Beef & Chicken Shawarma
Tender strips of grilled chicken, perfectly seasoned and mingling with the rich, hearty goodness of grilled beef, all bundled up in a soft, pita wrap, and homemade yoghurt sauce. Enjoy this mix of middle eastern flavors with an African twist.
What is shawarma?
Shawarma is a popular street food in the Middle East, found in almost every busy street corner. The first time that I tasted this snack was many years in the United Arab Emirates, I wanted to have it almost every day -yes, it is that tasty! Not to be confused with Greek Gyro, shawarma is middle eastern in origin and flavor-packed with spices.
Shawarma also became a popular street food in Western Africa, especially, Nigeria, due to the Lebanese population in the country. They gave it a little twist by adding other meats like the chicken franks and making the sauce a bit more spicy.
Here is my homemade version of the Nigerian Beef & Chicken Shawarma.
Beef & Chicken Shawarma
Ingredients
- 2 lb Boneless chicken thighs
- 2 lb Beef Sirloin
- 2 tsp Lemon juice
- 3 tbsp Olive oil
- 2 tsp Salt
- 2 tsp Garlic powder
- 1/2 cup Plain or Greek yoghurt
- 2 tsp Onion Powder
- 2 tsp Paprika
- 2 tsp Bouillon
- 2 tsp Creole Seasoning
- 1 tsp Thyme
- 1 tsp white pepper
SHAWARMA YOGHURT SAUCE
- 1 cup Plain or Greek Yoghurt
- 2 tbsp Mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
- 1 tsp Minced Garlic
- 1 tbsp Honey
- 1 tsp Siracha (spicy option)
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Black pepper
WHEN SERVING
- 4 pcs Tortilla or Pita bread
- 2 cups Lettuce chopped
- 1 cup Carrots chopped
- 1 cup Cabbage chopped
- 1/2 cup Grilling cheese
- 4 pcs Chicken Franks
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix the bouillon, creole seasoning, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, white pepper, paprika and salt. Divide spices into two.
- Season chicken thighs with 1/2 cup yogurt, add one part of the mixed spices, top off with lemon juice. Leave to marinate. Season beef with second part of mixed spices, add lemon juice, and olive oil. Marinate chicken thighs and beef for 1 hour.
- While the meat if marinating, prepare the sauce by mixing all the ingredients for the sauce together and set aside. In another bowl, combine all the vegetables together and set side. Grate the grilling cheese, set aside.
- Pan grill the chicken thighs and the beef. Cut into strips and set aside. Grill the chicken franks, set aside.
- To make the wrap, lay the tortilla bread on a plate, top it with the sauce first, add the mixed vegetables, the chicken and beef strips, chicken frank, and cheese.
- Top it with a little more sauce and grated cheese. Wrap the pita bread /tortilla, transfer to a dry pan. Pan grill, without oil, on both sides till slightly brown, careful not to burn the tortilla. Serve!
