Instant Pot Chicken Shawarma

Reasons to love it

No marination needed: Simply toss and cook, and you'll have incredibly flavorful chicken shawarma.

Juicy, tender and succulent chicken with crispy bits: The two-step method of cooking in the pressure cooker followed by crisping in the air fryer or oven creates an amazing texture.

Perfect to meal prep: The cooked chicken is perfect for meal prepping, allowing you to easily make shawarma wraps, salads, bowls, or serve it with rice for quick and tasty meals throughout the week.

Loaded with flavor: The marinade features a carefully selected blend of flavorful spices, combined with lemon juice and olive oil. It's deliciously authentic, yet made easy with simple pantry staples and makes a tasty spicy dinner idea.

Ingredients in chicken shawarma

• Chicken - Chicken thighs are the preferred choice for shawarma because of their tenderness and juiciness, but chicken breasts can also be used if you prefer a leaner option.
• Spices - There’s no need for a special trip to a Middle Eastern market! I use basic pantry spices you likely already have, such as cumin, cayenne, paprika, coriander, garlic, and black pepper.
• Lemon - Fresh lemon juice adds a tangy acidity that helps tenderize the chicken while balancing the spices with its refreshing sourness.

🌶 Adjust the heat! If you prefer a milder flavor, simply reduce or omit the cayenne pepper. For a spicier kick, feel free to add more cayenne pepper to taste.

Serving suggestions

The authentic Middle Eastern way to enjoy chicken shawarma is by wrapping it in flatbread or stuffing it into pita pockets, loaded with veggies and a generous drizzle of shawarma sauce.

There are also other delicious variations that may not be as traditional but are still amazing, like serving it with yellow rice, creating a fresh salad, or assembling a classic shawarma plate.

• In a wrap – Warm a flatbread, such as laffa, naan, or lavash, and top with instant pot shawarma, chopped lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, and cucumber. Drizzle with garlic sauce, wrap it up, and enjoy!
• In a pita pocket – Stuff a pita half with the chicken, veggies, and sauce for a quick and satisfying meal.
• With rice - Serve over yellow rice (we like this recipe from favfamilyrecipes), chopped tomato, parsley or cilantro and a drizzle of both white and sriracha sauce.
• Make a platter – Serve alongside rice, couscous, or salad, with a side of hummus and your choice of veggies.
• In a salad - Toss your favorite leafy greens, such as baby spinach, arugula, or lettuce, with cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, olives, feta cheese, and the chicken. Drizzle with a simple dressing made from olive oil, lemon juice, and a touch of tahini and garlic sauce.

Sauces for Shawarma

Chicken shawarma is traditionally served with either tahini sauce, commonly found in Israel, or a creamy garlic yogurt sauce. Here are simple instructions for quickly making both sauces:

Yogurt sauce: Combine ¾ cup Greek yogurt, 1 clove grated garlic, squeeze of lemon juice, salt, peper and a dash of ground cumin. Cover and chill until serving. You can also my favorite white garlic yogurt sauce which makes it even more tasty!

Tahini sauce: Mix tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper and a spash of water.

Green sauce: It will also be delicious with the green sauce I served with Peruvian chicken thighs.