Homemade Chicken Shawarma Wraps

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   How do you make chicken shawarma wraps at home? Here are the ingredients. I marinated the chicken ahead of time — I'll show you how below.

2. Step 2:

   

   For shawarma, skip the breast and go for dark meat — skin-on thigh is juicier and works perfectly. I used half of a large chicken.

3. Step 3:

   

   For the chicken you'll need the following spices — they're what give the dish its signature Middle Eastern aroma. I chose whole spices on purpose; to my taste they release their fragrance much better.

4. Step 4:

   

   Grind the spices in a mortar.

5. Step 5:

   

   The aroma is already amazing.

6. Step 6:

   

   Now pour in a little boiling water — just 50–100 ml — and the spices will bloom and release even more fragrance.

7. Step 7:

   

   Now prep the chicken — carefully remove the bones.

8. Step 8:

   

   Where the breast is thickest, make some cuts so the meat is roughly even in thickness.

9. Step 9:

   

   I also don't recommend cutting the chicken into pieces yet — meat stays much juicier in a whole piece.

10. Step 10:

    

    Rub the chicken all over with the prepared spice mixture and let it marinate for at least 2 hours, or better yet overnight. I don't salt the meat right away, so the juices don't leach out.

11. Step 11:

    

    Now make the white sauce — mix the sour cream and mayonnaise and press in the garlic.

12. Step 12:

    

    Finely chop the herbs — I used a little parsley and dill.

13. Step 13:

    

    Add the herbs to the sauce, and a little salt if you like.

14. Step 14:

    

    Stir — and the white sauce is done!

15. Step 15:

    

    Now make the red sauce — you could use store-bought ketchup, of course, but you'll see how easy it is to make your own.

16. Step 16:

    

    Put the tomato paste in a saucepan and warm it for 1–2 minutes, stirring constantly so it doesn't scorch.

17. Step 17:

    

    Dissolve the starch in 150 ml of water.

18. Step 18:

    

    Add the dissolved starch to the tomato paste, stir, and warm for another 1–2 minutes.

19. Step 19:

    

    Add the sugar.

20. Step 20:

    

    The salt.

21. Step 21:

    

    Add khmeli-suneli (a Georgian spice blend) or other favorite spices to taste; you can also stir in some fresh cilantro.

22. Step 22:

    

    Stir, warm it through — and our delicious sauce is ready! My husband loves all kinds of ketchup, and he said this sauce is even better — which, coming from him, is the highest praise!

23. Step 23:

    

    Set the red sauce aside to cool.

24. Step 24:

    

    Put the spice-marinated chicken into a preheated skillet with vegetable oil.

25. Step 25:

    

    Fry on both sides until golden brown.

26. Step 26:

    

    Now be sure to salt it, since it wasn't salted during marinating.

27. Step 27:

    

    Here's the delicious, appetizing chicken we ended up with.

28. Step 28:

    

    Now slice the vegetables — in a proper shawarma there should be as much veg as meat. Finely shred the cabbage.

29. Step 29:

    

    Salt it and scrunch it a little with your hands to release the juices.

30. Step 30:

    

    Cut the onion (red is best — it's sweeter, but regular yellow onion works too) into thin half-moons.

31. Step 31:

    

    Pour boiling water over it and let it sit about 10–15 minutes to take the bite out.

32. Step 32:

    

    Then add a splash of apple cider vinegar.

33. Step 33:

    

    Add half a teaspoon each of salt and sugar, stir — and the pickled onion is ready.

34. Step 34:

    

    Cut the cucumbers into thin half-moons.

35. Step 35:

    

    Cut the tomatoes the same way as the cucumbers.

36. Step 36:

    

    Cut the chicken into cubes.

37. Step 37:

    

    Now for the best part — assembling the wraps. Spread a sheet of lavash with white sauce.

38. Step 38:

    

    Then the red sauce, swirling the two together.

39. Step 39:

    

    Layer the cabbage on top.

40. Step 40:

    

    Tomatoes.

41. Step 41:

    

    Cucumbers.

42. Step 42:

    

    Pickled onion.

43. Step 43:

    

    Chicken pieces.

44. Step 44:

    

    Add more sauce on top.

45. Step 45:

    

    Fold in the ends of the lavash.

46. Step 46:

    

    Roll it up as tightly as you can — and the wrap is almost ready.

47. Step 47:

    

    All that's left is to toast it in a dry skillet on both sides, about a minute per side.

48. Step 48:

    

    This amount of ingredients made 6 wraps — enough for us and our friends!

49. Step 49:

    

    Enjoy!