bit more tart.
- Lemon Juice – two tablespoons of fresh lemon juice.
- Garlic – one clove grated on a microplane or minced into paste.
- Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Toppings for Chicken Shawarma
Serve Chicken Shawarma in a warm pita bread topped with:
- Garlic Sauce
- Romaine Lettuce
- Chopped Tomatoes
- Diced Cucumbers
- Thinly Sliced Red Onion
- Fresh Parsley
- Feta Cheese Crumbles
- Lemon Slices
How to Make Sheet Pan Chicken Shawarma
- Start by preparing the marinade. Place chicken thighs in marinade for at least one hour or up to overnight. Don’t marinate chicken beyond 24 hours as the acid from the lemon juice will start to breakdown the chicken. Chicken can be stored in a covered large bowl or in a gallon sized plastic baggie and must be refrigerated. If storing in a plastic baggie, set in bowl or a dish to protect from leaks.
- Prepare garlic sauce and refrigerate until ready to use.
- When ready to cook chicken, place on a large baking sheet and add onion wedges. Spoon leftover marinade over onion wedges so the wedges stay intact during roasting.
- Roast at 425 degrees on second rack from the top of the oven to encourage browning. Using a dark colored sheet pan will also encourage browning and will cook the chicken quicker.
- Cook for 30-40 minutes depending on how large the chicken thighs are. Use an instant read thermometer to ensure chicken has reached 170 degrees.
- Let chicken thighs rest after cooking, On a cutting board, slice chicken against the grain. Once sliced, transfer back to sheet pan and stir together with onions to soak up the seasoning and juices.
- Serve in a warm pita bread with above toppings.
More Sheet Pan Dinner Recipes
- Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas
- Loaded Sheet Pan Nachos
- Sheet Pan Pork Tenderloin Dinner
- Sheet Pan Hasselback Kielbasa Sausage
How to Make Chicken Shawarma Wraps
Warm pita flatbread according to package directions. Add chicken shawarma sliced into thin strips. Top with garlic sauce, lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, and crumbled feta.

Sheet Pan Chicken Shawarma with Garlic Sauce - a quick and easy homemade version of your favorite street food.
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup lemon juice fresh
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flake
- cinnamon dash
- 1 red onion cut into quarters
- parsley fresh
- Pita Flat Bread
- Chopped Tomatoes
- Diced Mini Cucumber
- Romaine Lettuce
- Feta Cheese
- Red Onion Slices
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup greek yogurt
- 1 clove garlic finely minced or grated using microplane
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice fresh
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In a medium sized bowl, or a plastic baggie, combine lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, kosher salt, pepper, cumin, smoked paprika, turmeric, red pepper flake, dash of cinnamon. Add chicken thighs and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least one hour or overnight if you are making ahead.
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Preheat oven to 425°, add chicken thighs to a 18x13 sheet pan. Arrange onions on sheet pan and spoon remaining marinade over onions. Roast for 30-45 minutes depending on size of chicken thighs. Chicken thighs should be cooked to an internal temperature of 170°. Sprinkle with fresh parsley. Let chicken rest for 5 minutes, then slice against the grain. After slicing, return chicken to sheet pan and stir to soak up remaining seasonings and juices.
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While chicken is marinating, prepare sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, greek yogurt, garlic, salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Adapted from the NYT Oven-Roasted Chicken Shawarma Recipe
How to Store Chicken Shawarma Leftovers
Let chicken cool and store refrigerated in an air tight container for up to three days. Garlic sauce and toppings should all be stored in smaller individual containers.
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I made the shawarma chicken tonight. OMG!!! Absolutely delicious!! Thank you!!!
this is a super delicious and super easy dinner recipe that my whole family loved! thank you for sharing this recipe
I am so in love with this sheet pan chicken shawarma with an amazing garlic sauce! It was a hit! So yummy and satisfying!
I like white meat, so I used chicken breast instead. Marinated it overnight, and it was so flavorful! I served it with my homemade naan bread, and we were in heaven. I’ll be making this often!
Everyone in my family really enjoyed this chicken shawarma dinner! I also loved how easy it was to make, thank you for sharing!