Description
Slow Cooker Chicken Shawarma is a cozy, hands-off dinner made with tender chicken thighs marinated in warm spices, slow-cooked until juicy, and served in soft pitas with creamy yogurt sauce and fresh toppings.
Ingredients
For the Chicken
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 onion, sliced
⅓ cup plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1½ teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
For the Yogurt Sauce
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
2 tablespoons cucumber, grated
1 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
For Serving
Pita bread
Lettuce
Red onion
Cucumbers
Tomatoes
Instructions
In a large bowl, whisk together Greek yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, paprika, cumin, black pepper, salt, turmeric, cinnamon, and red pepper flakes.
Add chicken thighs to the marinade, coat well, cover, and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
Place sliced onion in the bottom of the slow cooker.
Add marinated chicken on top of the onions.
Cover and cook on high for 3–4 hours or low for 4–6 hours, until tender.
Remove chicken, shred with two forks, then return it to the slow cooker to soak up juices.
While chicken cooks, mix all yogurt sauce ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate.
Serve chicken in pitas with yogurt sauce and desired toppings.
Notes
Chicken thighs stay juicier than breasts and are recommended.
For crispy edges, broil shredded chicken for 3–5 minutes before serving.
Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 hours
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern–Inspired
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 pita with chicken and sauce
- Calories: 420
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 780mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 32g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 34g
- Cholesterol: 145mg