Some recipes are good for scaling and others are not. This Sous Vide Chicken Shawarma is one of those beauties that can work if you’re cooking for 4 people or 50 people. (Yep, I’ve done that version.) This tender chicken flavored with a perfect blend of spices, offers a flavor-packed dish that lends itself to varied serving options. You can plate it over cauliflower rice (or regular rice); serve it on pita with some lettuce, red onion, tomato, and tzatziki sauce; or use it as the protein in a buffet setup. With just a bit of up front prep, this recipe is largely set-and-forget until it’s time for your mouth watering meal.
One of the many things I love about sous vide cooking is the assurance that whatever I’m making gets to the temperature I want without me having to obsessively check it. While I do provide alternative cooking instructions for using the oven in the Recipe Notes, I really have to advocate for the sous vide method. The process I outline below is intended to minimize your mess and cleanup time. I don’t know about you, but I do not love cleanup time, so anything that reduces it gets bonus points from me.
Inspired by: Oven-Roasted Chicken Shawarma from New York Times Cooking
What You Need to Make Sous Vide Chicken Shawarma
Equipment
- Sous Vide Cooker
- Sous Vide Container
- Vacuum Sealer
- Vacuum Sealer Bags
- Cutting Board
- Chef’s Knife
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Mixing Bowl
- Rimmed Baking Sheet
- Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil
- Paper Towels
- Large Bowl
- Gravy Separator – Optional
- Scissors – Optional
Ingredients
- Chicken Thighs – boneless, skinless
- Minced Garlic – You can either buy pre-minced or mince your own. I buy pre-minced in bulk.
- Ground Cumin
- Paprika
- Kosher Salt
- Ground Black Pepper
- Turmeric – My cautionary note: I recommend wearing disposable gloves and an apron when working with turmeric. It’s like working with beets; it will stain.
- Ground Cinnamon
- Chipotle Powder
- Red Onion – Optional for serving. You can either just add a few thin raw slices or you could give it a quick spin with some avocado oil and then stick it under the broiler for some nice crispy edges.
- Feta – Not required, but I like it as a topper for serving
Getting Started with Making Sous Vide Chicken Shawarma
This may look like a lot of steps, but that’s only because I’m being super explicit. The TL;DR (too long; didn’t read) version is:
- Make the spice rub and rub it on chicken thighs.
- Vacuum seal the now seasoned chicken thighs with minced garlic in bags.
- Sous vide the bags at 160°F for 2 hours.
- Remove, slice, and serve the chicken.
NOTE: See the Recipe Notes at the bottom if you would like alternative cooking instructions for the oven instead of the sous vide.
For the more detailed version . . .
Sous Vide and Bag Prep
Before you start on the chicken, I suggest turning on the sous vide and setting the temperature to 160°F to allow it to come up to temperature while you do the rest.
I also like to get my bags made and ready, but this could also wait until you’re done rubbing the chicken. For the bags, I suggest creating 2 bags approximately 17 inches long. You should turn back the top edges by at least 3 inches. This is meant to ensure that you don’t get any liquid or spice rub in the way of the part of the bag that needs to be sealed. Once made, you can set them aside until you need them.
Making the Spice Rub Blend
Now, we’ll make the spice rub by combining 2 tablespoons of Ground Cumin, 2 tablespoons of Paprika, 1 tablespoon of Kosher Salt, 1 tablespoon of Ground Black Pepper, ½ tablespoon of Turmeric, ½ teaspoon of Ground Cinnamon, and ½ teaspoon of Chipotle Powder. Once everything is well mixed, you can set it aside.
Preparing the Chicken
We’ll start preparing the chicken by patting it dry. My method for doing this is to line a large rimmed baking sheet with heavy duty aluminum foil and then a layer of paper towels. I lay the chicken thighs out flat on the paper towels and pat them dry with more paper towels in hand. Since the drier the better, I make sure to blot in all the nooks and crannies.
Once done, you can dispose of the paper towels and leave the chicken on the lined baking sheet. I sprinkle some of the rub on top of each piece of chicken, rub it in, then turn the pieces over, and repeat the process on the other side. You should go ahead and use all of the rub on the chicken.
Sous Viding the Chicken Shawarma
Next, we just need to place the chicken into the bags with the minced garlic. You’ll want to lay the chicken thighs flat in the bag, not just toss them in. The idea is to maximize the surface area of the chicken. Once the chicken is settled, you can toss 1 tablespoon of minced Garlic into each bag. If you wind up with more than 2 bags, I would still put approximately a tablespoon in each.
Now we can seal up the bags and place them into the 160°F water bath. Allow them to cook in there for 2 hours. You have some leeway in this. I like using this time and temperature guide on Serious Eats to understand what the texture of the chicken will be like. For this recipe, I call for 2 hours at 160°F. However, feel free to adapt to your preferences.
Finishing the Chicken
Once done, you’ll remove the chicken from the water bath. I like to hang onto the juice for serving, particularly if I’m serving buffet style in either a chafing dish or casserole crockpot. To minimize your mess, I suggest cutting a small corner off of each bag and draining the juice into a gravy separator.
You’ll move the chicken to a cutting board and slice it into small strips (about ¾-inch wide).
I like to serve this Sous Vide Chicken Shawarma with cauliflower rice, keto pitas, or low-carb wraps. Slicing up a red onion can add a nice textural and flavor contrast. You may want to sprinkle some Feta cheese on top.
Related Recipes
If you’re interested in some other easy sous vide ideas, you should take a look at these recipes:
- Savory Spiced Beef Roast
- Easy Herb-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin
- Sous Vide Corned Beef
- Sausage and Shirataki Noodles
Or perhaps you’re looking for other easy chicken dishes? Check these ones out:
- Sautéed Chicken and Zucchini Skillet
- Caprese Chicken Spinach Skillet
- Caprese Chicken Skewers
- Keto BBQ Rubbed Chicken Thighs
- Chicken Parmesan Casserole
Sous Vide Chicken Shawarma
Ingredients
- 5 pounds Chicken Thighs boneless, skinless
- 2 tablespoons Ground Cumin
- 2 tablespoons Paprika
- 1 tablespoon Kosher Salt
- 1 tablespoon Ground Black Pepper
- ½ tablespoon Turmeric
- ½ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Chipotle Powder
- 2 tablespoons Garlic Minced. 1 tablespoon per sous vide bag, if more than 2 bags, add a tablespoon for each additional bag
- 1 Red Onion Optional for serving
- Feta Optional for serving
Instructions
- Fill the sous vide container with water. Set the Sous Vide to 160°F and allow it to come up to temperature.
- Prepare 2 vacuum seal bags, each 17-inches long. Gently fold back the top edges by at least 3 inches.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and a double layer of paper towels. Pat dry 5 pounds Chicken Thighs with paper towels and set on the lined baking sheets while preparing the next steps.5 pounds Chicken Thighs
- In a medium bowl, combine 2 tablespoons Ground Cumin, 2 tablespoons Paprika, 1 tablespoon Kosher Salt, 1 tablespoon Ground Black Pepper, ½ tablespoon Turmeric, ½ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon, and ½ teaspoon Chipotle Powder. Whisk to combine.2 tablespoons Ground Cumin, 2 tablespoons Paprika, 1 tablespoon Kosher Salt, 1 tablespoon Ground Black Pepper, ½ tablespoon Turmeric, ½ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon, ½ teaspoon Chipotle Powder
- Massage the spice rub into the dried Chicken Thighs.
- Divide the chicken thighs and 2 tablespoons Garlic (minced) between the prepared vacuum seal bags. Place the chicken flat in the bags.2 tablespoons Garlic
- With clean and dry hands, fold up the edges of the bags, vacuum seal them, and place them into the sous vide water bath.
- Allow them to cook in the water bath for 2 hours.
- Remove the bagged chicken from the water bath. Once it is cool enough to handle, cut a corner off of each bag and pour the juice into a large bowl
- Once drained, cut open the bags and remove the chicken to a cutting board.
- Slice the chicken into strips approximately ½ – inch wide. Move them to a serving dish.
- Using a gravy separator, remove the fat from the juice. Distribute the remaining juice into the serving dish for the chicken.
- Optionally, cut the ends off of 1 Red Onion and then cut it into 16ths. Break apart the petals and either use as topping or place in a separate serving bowl for self-service. Sprinkle with Feta if desired.1 Red Onion, Feta
Equipment
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Mixing Bowl
- Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil
- Paper Towels
- Gravy Separator Optional
- Scissors Optional
Notes
- Alternative Cooking Method – Oven
- You can also cook this chicken in the oven. However, that will require some changes in the preparation (described below).
- To the spice mixture add:
- 1.25 cups Lemon Juice
- 1.5 cups Olive Oil
- 3 tablespoons Minced Garlic (instead of the 2 tablespoons in the bags)
- Marinate the chicken in that mixture for anywhere between 1 – 12 hours.
- Place the chicken on a well greased baking sheet and roast at 425°F for approximately 30 – 40 minutes or until they reach an internal temperature of 165°F in the thickest part. Use a thermometer.
- Remove from the oven, allow to rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing them.
- To the spice mixture add:
- You can also cook this chicken in the oven. However, that will require some changes in the preparation (described below).
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