Chicken Shawarma

also called chicken shawarma · shawarma djaj · shish shawarma · shwarma · shawerma · chawarma · chicken doner · chicken döner · chicken gyro · shaved chicken

The table

3 lb(1.4 kg; skin on, opened out flat)boneless chicken thighscoat every piece, marinate 12 hrstack and press into the tinroast 325°F 1 1/4 hr, then 450°F 15 minrest 20 min, shave off the blockcrisp in the pan 2 min
3 Tbs(one batch)shawarma spice
1/2 cup(120 g)whole-milk yogurt
1/4 cup(60 mL)lemon juice
6 cloves(crushed)garlic
3 Tbs(45 mL)olive oil
2 tspkosher salt
2 oz(60 g; or two extra skins)lamb fat
1 large(in thick slices)yellow onion
1 Tbs(from the tin)rendered fat
Tap anything to cross it off.

What to lay out

Everything the recipe asks for, sitting under the step that eats it. Tick each one as you measure it.13 things to get out.

Pans and tools

1coat every piece, marinate 12 hr

2stack and press into the tin

goes in with what step 1 made

5crisp in the pan 2 min

goes in with what step 4 made

Cooking it

Tap a step when it is done; the next one lights up.

The clock

Start to finish
at least 13 hr 52 mintwo waits that overlap count once
Needs you
2 minof the steps that give a time

One of the 5 steps never says how long it takes, so both numbers are floors. The recipe itself says 14 hr.

  1. coat every piece, marinate 12 hr

    12 hrwalk awayfrom the start

  2. stack and press into the tin

    not timed12 hr in

  3. roast 325°F 1 1/4 hr, then 450°F 15 min

    1 hr 30 minwalk away12 hr in

  4. rest 20 min, shave off the block

    20 minwalk away13 hr 30 min in

  5. crisp in the pan 2 min

    2 minneeds you13 hr 50 min in

Drawn to scale, so a long wait really does take up the room it takes. The shortest stretches keep a sliver so they stay visible; their times are printed beside them.

You'll need loaf tin · oven · skillet

Goes with

See how it is written
>> title: Chicken Shawarma
>> category: Smoked & Grilled
>> tags: chicken, middle eastern, oven, shawarma spice, yogurt marinade
>> counters: Shawarma Counter
>> aka: chicken shawarma, shawarma djaj, shish shawarma, shwarma, shawerma, chawarma, chicken doner, chicken döner, chicken gyro, shaved chicken
>> pairs-with: shawarma-spice, white-sauce, pita-bread, toum
>> servings: 6
>> time: 14 hr
>> step.1: coat every piece, marinate 12 hr
>> step.2: stack and press into the tin
>> step.3: roast 325°F 1 1/4 hr, then 450°F 15 min
>> step.4: rest 20 min, shave off the block
>> step.5: crisp in the pan 2 min

Coat @boneless chicken thighs{3%lb}(1.4 kg; skin on, opened out flat) piece by piece with @shawarma spice{3%Tbs}(one batch), @whole-milk yogurt{1/2%cup}(120 g), @lemon juice{1/4%cup}(60 mL), @garlic{6%cloves}(crushed), @olive oil{3%Tbs}(45 mL) and @kosher salt{2%tsp}, then cover and ~marinate{12%hr} in the fridge. Thighs and not breast: the stack cooks for well over an hour and breast is dry long before the outside browns.

Stack @&(~1)marinated chicken{} flat in a #loaf tin{}, pressing each piece hard onto the last so there is no air between them, and cap it with @lamb fat{2%oz}(60 g; or two extra skins) and @yellow onion{1%large}(in thick slices). A real spit is never finished — the outside is shaved while the middle is still raw and the stack outlasts the day — so a tin that goes into an oven and comes out again is a different dish wearing the same marinade. This is that dish, and pressing the air out is what lets it be shaved rather than pulled apart.

Roast @&(~1)stack{} in the #oven{} at 325°F (160°C) ~roast{1 1/4%hr}, until a skewer meets no resistance in the middle, then take the heat to 450°F (230°C) for ~roast{15%min} to blacken the crown.

Rest @&(~1)roasted stack{} ~rest{20%min}, turn it out of the tin, and shave it down the sides in thin sheets with a long knife, the way it comes off the cone.

Crisp @&(~1)shavings{} in a very hot #skillet{} in @rendered fat{1%Tbs}(from the tin) ~sear{2%min}, tossing once, until the edges catch and go brittle. That last minute is doing the work the outside of the cone does all day, and skipping it gives you roast chicken.