Slow Cooker Chicken Shawarma with yogurt sauce

Slow cooker chicken shawarma is a Mediterranean-style recipe made with a smoky, spicy, lemon and garlic yogurt marinade and slow-cooked juicy chicken served with a tangy cucumber yogurt sauce. Enjoy it over rice or wrapped in a homemade pita topped with pickled turnips, olives, and more!

Slow cooker chicken shawarma is an easy way to cook chicken shawarma without roasting meat on a vertical spit. I don’t know about you, but I don’t have one of those spits at home, so if I can get the same amazing flavors by marinating then basically setting and forgetting, I’m going to go that route. And I think you’ll agree!

Crockpot chicken shawarma is made with juicy chicken thighs marinated in smoky, spicy, garlic and lemon yogurt marinade for a few hours and then slow cooked until all of those flavors marry and penetrate right into the chicken.

For a bit of that charred finish, sometimes I will broil it for a few minutes in the oven. It’s so good!

We love to serve it over rice and spoon the yogurt sauce on top, or warm up some fresh pita bread and use it as a wrap, and add toppings like the yogurt sauce, Mediterranean hummus, pickled turnips, etc. It’s similar to what you’d get at a shawarma restaurant, but made exactly the way you like it!

Ingredients

• Greek yogurt – Plain Greek yogurt is what I use for both the marinade and the yogurt sauce. For the marinade, you can use whole milk or nonfat milk instead.
• Lemon juice – The acid in lemon juice (and yogurt) helps to tenderize the meat and give it bright flavors. It’s used in the yogurt sauce as well to give it a zesty flavor.
• Minced garlic – A delicious aromatic flavor used in both as well. Mincing it for the sauce means you won’t be biting into small chunks of garlic.
• Seasoning – Smoked paprika, cumin, black pepper, salt, 7 spice and red pepper flakes. If you can’t find 7 spice, substitute 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon.
• Chicken thighs – Boneless skinless chicken thighs are my preference. You can use chicken breasts, but they are more likely to dry out.
• Onion – Placed on the bottom of the crockpot, they act as a bed for the chicken to lay. As it cooks it also delivers plenty of flavor.
• Grated cucumber – For the sauce. It gives it texture and a refreshing element.
• Rice or pita – For serving
• Optional toppings – Arabic pickles, pickled turnips, hummus, olives, tomatoes, red onions, lettuce, tzatziki, etc.

How to make Slow Cooker Chicken Shawarma

1. Step One: To a medium bowl, mix the marinade ingredients until combined. Pour it over chicken placed in a zip top bag. Seal it and massage the marinade onto the chicken so all pieces are fully coated. Place in the fridge for at least 4 hours to marinate. You can keep it there overnight if you’re planning ahead for tomorrow night’s dinner!

2. Step Two: Add the sliced onion to the bottom of the crockpot. Place the pieces of marinated chicken thighs on top of the bed of onions. Cover with a lid and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or HIGH for 3-4 hours.

3. Step Three: Once the chicken is cooked, transfer it to a cutting board and slice into strips. Put them back into the sauce to serve.

4. Step Four: Combine the yogurt sauce ingredients in a small mixing bowl and serve with the chicken. This can be done ahead of time and kept in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.

5. Step Five: Serve as a bowl over yellow rice, cilantro lime rice, or on a pita bread. Top with a dollop of the yogurt sauce and all the toppings you want!

Storage & Reheating

How to store leftovers

Keep leftovers stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge.

Freezing Instructions

Leftovers can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before reheating.

Reheating Instructions

The quickest and easiest way to reheat slow cooker shawarma chicken is in the microwave. You can also place everything back in the crockpot to heat through, if you’ve got the extra time.

5 from 3 votes

Slow Cooker Chicken Shawarma Recipe with Yogurt Sauce

Created by Melissa Williams

Servings: 6 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 4 hours hrs

Marinating Time 4 hours hrs

Total Time: 8 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

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This slow cooker chicken shawarma is full of bold Mediterranean flavor! Juicy, spiced chicken is slow-cooked to perfection and served with a cool cucumber yogurt sauce. Great over rice or in pita wraps.

Video

Equipment

• Slow Cooker

Ingredients

 

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For the Chicken Shawarma

• ▢ ⅓ cup Greek yogurt
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• ▢ 2 teaspoons cumin
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons black pepper
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon 7 spice
• ▢ ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ▢ 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
• ▢ 1 medium onion sliced into rounds

For the Yogurt Sauce

• ▢ 1 cup Greek yogurt
• ▢ 1 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons grated cucumber
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• ▢ 1 teaspoon cumin
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ▢ yellow rice, pita bread, Arabic pickles, pickled turnips, hummus, olives, tomatoes, red onion, lettuce, etc. optional toppings

Instructions

To make the Chicken Shawarma

• To a medium mixing bowl, stir together the Greek yogurt, lemon juice, minced garlic, and seasonings.
  ⅓ cup Greek yogurt, 2 Tablespoons lemon juice, 3 cloves garlic, 2 teaspoons smoked paprika, 2 teaspoons cumin, 1 ½ teaspoons black pepper, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon 7 spice, ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Add the chicken thighs to a large zip top bag pour the yogurt mixture on top. Seal the bag and massage the marinade into the chicken so it is fully coated. Move to the fridge for at least 4 hours, up to overnight.
  2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
• Once marinated, add the sliced onion to the bottom of a 6 quart slow cooker and pour the chicken on top.
  1 medium onion
• Cover and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or HIGH for 3-4 hours.
• Once the chicken is fully cooked, remove from the crockpot, slice into strips, and place back in the sauce for serving.

To make the Yogurt Sauce

• To a small mixing bowl, whisk together the plain Greek yogurt, minced garlic, grated cucumber, lemon juice, and seasonings.
  1 cup Greek yogurt, 1 cloves garlic, 2 Tablespoons grated cucumber, 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon cumin, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Serve as a bowl over yellow rice with toppings or lay out a slice of pita bread, spread some yogurt sauce down the middle then pile in some sliced chicken. Top with sliced tomatoes, Arabic pickles, lettuce, etc.
  yellow rice, pita bread, Arabic pickles, pickled turnips, hummus, olives, tomatoes, red onion, lettuce, etc.

Notes

• If you can’t find 7 spice, you can sub 1/2 tsp turmeric + 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.
• I use plain Greek yogurt, whole milk or nonfat will work.
• Chicken breasts will also work but are more likely to dry out.
• Serve as a chicken shawarma bowl or pita.
• Toppings we like include: Arabic pickles, pickled turnips, tomatoes, lettuce, red onion, hummus, olives, etc.
• Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3 days.

Every slow cooker runs differently. Times given are a general recommendation and should be tested in your own slow cooker and adjusted as needed.

⭐️ Final Step! Please let me know how you liked this recipe by leaving a review and rating below. Your feedback supports my small business and allows me to continue providing free, high quality recipes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 228kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 146mg | Sodium: 647mg | Potassium: 534mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 547IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 87mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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