Slow Cooker Chicken Shawarma
This easy chicken shawarma recipe is full of flavor and a delicious family friendly dinner. Spiced, saucy roasted chicken thighs are slow cooker to perfection in the slow cooker to make a delicious wrap dinner.
Chicken shawarma is about to be your new favorite meal. The amount of flavor here is just utterly divine but its still a lovely kid friendly meal.
If you have never before tried Shawarma, get this on your meal plan NOW! We have been making this for years, and my kids adore it.
It is a really great meal to start introducing Middle Eastern flavors to your meal plan, its a quick and easy meal to make, and it is so fun to eat!
Interested in adding more kid friendly Middle Eastern recipes to your meal plan? Check ou toy recipe index and my Kids Guide to Middle Eastern Cuisine.
How to make weeknight chicken shawarma
This recipe is very simple to make! Here is a brief overview of the recipe to give you an idea of how it works. For the full set of directions and measurements, please make sure you scroll down to the recipe card below!
Make the chicken
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together marinade.
- Add the chicken and sliced onions to a slow cooker. Pour the marinade over the chicken and onions.
- Secure the lid on the and turn the slow cooker on. You can cook on LOW heat for 6-8 hours or on HIGH for 4 hours. The chicken should be 170 degrees F when done.
- Shred the chicken into bite sized pieces.
Make the garlic sauce
- Place the garlic and salt into a food processor and puree until smooth.
- Slowly drizzle in 1/2 cup of the oil while the processor is going.
- Add in 1 tsp of the lemon juice and puree.
- Drizzle in the remainder of the oil, puree, and then add the remainder of the lemon juice.
- Puree until its fluffy and white!
The garlic sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Feel free to make it ahead of time and store until ready to use.
How to assemble and serve chicken shawarma wraps
To serve these as pita sandwiches, warm the pita/flatbread in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Serve with romaine lettuce, the garlic sauce, and fresh sliced tomatoes and cucumbers. You can also serve this with tabbouleh!
For younger children, serve the shwarma “deconstructed”, in small piles of food on their plates.
Storage information
Leftover chicken can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. Assemble wraps just before eating for best results.
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Slow Cooker Chicken Shwarma
Ingredients
**Marinade
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 lemons juiced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon tumeric
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 lb chicken thighs boneless, skinless
- 1 large onion sliced into wedges
**Garlic Sauce
- 1 head of garlic
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup canola oil
- ½ lemon juiced
**Assembly
- 8 pita bread or flat bread
- 2 cups romaine lettuce chopped
- 1 tomato chopped
- ½ English cucumber chopped
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, paprika, cumin, pepper, salt, tumeric, and cinnamon.
- Add the chicken and onion to the slow cooker.
- Pour the marinade over the chicken and onion.
- Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours, or on HIGH for 6-8 hours. The chicken is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 170 F and is easily shredded with a fork.
- Let the chicken rest for about 5 minutes and then use a fork to shred the chicken in the slow cooker, stirring it into the juices.
Garlic Sauce
- Place the garlic and salt into a food processor and puree until smooth.
- Slowly drizzle in 1/2 cup of the oil while the processor is going.
- Add in 1 tsp of the lemon juice and puree.
- Drizzle in the remainder of the oil, puree, and then add the remainder of the lemon juice.
- Puree until its fluffy and white!
Assembly
- Warm the pita/flatbread in the microwave for about 30 seconds, and fill with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, the chicken and drizzle with garlic sauce.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
Being a big foodie and a big nerd, I always pay attention to the food they serve in movies. I know, they are totally meant to be background, but I just can’t help myself!
Sometimes the food they serve is really obvious – everyone knows about Harry Potter’s butterbeer, that Elves eat Lembas bread, Princess Tiana’s Gumbo, and somewhere in Paris there is a rodent who makes a mean veggie dish. But sometimes, things are more subtle.
Are you a fan of the Marvel movie series?
In the very first Avengers movie, there is a scene at the very end, after they have gotten done saving the world from alien invasion and mass destruction, where Iron Man suggests they all go out eat. He says something like “There’s a great shwarma place a few blocks from here. I don’t know what it is, but I want to try it.” Then at the very, very end of the movie, past all of the credits, there is an extra scene. It’s literally like 30 seconds long – but all the avengers are sitting at a table in this cafe that is completely destroyed. Workers behind them are sweeping rubble while all the Avengers sit silently eating Shawarma.
After I saw that scene I KNEW I also needed to figure out what shawarma was and make it at home.
Did not know that about the extra scene at the end of the credits for the Avengers movie. Will have to watch for it next time I watch it….LOL 🙂 This Chicken Shwarna looks delicious & cant' wait to try it!!
I've always wondered what shwarma was too… now I know and it sounds delicious! (PS I love your new logo!)
Those seasonings sound good!
Ha! Now I get your reference to the Avengers in your social media clips–I missed that scene!! Chicken Shwarma looks incredible!
Now I am so hungry I could eat my own arm. These look amazing.
I want a plate of that right now! I'm adding this to my menu plan for the week as a new dish to try.
This recipe is perfect! Super easy to make and very good. The kids loved it and they even tried the tabbouleh, which was a hit with the adults, too. I’m so excited that we will have leftovers for lunch tomorrow!