Name: Karima Hazim’s chicken shawarma
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 90 min
Total time: 105 min
Yield: 4-6
Ingredients: CHICKEN SHAWARMA; juice of ½ lemon; ¼ cup apple cider vinegar; ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil; 2 tablespoons natural yoghurt; 1.5kg chicken thigh fillets; 1 shawarma stand (see tip); 1 onion, halved crossways; To serve: Lebanese pickled vegetables, tarator sauce, parsley salad, toum, Lebanese sandwich-size bread, lemon wedges; CHICKEN SHAWARMA SPICE MIX; 1 teaspoon 7-spice bharat (baharat); 1 teaspoon ground coriander; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 1 teaspoon paprika; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 1 teaspoon onion powder; 1 teaspoon aleppo pepper; 1 teaspoon cooking salt; ½ teaspoon ground ginger; ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon; ¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper; TARATOR SAUCE; ⅓ cup tahini; ⅓ cup water; 2 tablespoons Greek yoghurt; juice of 1 lemon; 1 large clove garlic, crushed; salt, to taste; To serve: aleppo pepper; PARSLEY SALAD

Meet Karima Hazim who, with her mum, founded Sunday Kitchen, a cooking school and community that celebrates traditional family recipes like this flavourful shawarma. Karima joins Women’s Weekly Food as a regular contributor, sharing delicious Lebanese recipes and stories.

“Shawarma nights are a weekly staple in our home,” says Karima. “This chicken shawarma is a family favourite, packed with flavour, simple to make and always so much fun to build and share around the table.”

Ingredients

CHICKEN SHAWARMA

juice of ½ lemon

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons natural yoghurt

1.5kg chicken thigh fillets

1 shawarma stand (see tip)

1 onion, halved crossways

To serve: Lebanese pickled vegetables, tarator sauce, parsley salad, toum, Lebanese sandwich-size bread, lemon wedges

CHICKEN SHAWARMA SPICE MIX

1 teaspoon 7-spice bharat (baharat)

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon aleppo pepper

1 teaspoon cooking salt

½ teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper

TARATOR SAUCE

⅓ cup tahini

⅓ cup water

2 tablespoons Greek yoghurt

juice of 1 lemon

1 large clove garlic, crushed

salt, to taste

To serve: aleppo pepper

PARSLEY SALAD

1 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves (about 1 bunch)

1 red onion, finely sliced

½ iceberg lettuce, finely sliced

1-2 teaspoons sumac

TOUM

1 cup peeled garlic cloves

2½ cups vegetable oil

½ cup lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt

Method

Chicken shawarma

SPICE MIX Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. If making ahead, store in an airtight jar until ready to use.

Combine the lemon juice, vinegar, oil, yoghurt and Spice Mix in a large bowl. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for several hours, or ideally overnight.

Place one rack in the lowest oven position and remove the remaining racks. Preheat oven to 200°C (fan-forced). Open the chicken thighs out flat and thread onto the shawarma stand, making sure you rotate the chicken thighs so you are using the whole surface area of the base. Finally thread the onion halves on top of the chicken.

placing onion for shawarma on a kebab spike

Add ½ cup water to the base of the stand and place on the oven rack. Roast, uncovered, for up to 1 hour or until the chicken is charred and crispy, covering the onion with foil if it is over browning. Cover the chicken with foil and roast for a further 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Carve chicken thinly and let it fall into the juices in the base of the pan. Serve chicken with pickled vegetables, tarator sauce, toum, parsley salad and Lebanese bread.

chicken shawarma wrap with bowls of vegetables and dip

Tarator sauce

Combine tahini, water, yoghurt, lemon juice and garlic in a bowl. Season to taste with salt.

Sprinkle with a little aleppo pepper, refrigerate until ready to serve.

Parsley salad

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and toss well.

Toum

Remove any green sprouts from the garlic. Freeze the garlic for 1 hour, or until cold.

Blend the garlic, oil, juice and salt until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Karima’s chicken shawarma tips

chicken shawarma kebab topped with onion

“The pan used to cook the shawarma is called a Vertical Gyros Skewer and Tray, and is available to purchase from Bunnings for under $20. It also fits under the hood of most gas and solid fuel barbecues and smokers.

“When entertaining, I will often carve some of the chicken off and return it to the oven to get some more crispy edges.”

What is bharat?

The spice mix for this chicken shawarma recipe calls for 7-spice bharat, also found spelled ‘baharat’. Baharat is the Arabic word for spice. It refers to the complex spice blend that adds a depth of flavour to many Middle Eastern dishes. Baharat spice blend often contains black pepper, cumin, coriander, cloves, cardamom, paprika, cinnamon and nutmeg. It is available in Middle Eastern grocery stores and most major supermarkets.

What is shawarma?

Shawarma is a Middle Eastern dish of meat marinated in warm spices then cooked on a spit and thinly sliced. It’s often served in a wrap or with flatbread, pickled vegetables and sauce. Here, Karima serves her chicken shawarma with tarator sauce (a tahini yoghurt sauce), parsley salad, toum (a strong garlic dip), pickled vegetables and Lebanese bread.

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Recipe contributor Karima Hazim

Karima Hazim, alongside her mother, Sivine, is the creator of Sunday Kitchen, where they share traditional Lebanese recipes and practices with a community of cooks. In 2026, Karima joined The Australian Women’s Weekly as a regular food contributor, sharing recipes from family dinners to moreish, crowd-pleasing weekend lunches cooked from the heart. These dishes are a tribute to her traditional Lebanese recipes and family rituals, meant to feed the soul.

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