I've made chicken shawarma in a baking pan, roasting it beside the green beans and it's very easy, quite tasty, and it's a great one pan supper made in the oven. I wondered if it would be possible in an Instant Pot, and it is.
I hope that this proves to the best chicken shawarma recipe you've ever tried. I love shawarma. I love it so much I even make green beans with shawarma seasoning.
The upside is that the meat is a lot more tender and less dry in an Instant Pot the downside is that it's less intensely flavored than the oven version.
If you were industrious, you'd make it in an Instant Pot, and finish it off in a pan with a little coconut oil, or ghee and a little additional sprinkled spice but I was not that industrious 😀
But really what makes this the best chicken shawarma recipe is the five minutes you spend making the fresh spice mix right before you cook this. All of the flavor is in the spices.
If you decide to make it in the oven, follow the directions below, but instead of pressure cooking, put in in a single layer on a foil-covered pan and cook it at 350F for 15-20 minutes.
This would also work in an air fryer rather well, but I'd check it at 10 minutes and flip over.
For the oven and air fryer versions, I'd also be tempted to use chicken thighs since chicken breast will dry out a little.
You must make your own shawarma seasoning. It's so worth it. This recipe makes two batches so you have enough left over for another pound of chicken, or you could sprinkle it over some green beans and try my other recipe with this spice.
The Steps to the Best Chicken Shwarma Recipe are:
- Make the spice mix and marinate the chicken in it
- Add vegetables, water, and chicken and cook in the pressure cooker 10 mins, QPR
- Serve with Tzatziki and eat
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Ingredients
- 1 pound Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs, or breasts, cut into large, bite-size chunks (if using bone-in, increase time by 1-2 minutes)
- 1 teaspoon olive oil , to marinate
- 2 teaspoons Oil, to brown chicken
- 1 cup Onion, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup Water
Shwarma Spice (Double batch)
- 2 teaspoons Dried Oregano
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground Allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
- 1 teaspoon Ground Coriander
- 1-2 teaspoons Kosher Salt
Instructions
- Place the cut up chicken in a ziplock bag, pour in the olive oil, and pour in half the spice mix. Save the other half of the spice for the next time you make this recipe.
- Smoosh it all up together so that the chicken is evenly coated in the oil and spices.
- At this point, you could freeze it for later cooking, or you could leave it in the fridge to marinate for as long as you have. I'd make one batch now and freeze one.
- When you're ready to cook it, heat the Instant Pot on sauté and when it's hot, add the chicken in a single layer. Let it sear for a few minutes and then flip over.
- Add the onions in there. Traditionally, it's not cooked with onions, but we need something to add flavor to the broth and the chicken, and onions not only add flavor, but they also release a little water so it means you've got to add less plain water to the Instant Pot.
- Pour in the 1/4 c of water, deglaze the pan if needed, and cook at high pressure for 10 minutes, using QPR
- Remove chicken and cut into smaller bites but don't shred.
- Enjoy with https://twosleevers.com/greek-tzatziki-yogurt-cucumbers/tzatziki for a tasty, low-carb dinner.
Oven or Air Fryer directions
- Heat oven to 350F and line a baking pan with foil, or line your air fryer basket with foil
- Spray or pour just a little extra oil to crisp the chicken a little during baking
- Cook in oven for 10-15 minutes turning once. Test for doneness.
- Cook in air-fryer for 10 minutes, turning once. Test for doneness.
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Nutrition
Equipment & Ingredients You May Need to Make Best Low Carb Chicken Shawarma
-
- Instant Pot Mini Duo or Instant Pot 6 quart or Instant Pot 8 Quart
- Measuring cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Air Fryer
- Aluminum Foil
- [eafl id="7817" name="olive oil" text="Olive Oil"]
- Ground Allspice
- Cayenne Pepper
- Ground Cumin
- Ground Coriander
Don't forget to check out my Instant Pot Fast & Easy Cookbook!
This book is full of all kinds of boldly flavored and internationally-themed recipes—Mexican, Thai, Moroccan, and more—with Instant Pot Fast & Easy, fully authorized by Instant Pot. Just like you have come to expect, my recipes will work perfectly every time, and of course taste great too. And because these are Instant Pot recipes, dishes like Japanese Chicken Curry, Chinese Steamed Ribs, and Mexican Pulled Pork are ready in a fraction of the time they would take using traditional cooking methods. As with all of my recipes, the focus is on whole foods instead of artificial convenience ingredients, so the recipes are delicious, easy, and healthful too.
Social MzFit
Another winner by the Butter Chicken Lady!! Followed recipe exactly as written. Added some fresh red onions to marinate with the chicken over night. Cooked in my air fryer and it was just perfect! Hubby gives this a two thumbs up. Will def make again and again! Topped the chicken on a bed or salad and some home made tahini sauce. Yummo, Thank you!
SocialMzFit
Update: used this same combination of spices with lamb loin chops & it was just fantastic on the BBQ!! Tasted just like my fav Middle Eastern takeout for a fraction of the price by making my own!
I’m going to try it just ground chicken rolled up as kabobs soon!
Mona W
I made this in my 5.8 quart Cosori air fryer. I used 1 tsp of Diamond Kosher salt (brands have different sodium contents) and only 1/4 tsp of the cayenne pepper. Other than holding back on some of the heat, I followed the recipe to the T. (15 minutes@350) Made the T sauce to go with it and served it on fluffy warm Pita with tomatoes, lettuce, and onions like a taco. My husband went absolutely bonkers,....he loved it so much. I told him that it was the easiest meal that I've ever made that was so flavorful for such a minimal amount of time. (including cleanup!) I took the recipe from Urvashi's air fryer cookbook that I recently purchased. I can't wait to try other recipes. I'm all in,....EASY and packed with flavor. This one's a keeper for sure. The sauce was amazing too even though I forgot to peel the cucumber.
Raj S
One of the most no-brainer recipes that also gives the best results! So perfect for a weeknight or any night. Thank you!
Kara
I’d like to do this in my Air Fryer. If making from frozen will the cook times be different or should I just thaw it in the fridge first prior to air frying? Thank you
Sara
Love it! My roommate isn’t sure if she likes Mediterranean food, so I made this with some other food as backup. There were no leftovers of your chicken and she asked me to make it again. Another win!
Kiran
I love this recipe!!! I have made it so many times and it is always so full of flavour. I have made it in the instant pot and in the oven but I prefer the oven method as i find it more flavorful this way. I always have a batch of the shawarma seasoning mix in my pantry.
URVASHI PITRE
I use that seasoning on everything too!