Middle Eastern Chicken Shawarma

Name: Middle Eastern Chicken Shawarma
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: Boneless Chicken Breast — 2 kg; Shawarma Seasoning 90 g — 2 packs; Canola Oil — 100 ml; Natural Salt — to taste; Brioche Loaf — 12 slices (or pita bread); Straight-Cut French Fries — 1 kg (side)

Middle Eastern⏱ 40 min🍽 12 servings📶 Medium

Medan has a real appetite for Middle Eastern food, and shawarma is the easiest way in. Boneless chicken breast is marinated in shawarma spice, roasted, then sliced thin. The blend is pre-mixed, so every batch tastes the same — the hardest thing to hold steady when blending in-house.

Ingredients

Boneless Chicken Breast — 2 kgShawarma Seasoning 90 g — 2 packsCanola Oil — 100 mlNatural Salt — to tasteBrioche Loaf — 12 slices (or pita bread)Straight-Cut French Fries — 1 kg (side)

Steps

Thaw the chicken breast in the chiller. Slice across the grain at 1 cm — slicing with the grain leaves it chewy after roasting.

Mix the shawarma seasoning with canola oil into a loose paste. Coat the chicken evenly.

Marinate for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight in the chiller. Shawarma spice needs time to penetrate.

Heat the oven to 220°C. Pack the chicken tightly on the tray so the inside stays moist.

Roast for 25–30 minutes until the edges darken and crisp slightly.

Rest for 10 minutes, then slice thin across. Slicing while hot drives the juices out.

Serve in bread with fries, or over rice as a shawarma plate.

Tips from the Tavis Kitchen

Packing the tray tightly is deliberate. Chicken spread out dries before the edges get any colour.
The same shawarma blend works on duck breast and beef kebab meat if the menu needs widening.
For catering: roast a day ahead, chill quickly, slice cold, then reheat in a pan. Cold meat slices far more neatly.