Chicken Shawarma Tacos

Name: Chicken Shawarma Tacos
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Ingredients: 500 gm chicken thighs and breast; 2 tbsp ginger garlic paste; 1 tbsp olive oil; 2 tbsp lemon juice; 1 tsp paprika powder; 1 tsp cardamom powder; 1 tsp cumin powder; 1 tsp coriander powder; 1 tsp chilli powder; 1 tsp pepper powder; 1/2 tsp turmeric powder; 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder; 1 tsp salt; 2 ripe avocados; 1/2 tomato (chopped); 1/4 cup fresh coriander leaves; 2 garlic coves (minced); 1 tbsp lemon juice; 1 tsp olive oil; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/4 tsp pepper; 1/2 cup sour cream; 1/4 cup tahin; 6 garlic cloves (minced); 1 tbsp lemon juice; 1 tsp olive oil; 1 red onion (sliced); 2 tbsp lemon juice; Pinch of salt; Pinch of sugar

Fluffy corn tortillas, shredded and charred chicken shawarma meat, tahini garlic sour cream, pickled onions and guacamole. A family friendly dish, perfect for Ramadan!

No offense to the Mexicans here but these shawarma chicken tacos are one of the best family meals to make. You do not need to make it for Ramadan but it is a great dish to share with loved ones. The corn tortillas are homemade and so is every other compontent in this dish. This recipe is inspired through Mexican cuisine and a little bit of Arabic cuisine as well. The shawarma chicken is homemade and you could buy shawarma meat from the store but this ripe is so simple and easy to make.

The components add so much flavor and make it the perfect taco, the guacamole is a classic recipe. However the tahini garlic sour cream is my take on the garlic sauce (toum), pickled onions but homemade and spicy, the homemade tortillas are definitely worth the effort but you can use flour tortillas or store bought tortillas as well. I love garnishing the tacos with fresh herbs including parley and mint with a lime wedge.

What ingredients do you need to make these Chicken Shawarma Tacos?

Chicken shawarma –

This spice mix can be used with chicken, beef or lamb. It is delicious, simple and very yummy. I would suggest to grill the meat if you don’t have an open flame oven to create those charred bits which are essential for shawarma meat. I used chicken thighs (boneless) with chicken breast. For the marination we need lemon juice, olive oil, garlic ginger paste, salt, pepper, paprika powder, cardamom powder, cumin powder, cinnamon powder, chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder.

Tortilla –

I made my corn tortillas at home using Masa Harina but you can use flour tortillas too. You don’t need much to make corn tortillas at home, I won’t get into that in this recipe but you can even use store bought tortillas here. They must be soft tortillas though.

Guacamole –

To make this guacamole I have used ripe avocados, lime juice, tomatoes, garlic, coriander leaves, dried oregano, salt, pepper and olive oil.

Tahini garlic sour cream –

We need tahini, fresh garlic (minced), olive oil, lemon juice and sour cream. If you don’t have sour cream you can use thick yogurt.

Pickled onions –

I love using red onions here, lime juice, salt, sugar, paprika powder and pepper powder.

What equipment do you need to make these Chicken Shawarma Tacos?

To make the chicken you need an oven with the top grill on, if you don’t have an oven or an open flame, use grill to cook the meat over the stove. We need tongs to handle the meat, mixing bowls and cutlery to mix the sauces and serve the Tacos. I like using a board to serve the tacos.

How to make these Chicken Shawarma Tacos?

Marinate the chicken with all the ingredients for minimum 15 minutes, I like to do this for at least 2 hours. If you are cooking the meat in the oven, roast the chicken in a pan at 200℃ for 15-28 mins until the chicken is cooked and the tops are charred. Make sure the oven us preheated. If you are cooking this over the stove on a grill cook the meat for 10-12 mins until cooked and charred. Do not over cook the meat as it will dry out. To make the guacamole smash the avocado in a bowl and add the other ingredients, mix to combine and set aside. To make the tahini sauce mix all the ingredients together, taste and season as needed, set aside. Picked onions, I like my onions crunchy so I do this step last, the longer you let the onions marinate the softer they get. In a bowl add the onions, lime juice, salt, pepper, paprika and sugar, massage the onions with your hands and set aside. If you are using store bought tortillas, warm them up over the stove on a pan. To assemble we add little guacamole on a tortilla, top with chicken, pickled onions, the tahini sauce, fresh herbs and repeat.

Storing these Chicken Shawarma Tacos?

Once the tacos are ready you must serve them immediately or else they will get soggy. The chicken meat can be stored in an air tight container for upto 4 days in the fridge. The tahini sauce gets better with time, it will last in the fridge for a 4 days. The guacamole will only last for the moment so don’t make it ahead of time it will loose its color. The pickled onions will loose its crunch but keep well for a couple of days.

Looking for more Ramadan recipe inspiration?

Now that we have covered how to make this Chicken Shawarma Taco, you can have a look at the recipe video on my socials but let’s get to it. Don’t forget to follow along for more fun recipe inspiration.

If you try this recipe out, don’t forget to share it with me on instagram so I can see how it turned out. I’d love nothing more than to chat with you on your cooking/baking.