Chicken Shawarma Sandwich with Garlic Sauce

10 Reviews / 5 Average
These warm Chicken Shawarma Sandwiches with Garlic Sauce were inspired by my favorite Lebanese restaurant, are easy to make, and have authentic flavor.
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Chicken Shawarma sandwich in a pita with garlic sauce and pickles with a side Greek Salad on a plate.

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I’m excited to share a deeeelicious new recipe with you … Chicken Shawarma Sandwich! I think this is one of my husband’s favorite things I’ve made (maybe ever) … at least based on how many times he said how much he liked it, LOL.

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Definitely going on our rotation to make again! Thanks for the yummy recipe!
– REBEKAH SHERWOOD

These hot Chicken Shawarma Sandwiches with Garlic Sauce (inspired by a local restaurant—more on that below) are definitely being added to the top of the list the next time I can cook for friends. It’s a great recipe that you can mostly prep ahead so you aren’t glued to the stove for too long when entertaining!

My Go-To Chicken: Farmer Focus Organic Chicken

I used Farmer Focus organic chicken tenders for this recipe and, I have to say, I don’t normally cook with chicken tenders but they were the perfect for this dish. The tenders were the ideal size so all I had to do was slide them into a bag and pour the marinade on top. Easy peasy. And since I’m all about skipping unnecessary steps, especially when it comes to not having to deal with raw chicken (and the dirty cutting board + knife), I’ll take it!

We’ve been partnering with Farmer Focus organic chicken this past year because we love how their operation is 100% organic from start to finish—and how they care about their farmers, which means better working conditions, and in the end, a better product. I’ve noticed organic chicken seems to be easier to get your hands on (vs. conventional) with the meat shortage many of us are dealing with right now.

Also, if you haven’t seen it yet, they now have a Farm ID on every package so you can see the farmer who raised your food! If you can’t make it to your farmers’ market for locally sourced meat, this is definitely the next best option. They have all different cuts of chicken aside from tenders (including everything from whole to bone-in thighs to boneless chicken breasts) so definitely look for it next time you’re at the store!

Farmer Focus chicken tenders in a package.

Recipe Inspiration for the Chicken Shawarma Sandwich

This dish is inspired by a restaurant here in Charlotte called Kabab-Je that serves authentic Lebanese Cuisine. It’s a popular lunch spot with my girlfriends, and I have missed being able to do things like that, so I decided to try making this yummy hot sandwich at home!

I think the end result turned out pretty authentic and close to what they serve. I’m happy to have this recipe now to help hold us over until we can go out to restaurants again. I have sure missed the occasional meal out!

Chicken Shawarma cooking in a skillet on the stove with pitas being warmed up next to them.

What to Serve with This Recipe

I would suggest pairing this recipe with a Traditional Greek Salad for a perfect outdoor lunch or dinner.

Other Outdoor Meals You Might Enjoy

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29 thoughts on “Chicken Shawarma Sandwich with Garlic Sauce”

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Recipe Rating




  1. 5 stars
    My whole family loved these! I didn’t use quite as much garlic just so my kids (6 and 8 year old) wouldn’t complain and they were still great.

  2. The chicken was amazing and we all loved it, but I was the only one in my family who would eat the garlic sauce because it was way too strong of a raw garlic flavor. I regretted eating the sauce later that night when garlic was all I could taste for hours and hours (and I’m sure you could smell me from a mile away). I wish I had read the comments and used maybe 3-4 cloves instead of the whole head. The flavors were very good and I will definitely make it again, using only a 1/4 of the garlic in the sauce.

  3. Rebekah Sherwood

    5 stars
    We really enjoyed this recipe. We used sliced boneless skinless chicken breasts because we had them on hand. I only got to marinade for about 5 hours but it was still delicious. Also we had about 6 medium garlic cloves so that’s what went into the garlic sauce. We love garlic and that was plenty for us. We served it with the Greek salad. Definitely going on our rotation to make again! Thanks for the yummy recipe!

  4. 5 stars
    Delicious! My whole family (minus the vegetarian tween) loved it! Thanks for all the amazing recipes :).

  5. My whole family and I LOVED this recipe! My daughter and a friend ate it again in a sleepover fridge raid the same night! :)

    Going to make it again soon!
    And absolutely the cast iron is key to the caramelization of the chicken!

  6. 5 stars
    This was excellent!! My whole family loved it and asked me to save the recipe. My husband has been to Lebanon twice and said this is the closest recipe he’s had to the real deal, and that the garlic sauce was spot on!

  7. 5 stars
    Definitely a winner! I didn’t have pitas so I served it with Romaine lettuce leaves, a tomato and cucumber salad and couscous.

  8. 5 stars
    This was so yummy! Followed the recipe as written and it was fantastic, I think the cast iron skillet is key.

  9. I loved the spices for the chicken! Very tasty and I made a vegetarian version with chickpeas. However, the sauce has such a pungent raw garlic flavor that I had to throw it out as I only tasted garlic for the day after. Did you mean a whole head of garlic vs a few cloves? Was it supposed to be roasted or raw?

    1. I was going to make this and was worried about that exact thing. Do you think roasting the garlic would help or just cut back on amount?

    2. 100 Days Admin

      Hi Karin, the whole head of garlic for the sauce. No need to roast. Just peel, crush, and blend with the rest of the ingredients. – Nicole

  10. I like most of your recipes and this sounds yummy. Most of our Seattle area restaurants (even a few high end 5star) have switched to take home. Can’t you support Kabab-Je that way so they can stay in business?! You could also buy a gift certificate perhaps to support them.

  11. This looks wonderful – I was going to make it for dinner until I saw the restaurant is in Charlotte, and now I think I’ll be ordering from there tonight instead :)

  12. MICHELLE SWEARINGEN

    Hi Lisa,
    Can you tell me what kind and brand of pickles you use? My son has been eating Shawarma lately and I’d love to surprise him with this. I don’t want to mess it up with the wrong pickles as I’m not familiar with what would be authentic to this sandwich.

    Thanks