Griddle Chicken Shawarma (Made on the Blackstone)
If you have ever walked through a city and caught the scent of a street food cart, you know exactly how intoxicating it is. The smell of earthy spices, sizzling chicken, and toasted flatbread hitting the air is enough to stop you right in your tracks.
Traditionally, chicken shawarma is cooked on a massive vertical spit, rotating slowly for hours so the fat renders and the outside gets unbelievably crispy. Most of us don’t have a vertical rotisserie in our backyard. But if you have a flat top griddle, you have something just as good.
The massive, screaming-hot surface area of a Blackstone is the absolute best way to replicate that street cart magic at home. We are going to take heavily spiced, marinated chicken thighs, sear them hard, and chop them right on the griddle to maximize those crispy, deeply caramelized edges.
The best part? You can pile this hot, juicy chicken right onto the Naan Bread on the Griddle you just made. Top it with a drizzle of homemade white sauce, and you’ve got a backyard feast that rivals any food truck.
Let me show you how to bring the street cart home.
What Makes the Griddle Shawarma so Special?
The secret to great shawarma isn’t just the spice blend—it’s the texture. You want pieces of chicken that are tender and juicy on the inside, but loaded with crispy, heavily seared edges on the outside.
When you cook chicken in a regular skillet, it crowds the pan, steams, and never really gets that crust. The flat top griddle solves this completely. By spreading the chicken out over a huge, hot surface, the moisture evaporates instantly and the searing begins.
Taking a pair of sturdy griddle spatulas and aggressively chopping the meat right on the flat top exposes even more surface area to the heat. It’s exactly how the pros do it on the street carts, and it is incredibly satisfying to do on your own patio.
Ingredients for Chicken Shawarma
The magic of this recipe is in the spice blend. Don’t be intimidated by the list; you probably have most of these in your pantry right now.
Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs – Do not use chicken breasts for this! Thighs have the necessary fat content to stay juicy and get those crispy edges without drying out on the hot griddle.
The Shawarma Spice Blend – A mix of ground cumin, smoked paprika, coriander, turmeric, cardamom, and a tiny pinch of cinnamon. This is what gives the chicken that authentic, earthy warmth.
Olive Oil and Lemon Juice – The base of our quick marinade. The acid in the lemon tenderizes the chicken, while the oil carries the spices.
Garlic and Red Onion – Minced fresh garlic for the marinade, and thinly sliced red onions to toss on the griddle with the chicken.
The “White Sauce” – A simple mix of mayonnaise, plain Greek yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, and dill. It cuts through the rich spices and makes the whole dish sing.
Fresh Griddle Naan Bread – The ultimate vessel for scooping and folding your shawarma. You can check out my Naan bread recipe here.
Fresh Toppings – Shredded iceberg lettuce, diced tomatoes, and cucumber for that perfect, fresh crunch.
How to Make Shawarma on the Griddle
This recipe cooks fast and furious. Have your white sauce mixed, your veggies chopped, and your fresh naan ready before the chicken ever hits the heat.
1. Mix the Street Cart White Sauce
In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, minced garlic, a pinch of dried dill, the tahini and cumin. Add a splash of water until it’s thin enough to drizzle. Put it in the fridge so the flavors can marry while you cook.
2. Marinate the Chicken
In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, and all of your spices. Add the chicken thighs and toss them aggressively until every single piece is coated in that beautiful, bright yellow-red marinade. You can let this sit for 30 minutes, or up to overnight.
3. Hit the Hot Griddle
Preheat your flat top to medium-high heat. Add a little oil to the surface. Lay your marinated chicken thighs down flat. Do not touch them for about 4 to 5 minutes! You want to let the griddle do its work and build a serious crust on the bottom. Toss your sliced red onions onto the griddle next to the chicken to let them soften in the residual spices.
4. Chop and Crisp
Once the bottom is deeply seared, flip the thighs. Grab your two stiffest griddle spatulas (or a meat chopper) and start chopping the chicken into bite-sized pieces right on the flat top. Mix the softened red onions right into the pile of chopped meat. Let everything sizzle together for another 3 to 4 minutes until the edges are beautifully charred and crispy.
5. Build the Shawarma
Pull the chopped chicken off the heat. Take a warm piece of Griddle Naan, load it up with the crispy chicken, add a handful of shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes, and generously squeeze your white sauce over the top.
Tools That Make the Process Easier
Getting that authentic street cart texture requires the right griddle gear.
Two Sturdy Griddle Spatulas You need spatulas with a beveled edge and zero flex so you can effectively chop the chicken directly on the flat top.
Squeeze Bottle For getting that perfect, even drizzle of white sauce over the top of your finished shawarma.
Stainless Steel Prep Bowls Great for tossing the raw chicken in the heavy spices without staining your plastic wear with turmeric!
Simple tools, big results.
Flat Top Chicken Shawarma (Street Cart Style)
Ingredients
For the Chicken & Marinade:
- 2 lbs Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
- 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 Tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice
- 4 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 Tbsp Ground Cumin
- 1 Tbsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 tsp Ground Coriander
- 1 tsp Turmeric
- ½ tsp Ground Cardamom
- ¼ tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1 ½ tsp Kosher Salt
- 1 tsp Black Pepper
- ½ Large Red Onion thinly sliced
For the White Sauce:
- ½ cup Mayonnaise
- ½ cup Plain Greek Yogurt
- 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
- 1 clove Garlic finely minced
- ½ tsp Dried Dill
- 1 tsp Cumin
- 2 Tbsp Tahini
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Water just enough to thin it to a drizzling consistency
For Serving:
- 1 batch of Chef Ember's Easy Griddle Naan Bread
- Shredded Iceberg Lettuce
- Diced Tomatoes
- Diced Cucumbers
Instructions
- Make the White Sauce: Combine mayonnaise, yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, and dill in a small bowl. Whisk to combine. Add a teaspoon of water at a time until you reach your desired drizzling consistency. Season with salt and pepper. Store in the fridge.
- Make the Marinade: In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, cumin, paprika, coriander, turmeric, cardamom, cinnamon, salt, and pepper.
- Coat the Chicken: Add the whole chicken thighs to the bowl. Toss well with your hands or tongs until every piece is completely coated. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, or cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
- Preheat the Griddle: Fire up your Blackstone or flat top griddle to medium-high heat (around 400°F). Apply a light coat of cooking oil.
- The First Sear: Lay the chicken thighs flat on the hot griddle. Place the sliced red onions on an adjacent hot zone. Let the chicken cook completely undisturbed for 4-5 minutes until a dark, crispy crust forms on the bottom.
- Chop and Crisp: Flip the chicken thighs. Immediately use two sturdy metal griddle spatulas to chop the chicken into small, bite-sized pieces right on the griddle surface.
- Mix and Finish: Push the softened red onions into the pile of chopped chicken. Toss everything together continuously for another 3-4 minutes, letting the newly exposed edges of the chicken hit the griddle and crisp up.
- Assemble: Remove the chicken from the griddle. Take a warm piece of Griddle Naan, pile high with the crispy chicken and onions, add lettuce and tomatoes, and finish with a heavy drizzle of the white sauce.
