Everything you love about a good chicken shawarma is packed into this loaded salad! Juicy marinated chicken thighs and a flavorful roasted red pepper tzatziki take it over the top.
Always here for a good salad time and this chicken shawarma salad is currently king of it all.
Truthfully, we may love this salad even more than classic chicken shawarma. It’s easy to eat since it’s in bowl form and you can load it up with ALL the toppings you desire without having to worry about your flatbread breaking!
Personally recommend going heavy on the drizzles of red pepper tzatziki. The stuff may be actual liquid gold.
This is one of those salads where you can prep most of the components ahead of time and just assemble whenever you’re ready to go to salad heaven.
Which should be all the time, btw.
This Salad features…
- Chicken thighs marinated in fresh lemon, garlic, and lots of Middle-Eastern spices
- Fresh tomatoes, cucumber, and lots of feta
- Creamy and flavorful roasted red pepper tzatziki
- A bed of spring greens with flatbread on the side for dipping
Making the Salad
(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)
Ingredients You Will Need
- Lemon juice
- Olive oil
- Garlic
- Cumin
- Coriander
- Paprika
- Cayenne pepper
- Turmeric
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs
- Sweet onion
- Parsley
- Greek yogurt
- Roasted red peppers
- Cucumber
- Mint
- Spring greens mix
- Cherry tomatoes
- Feta cheese
- Flatbread
Choosing Your Chicken
We recommend using boneless skinless chicken thighs for this recipe. This cut of chicken is fast to cook up on a sheet pan and turns out juicy every single time from the marinade.
If you don’t have thighs on hand, boneless skinless chicken breasts will work great instead. They won’t cook up quite as juicy as thighs but they will still be delicious.
Tips for Perfect Chicken Shawarma
- Use fresh lemon and garlic in marinade – this makes a huge difference flavor-wise.
- Marinate chicken at least 2 hours – a good rule of thumb with marinating is 2 hours if you’re in a hurry and up to 12 if you’ve got some extra time.
- Marinate chicken on bottom shelf of fridge – it’s always a good idea to keep raw meats away from fresh produce and on the bottom shelf of your fridge to reduce risk of cross contamination.
- Roast chicken shawarma on sheet pan – because we’re using diced chicken thighs, roasting will only take 10-15 minutes at 400F.
- Blend half of roasted red peppers for tzatziki – we like to blend half the roasted red peppers with the Greek yogurt and leave the other half minced to add some texture to the tzatziki.
Recipe Variations
Try these ideas for a different twist on this salad!
- Add extra veggies – try roasting diced zucchini, summer squash, mushrooms, or sweet pepper with the chicken for an extra veggie addition.
- Make regular tzatziki – simply leave out the roasted red peppers for a traditional tzatziki sauce.
- Try a different dressing – you can skip the tzatziki altogether and use a bottled or homemade Greek dressing instead.
- Use different greens – try butter lettuce, spinach, or romaine in place of the spring greens.
Make Ahead Instructions
Follow these instructions for time-saving make ahead tips.
- Marinate the chicken – the chicken may be marinated in refrigerator up to 12 hours in advance.
- Prep vegetables – cut the tomatoes and cucumber and store in refrigerator up to 2 days.
- Make the tzatziki – this sauce keeps well in refrigerator up to 4 days.
Once the salad is assembled, we recommend serving it immediately as it’s best enjoyed while the greens are crisp and the chicken is warm.
This salad is an absolute flavor bomb and honestly, you’re going to want it on your lunch agenda all the time! The marinated chicken and big drizzles of tzatziki are key here along with lots of fresh flatbread for dipping.
New salad MVP right here, y’all.
Save this recipe using the ‘save to recipe box’ button below. If you make it, please let us know! Leave a comment + star rating below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram with #wholeandheavenlyoven.
We love big loaded salads around here! Try these keepers next.
Chicken Shawarma Salad with Roasted Red Pepper Tzatziki
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Ingredients
Chicken Shawarma
- 1/4 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 medium cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1-1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 medium sweet onion, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
Roasted Red Pepper Tzatziki
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 cup jarred roasted red peppers, finely diced and divided
- 1/2 cup finely diced cucumber
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh mint
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (or regular)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Salad
- 6 cups spring greens mix
- 1 medium cucumber, diced into 1/2-in cubes
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 2 medium flatbreads, cut into wedges for serving
Instructions
Chicken Shawarma
- In a large shallow bowl, whisk lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and spices until smooth. Add chicken to marinade and turn to evenly coat. Cover bowl and marinate chicken in refrigerator at least 2 hours or up to 12.
- Preheat oven to 400F and lightly grease a large sheet pan. Remove chicken from marinade and discard marinade. Arrange chicken and sliced onion in a single layer on sheet pan.
- Roast chicken at 400F 10-15 minutes until chicken registers 165F and onions are tender. Toss parsley into chicken and onions and set aside for a moment.
Roasted Red Pepper Tzatziki
- Place Greek yogurt and 1/2 cup roasted red peppers in a food processor. Pulse several times until completely smooth.
- Scrape yogurt into a medium bowl and stir in remaining diced roasted red peppers, cucumber, garlic, lemon juice, parsley, mint, paprika, and salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Salad
- Assemble the salad by placing spring greens in a large serving bowl and arranging diced chicken and onions over top along with cucumber, cherry tomatoes, and feta. Drizzle tzatziki over top and serve salad with flatbread wedges. Enjoy!
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