Shawarma Chicken Wraps

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 15

Marinating Time: 16

Total Time: 16 45

Servings: servings

Calories: 697kcal

Author: Emily

These Shawarma Chicken Wraps are full of spicy marinated chicken and topped with fresh veggies, feta cheese, tzatziki sauce, and pickled onions.

If you are making your own pita bread, start the process at least 4 hours before you are going to cook the chicken. You can also make the tzatziki sauce and vegetable and feta mixture ahead of time and place them in the fridge until you are ready to plate the meal.

Measure out the olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, ground cumin, smoked paprika, turmeric, curry powder, ground cinnamon, red pepper flakes, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper into a bowl. Mix together in a large bowl.
Add the raw chicken to the bowl or plastic bag with the marinade and fully coat the chicken. If you are marinating the chicken in the bowl, cover it tightly with plastic wrap. Place the chicken in the fridge and allow it to marinate for a minimum of 4 hours, 12 hours or overnight is ideal.

I like to cook the chicken in a cast-iron pan (see notes for alternative cooking methods). Heat the skillet over med-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of vegetable or canola oil.
Add enough pieces to fill the pan but ensure each piece has enough room around it to cook. Cook for about 4 minutes on one side before flipping. Cook on the other side and check the internal temperature. Continue cooking and flipping until the center is no longer pink and the chicken reaches 165° F (74°C), about 8-12 minutes.
Once fully cooked, you can slice the chicken into smaller pieces or into strips so that they fit into the pitas.

Take one pita bread and place some of the chicken in the middle. Top with tzatziki sauce, vegetables with feta cheese, and pickled red onions. Serve immediately.

Cooking the Chicken: You can choose to grill the chicken or bake it in the oven if you do not want to cook it on the stove. Grilling will add extra flavor from the flame and smoke and baking the chicken will keep it nice and moist. Regardless of the method you choose, ensure the chicken gets to an internal temp of 165° F (74°C) for safe cooking.
Vegetable and Feta Topping: Dice half of a medium cucumber, 2-3 tomatoes, and half of a red onion (you can omit if adding pickled onions to the wraps). Place the diced vegetables into a medium mixing bowl along with ½ cup feta cheese and ¼ cup kalamata olives (sliced). Add 4 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, ½ teaspoon dried oregano, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Mix everything together and ensure it’s all coated in the lemon dressing.
Quick Pickled Red Onions: Slice a medium red onion into crescents and place them into a sealable jar. Place ½ cup water, ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, ½ tablespoon sugar, and ¼ cup apple cider vinegar into a saucepan. Heat over medium heat until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Remove the mixture from the heat and pour it into the jar with the sliced onions. Cool for an hour and then place the jar in the fridge for at least 2 hours before serving.
Nutrition facts were calculated for 2 wraps with chicken, feta cheese, and tzatziki sauce.