This Instant Pot Chicken Shawarma is a delicious and easy dinner idea – all of the marinade ingredients can be found in your spice drawer!
Ingredients and substitutions
Chicken shawarma
- Olive oil – or another neutral cooking oil such as avocado or canola oil.
- Garlic – I prefer freshly minced garlic but jarred minced garlic will work in a pinch.
- Lemon juice – use either freshly squeezed or bottled lemon juice.
- Chicken broth – vegetable broth would be the next best substitute here.
- Chicken thighs – you can also try making this recipe with 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, but the meat won’t be as tender.
- Salt – to taste.
- Cumin – coriander would provide a similar flavour.
- Turmeric – use a bit of saffron instead.
- Paprika – you can also use cayenne, just keep in mind it will be a bit spicier.
- Nutmeg – swap out for some garam masala or allspice.
- Cinnamon – double up on the nutmeg if you don’t have any cinnamon.
To serve
- Pitas – you could also serve your chicken shawarma over white or brown rice.
- Plum tomatoes – use any veggie of your choice or leave this out altogether.
- Cucumber – swap out for another veggie like lettuce or olives.
- Parsley – leave this out altogether if you don’t have any on hand.
- Tzatziki or hummus – this shawarma would also taste delicious with garlic sauce or tahini.
How to make chicken shawarma in the Instant Pot
- Add all the chicken ingredients to the Instant Pot in order.
- Cook on high pressure for 3 minutes.
- Prepare the rest of your toppings.
- Do a quick release of the pressure.
- Serve in pitas with your favourite toppings and enjoy!
What’s the difference between gyro and shawarma?
If you like Middle Eastern foods, you may already know what gyro and shawarma are. Both meals are variations of a Turkish dish known as Döner Kebab.
The meat for both meals is prepared on a rotating spit over a fire. Usually, both dishes are served on warm pita bread with toppings. For the most part, the similarities end there. The main differences between gyro and shawarma are the type of meat and the toppings for the meat.
Gyro meat is usually pork or lamb, while shawarma meat can be lamb, goat, chicken or even veal. Gyros are typically topped with tomato, onion and Tzatziki sauce.
On the other hand, shawarma is less about the toppings: the focus is on the flavour that comes from marinating it all day in spices. For toppings, common shawarma ingredients are tomato, pickled turnips and sometimes onion. The shawarma sauce is usually tahini, hummus or both.
Frequently Asked Questions
With all of the veggies and meat surrounded by fluffy pita bread, I think chicken shawarma is a complete meal in itself. You can also choose to serve with a side salad or some frozen oven fries. If I want to skip the pita, I’ll definitely add the fries and make a delicious platter/salad out of this chicken shawarma but it’s up to you how you want to use the chicken! It’s so versatile and great for meal prep.
Because the focus of shawarma is on the flavour, chicken shawarma marinade uses a lot of fragrant spices. The most common are garlic, turmeric, cumin, paprika, cinnamon and red pepper. The key to making a delicious marinade also requires using good quality olive oil!
A traditional chicken shawarma recipe calls for grilled chicken breast meat. When you make Instant Pot chicken shawarma, you can use chicken breast if you want to. For the juiciest chicken, I prefer to use chicken thighs.
Traditionally, chicken shawarma is served wrapped in pita, so it’s not gluten-free. As a gluten-free option, you can make chicken shawarma bowls, serving it over fluffy white rice.
Storing and reheating
This chicken shawarma is great for meal prep. I suggest storing all of the chicken and toppings separately to prevent the pita from getting soggy (since nobody wants that). You can store the chicken in the fridge in airtight glass containers for up to 5 days.
When you’re ready to enjoy, sprinkle some water over top of the chicken to keep it nice and moist, then heat it up in the microwave for 1-2 minutes. Add it to your pita with the rest of your toppings and voila!
Freezing the chicken
While you can’t freeze this entire recipe (the pitas, veggies and sauces won’t defrost well), you can freeze the chicken for up to 3 months. Store it in glass containers or freezer-safe Ziploc bags. Let it defrost in the fridge overnight, follow the reheating instructions above and serve with the rest of your fresh toppings and pitas.
More Instant Pot chicken recipes
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on turning this Instant Pot Chicken Shawarma into your weekly lunches.
- I get all my free-range chicken from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen.
Instant Pot Chicken Shawarma
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
To serve
- 4-6 pitas
- 1-2 plum tomatoes, sliced
- Cucumber, sliced
- Parsley, for garnish
- Tzatziki (optional)
- Hummus (optional)
Instructions
- Add the chicken and all ingredients for chicken to Instant Pot in the order ingredients are listed above. Place lid on Instant Pot and make sure valve is set to seal.
- Press the pressure cook button and set to high, then cook for 3 minutes. Instant Pot will take about 10 to 15 minutes to come to pressure then pressure cook the 3 minutes. Meanwhile, get toppings ready while chicken is cooking.
- Do a quick release of the pressure by flicking the switch at the top with a spoon, then open lid when pressure gauge has dropped and lid opens easily. Remove the chicken, shred or slice it, then add to pitas with desired toppings.
- Serve and enjoy!
