In just 20-minutes, enjoy Chicken Shawarma Wraps with charred naan flatbreads, seasoned rotisserie chicken, veggies, and a quick simple sauce.
Chicken Shawarma Wraps
While these are nowhere near authentic, the flavors are reminiscent of Chicken Shawarma and these wraps take less than 30 minutes from start to finish (as opposed to 24 hours-plus with typical chicken shawarma marinating).
This is another quick-and-easy, back-to-school, back-to-routines meal and it’s been a total hit at my home.
There are four main components to this meal: the naan bread (bought at the store), the rotisserie chicken filling, the quick veggie topping (only three ingredients), and the super-simple sauce. Below, I break down all the components and offer time-saving and handy tips for each.
Rotisserie chicken
The meat portion takes mere minutes to whip together, thanks to pre-cooked and deliciously seasoned chicken. We add a few spices and ingredients to jazz it up a bit and give it that chicken shawarma-inspired flavor.
For the fastest possible prep time, I recommend getting rotisserie chicken meat that has already been pulled from the bones and shredded. Or if you’re a seasoned meal prepper, shred an extra chicken ahead of time, so when it comes to making these wraps, you already have shredded meat ready in the fridge.
The Sauce
The sauce on these Chicken Shawarma Wraps is one of our favorites. It’s also quick and easy to whip together. I like making it in advance because it becomes more flavorful as it sits in the fridge, plus it makes actual dinner prep a breeze since the sauce was prepared ahead of time.
- Make sure to use good full-fat, plain Greek yogurt. A full-fat yogurt helps prevent a watery sauce and provides structure to the sauce. We love Greek God’s® plain traditional Greek yogurt best (not sponsored).
- Squeeze liquid out of the cucumber. Cucumber has a high water content and will water down the sauce and make it bland. Wring out excess liquid a few times with paper towels or cheesecloth before adding to the sauce.
- Speaking of cucumbers, stick to an English cucumber or Persian cucumbers. Regular cucumbers are too watery and lack flavor.
- Bottled lemon juice won’t quite cut it here, because the sauce relies on the zest of the lemon. When zesting the lemon, avoid the white pith of the lemon — this is very bitter. Using a microplane (like this one), zest only the very outside yellow part of the lemon.
- Save some prep time by using pre-minced garlic!
Quick Tip
When I say that cucumbers have a high water content, I’m not kidding! Cucumber contains the highest water content (96%) of any vegetable. That’s why it’s so refreshing! Eating cucumber (with the peel) provides fiber and antioxidants.
The Veggies for Chicken Shawarma Wraps
While the chicken is cooking, whip together the veggie “salad” that goes right on top of the chicken. It’s easy– only tomatoes, cucumber, and red onion. You could make this in the morning as well if you’re already whipping up the sauce.
- If you don’t like the bite of raw red onions, soak the sliced onions in some cold water with a pinch of salt. Drain thoroughly and then add to the salad or directly to the chicken shawarma wraps.
- We love cherry tomatoes best, but really, any juicy tomatoes work fine in these wraps.
- Since the sauce calls for English/Persian cucumbers already, that’s what we use in the veggie salad. And since English/Persian cucumbers are so thin, they don’t require too much chopping; we simply cut them in half-moons and they’re ready to go!
Naan Bread
My whole family is obsessed with naan bread so it’s fun to sneak it into different purposes (like using it as a crust for this insanely good Pesto Pizza or as a taco shell in these delectable Ground Beef Naan Tacos).
Our favorite naan bread is Stonefire’s ®mini naan flatbreads (not sponsored). Their mini rounds work well for Chicken Shawarma Wraps. And if you can’t find the mini versions, simply cut a full naan flatbread in half.
Quick Tip
Naan is a traditional bread from the Middle East. It’s similar to pita bread and is a staple in native cultures.
Although these wraps are focused on being fast, one thing that I think is well worth the few extra minutes is charring the naan bread. In fact, it’s a great thing to work on while the sauce for the chicken is simmering.
How to toast naan bread:
- Spray both sides of the naan flatbread with olive oil cooking spray.
- Place the sprayed naan bread on the (gas) stove top over an open flame until slightly charred, about 15-20 seconds per side.
- Using tongs, flip to the other side and char for another 15-20 seconds.
Don’t have a gas stovetop? No problem. How to warm the naan bread in the oven:
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
- Stack the naan in a pile and completely wrap in foil. Heat in the oven until warm, about 5 minutes.
More easy dinner recipes
- BBQ Chicken Sandwich Recipe in 15 minutes!
- Mediterranean Wrap with sun-dried tomatoes and pesto
- Margherita Pizza on naan bread
- Creamy Pesto Pasta with broccoli
- Asian Chicken Tacos with rotisserie chicken
Chicken Shawarma Wraps
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin and paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon EACH: onion powder, garlic powder, oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, pepper and ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
- 1 and 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup hot water
- 3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
Assembly
- 8 mini naan flatbreads (we love Stonefire)
- 1/2 of 1 large red onion diced or thinly sliced
- 2 cups diced English or Persian cucumbers
- 2 cups diced cherry tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley optional
Tzatziki Sauce
- 1/2 cup grated English (or Persian) cucumber
- 1/2 cup full-fat plain Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- 1 large lemon (1/2 teaspoon zest and 1 tablespoon juice)
- 1 and 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- SAUCE: prepare the sauce first so it can chill before serving. Grate a cucumber with the large holes of a cheese grater. Line a small bowl with a few paper towels (or clean kitchen towel) and place the grated cucumber on top. Squeeze out as much extra moisture as you can from the cucumber (to keep the sauce from being watery). Once it's drained, add to a medium-sized bowl. Stir in the rest of the sauce ingredients as well as salt and pepper to taste (I add 1/4 teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper). Cover the bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- CHICKEN SEASONINGS: Place all the chicken seasonings in a small bowl and stir together.
- CHICKEN: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add in the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds to a minute. Add in all of the chicken seasonings and stir for 1 minute. Reduce the heat as needed, to avoid burning as the spices get fragrant. Mix in the tomato paste and 1 cup hot water. Stir until combined and smooth. Bring to a boil, reduce to a rapid simmer, and cook for 2-4 minutes or until slightly thickened/reduced. Add the shredded chicken and toss to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings to preference, adding additional salt if needed. Season with lemon juice (we add 2 tablespoons). Remove from the heat.
- VEGGIES: In a large bowl, toss the diced or thinly sliced red onion, sliced cucumber, and diced tomatoes. Add fresh parsley if desired. Season with salt and pepper (just a pinch) and toss to combine.
- NAAN: Lightly spray both sides of the naan with cooking spray. "Grill" naan on the stove top over the open flame until slightly charred, about 10-20 seconds per side (See Note 1). Set aside.
- ASSEMBLY: Add charred naan bread to plates. Top with seasoned chicken, veggies, then lots of sauce. Enjoy immediately.
Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Prep time is longer than indicated but very tasty.
So thrilled you enjoyed this! Thanks for your comment!
hi. what is chicken bouillon powder. If I am unable to obtain this what can i use instead? I am in South Africa.
It may be called a stock powder? (Knorr Granulated Chicken Bouillon)
I’m confused by “two teaspoons cumin and paprika” followed by “1/2 tsp EACH.” So does that mean one tsp each or two tsp each?
Hmm I wonder if formatting is off on the device you’re looking at? It is 2 teaspoons cumin and paprika and then next line reads: 1/2 teaspoon EACH: onion powder, garlic powder, oregano.
Hopefully that helps!
I’m also confused by this and it isn’t a formatting issue. We are wondering – is it 1 teaspoon each of cumin & paprika or 2 teaspoons each of cumin & paprika. Because you use the word “EACH” on the next line for the onion/garlic powder and oregano, it leads one to wonder whether the “2 teaspoons cumin & paprika” is to be understood differently…
Sorry you are right! It’s 2 tsp EACH on both! I’ll fix it! Thank you!