My sheet pan chicken shawarma is easier, tastier and faster than takeout—I swear! It comes together on one pan, is 100% customizable so you can use what you have, and reheats like a dream for lunch or dinner the next day.
Everyone needs a good sheet pan chicken recipe in their back pocket. And this one happens to be mine.
Why I love this recipe
- Faster than takeout: I promise you can whip this up faster than it takes to place the order and wait for the food—30 minutes is all you need for a great restaurant-worthy dinner.
- 100% customizable: I wrote the recipe with tomatoes and red onions with classic shawarma toppings in mind, but you can make this with whatever vegetables you have on hand!
- Tastes better the next day: It reheats like a dream for lunch or dinner the next day making it perfect for Sunday meal prep.
If you love a good sheet pan recipe I also highly recommend this sausage and apple one with lentil and kale—it's perfect for Fall. Or, if you're looking for a side dish that would pair well with this chicken shawarma sheet pan dinner I would suggest my chickpea and couscous salad.
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Ingredients
Much of this recipe is customizable—you can substitute the vegetables and herbs for whatever's in the fridge right now, or skip the toppings and opt for something pre-made. But there are a few things (like the spice blend) that I think you should follow exactly— if you want to make the recipe as I do, here's everything you'll need:
- Boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- Cherry tomatoes
- Red onion
- Garlic
- Lemon
- Greek yogurt
- Parsley
- Cumin
- Paprika
- Brown Sugar
- Chili Flakes
- Cinnamon
- Clove
- Feta
- Pita
- Salt
- Black pepper
You can find the exact quantities in the recipe card below!
Instructions
- Step 1: Season chicken with spice blend then transfer to a sheet pan with tomatoes and onions. Make sure the chicken is on top of the vegetables and generously coated in oil before baking.
- Step 2: While the chicken bakes, prepare garlic sauce and toppings: I like chopped parsley and pepperoncini peppers.
- Step 3: Finish the chicken under the broiler for extra browning then let rest for 5 minutes to absorb juices and stay tender.
- Step 4: Slice chicken then transfer back to the sheet pan and toss in remaining pan sauce before serving.
Hint: It's often recommended to marinate chicken for 1-8 hours—even overnight—for the best flavour. But with the goal of making this work on a weeknight, I strategically picked the measurements and ingredients to maximize flavour within a limited time frame. The brown sugar helps caramelize the outside for extra browning and the salt quantity will boost flavour on the outside to make up for what didn't get seasoned through because of our minimal timeframe. If you don't have brown sugar, try using maple syrup instead.
Substitutions
I love improvising with what's already at home rather than going to the store, so here's a little inspiration incase you need it:
- Vegetables - instead of tomatoes and red onion use peppers, broccoli or green beans
- Pita - serve it on rice to make bowls, or quinoa, farro—even barley would be nice
- Herbs - swap the parsley for cilantro, basil or dill
- Toppings and Sauces - if you can't be bothered to make the garlic sauce, a scoop of sour cream and a dash of hot sauce might do the trick!
Let me know what substitutions you make by tagging me on socials @stefsdinner <3
Equipment
The best pans IMO are commercial-grade aluminum, not that brown non-stick crap you might have grown up using. Aluminum has better heat distribution for even cooking and better browning. I'm using a standard ½ sheet!
Storage
Store the chicken, vegetables and pan juices together and keep the toppings (parsley, garlic sauce and peppers) separate. The chicken will keep in the fridge for 5 days, while the sauce will last up to 2 weeks when stored in an air-tight container.
I wouldn't recommend freezing this one—it's best enjoyed in the week after making.
Top Tip
If pita wraps aren't the vibe this week, try this over rice to make a shawarma bowl or served with roasted potatoes just because.
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat oven to 450°F. Meanwhile, in small bowl mix 2 tablespoon brown sugar, 2 teaspoon Kosher salt, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon chili flakes, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon clove. Thinly slice 1 red onion.
- Transfer 2lbs chicken thighs to a large sheet pan and cover generously with olive oil (about 2 tbsp). Sprinkle over the spice blend and toss to coat. Push the chicken to one side, then add 300g cherry tomatoes and sliced red onion to the other. Cover with a bit more olive oil and a pinch of salt then toss to coat and arrange everything so vegetables are on the bottom and chicken is on top.
- Transfer to the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Move the rack to the upper third, turn the oven to broil and continue cooking until golden brown and slightly charred, rotating the pan half way, about 5-10 minutes.
- While the chicken cooks, add 1 cup Greek yogurt and the juice of one lemon to a small bowl. Grate in 1 clove of garlic and season with ½ teaspoon salt and lots of cracked black pepper. Mix, then taste and adjust seasoning. In this time you can also prep your toppings: warm some pittas or cook rice, chop parsley and peppers, and crumble feta.
- When the chicken is ready, let rest for 5 minutes to absorb juices, then slice and serve on pitas or rice with the cooked vegetables and all your toppings.
Related
A few other recipes for you to try:
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