This Air Fryer Chicken Shawarma recipe is everything! Easy to prepare, outrageously delicious and so versatile. Simply marinate chicken thighs in a Sharwama spice mixture and air fry until the chicken is tender with hard-to-resist crispy bits. Prep a day ahead to allow for the chicken to absorb the wonderful flavors of the marinade.
Prep Time15 minutesmins
Cook Time45 minutesmins
Marinating time1 dayd
Course: Main
Cuisine: middle eastern
Keyword: Air Fryer Chicken Shawarma, Chicken Sharwama
Mix together all the marinade ingredients. Add to the chicken thighs and turn them over a few times so that they are well coated. If you have time, marinate the chicken overnight in the fridge for maximum flavor or for 3 hours at least.
Cook the chicken
Preheat the air fryer to 180° (350°F). Pile the chicken into a deep container and cover tightly with foil, pressing down to compress the chicken.
Cook, covered with foil, for 35-40 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and registers 75°C (167°F) on a meat thermometer.
Drain any liquid that has been released. Transfer the chicken to a plate to rest for about 5 minutes. Slice the chicken into thin strips.
Add back into the air fryer, directly into the basket this time and cook for about 5 minutes at 190°C (375°F) to get some crispy edges if you like. You can also reheat leftovers in the same way.
Serve and Enjoy!
Prep the zhoug: blitz all the ingredients in a food processor or with an immersion blender. Mix together the ingredients for the yogurt sauce.
Pile the sliced chicken on flatbreads with the yogurt sauce, sliced lettuce, pickles, onions, tomatoes and zhoug or hot sauce.
Alternatively serve a portion of chicken with a salad like Tabbouleh, with other Middle Eastern favorites such as Falafel, or simply with a green salad. Absolutely scrumptious!
Video
Notes
The chicken releases a lot of juices white it cooks so I prefer to cook it in a container within the Air Fryer. The juices are drained once the chicken is cooked.
If you have an Air Fryer that has a grill option (such as my Chefree) then you can thread the chicken pieces onto skewers and cook them on the grill for about 30 minutes at 190° (375°F) turning a few times so that they char evenly.
Replace the long list of spices listed with 2-3 tablespoons of Sharwama Spice Blend