Lebanese Chicken Shawarma with Tahini Sauce

I decided to be a little bold today and take on a Lebanese dish called Chicken Shawarma. It is a very tasty middles eastern sandwich served at most Lebanese restaurants. I tracked down a couple of recipes and added my own little spin to them for the final product. As with all of the recipes posted here, all of the ingredients are all low glycemic load foods. This recipe will probably take you a little leg work as chances are you wont have all of the spices in your cupboard.

Chicken Shawarma:

4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
1/2 Cup Malt Vinegar
1/4 Cup Plain Greek Yogurt
1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil
1 Teaspoon Lebanese 7 spice (Found in Arabic food markets or you can make your own)
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cardamom
Salt & Pepper to taste

Lebanese 7 spice:
Equal parts of the following spices: Ground Allspice, Ground Black Pepper, Ground Cinnamon, Ground Cloves, Ground Nutmeg, Ground Fenugreek and Ground Ginger

In a corning ware or glass baking dish, mix together the vinegar, yogurt, vegetable oil, 7 spice, cardamom, salt and pepper. Place the chicken breasts into the mixtureand turn once to ensure coating. Cover dish and marinate for a minimum of 5 hours or overnight.

After marinating the chicken cover the baking dish with foil and place in an oven preheated to 350 degrees. Cook the chicken for 20 minutes and then turn the chicken. Cook Covered for an additional 20 minutes and then remove covering. Uncover and finish baking for 10 minutes.

Remove chicken from the dish and slice into thin strips. Serve sliced chicken with tomato, onion and lettuce with all wheat 6 or 8 inch wraps. Top wrap with juice from marinade and Tahini Sauce.


Tahini Sauce:

1/4 Cup Tahini (Sesame Paste)
1/2 Cup Plain Greek Yogurt
1/2 Teaspoon Minced Garlic
2 Tablespoons Raw Lemon Juice
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Fresh Chopped Parsley
Salt & Pepper to taste

In a small mixing bowl combine together the Tahini, Yogurt, Garlic, Lemon Juice, Olive Oil, and Parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate.


I made this for the first time this evening and I was totally amazed by how moist and juicy the chicken breast were. I had only been able to marinate the chicken for about 5 hours so it was not quite as flavorful as if it had marinated overnight. The Thaini Sauce isn't something that can stand on it's own, but when combined with the chicken, lettuce, tomato, onion and wrap it blended in amazingly. Enjoy this hearty and healthy dish as a brwak for the monotony that a meal plan can bring.