Say goodbye to dry rubbery, and boring chicken breast! This easy oven-baked shawarma chicken breast is perfectly seasoned and as easy as it comes. In 30 minutes you'll have the perfectly juicy flavourful chicken breast. They're the perfect easy weeknight dinner & they’re great for meal prep.
These oven-baked shawarma chicken breasts are delicious, flavourful feel-good food, & they’re so easy to throw together on even the busiest weeknights.
The secret to this recipe is my Shawarma Spice Blend. However, you can also purchase a shawarma spice blend at a well-stocked bulk store. This spice blend will give your chicken that crave-worthy a classic middle eastern vibe without having to place the meat on a vertical spit.
Plus your shawarma dinner will be ready in 30 minutes, that's way quicker than take-out. For an easy 30-minute meal just whip together a fattoush salad, pair it with some hummus & serve with some pita bread. You'll have a delicious shawarma-styled meal in no time.
Recipe highlights
These Shawarma Flavoured Chicken Breast are…
- MEGA-FLAVORFUL!⏤The shawarma spice blend is SO Delicious and bursting with traditional Middle Eastern flavours! All you have to do is rub on this warming spice blend to infuse your chicken, you'll wonder why you didn't try this before.
- SERIOUSLY EASY⏤Aside from prepping a shawarma spice & whatever sides you’re craving, these chicken breasts are mostly an assembly job. Plus, they’re super meal prep friendly!
- TOTALLY VERSATILE⏤Basically pair this chicken with whatever your happy little heart desires! It's so perfect for stuffing in sandwiches, topping onto salads, or serving with your favourite grain.
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST CHICKEN BREAST!
The #1 Rule with making the best chicken is to NEVER under-season chicken. Chicken is a blank canvas screaming to be doused, smeared, and infused with flavour.
- Select chicken breasts that are all about the same size.
- Bring the chicken to room temperature. This ensures even cooking, which will result in the perfect chicken.
- Make a quick brine! Place the chicken breast into a large bowl with 2 tablespoons of kosher salt, then cover the chicken with cold water and let sit for 15 minutes. Drain and pat the chicken dry. (This step is optional.)
- Season your chicken! A simple spice blend like my Shawarma spice makes the chicken super delicious. Don’t want this flavour blend? Swap in a different spice blend, or other herbs.
- A little bit of fat goes a long way! A light drizzle of olive oil gently coats the chicken to helps the seasoning stick and keeps your chicken nice & moist.
HOW LONG SHOULD YOU BAKE CHICKEN BREASTS?
The key to the perfectly juicy chicken breasts is to cook them at 425F for the right amount of time. This is a general guideline you can follow:
- Small Breasts (5oz): cook for 18-20 minutes.
- Medium Breasts (7oz): cook for 20-22 minutes.
- Large Breasts (9oz): cook for 22-25 minutes.
The timing always depends on the size of your chicken breasts and your oven (all ovens cook differently).
HOW TO KNOW YOUR CHICKEN BREAST IS DONE?
Chicken is fully cooked and safe to eat at 165F. But if you cook your chicken breasts to 165F in the oven, they’ll increase in temperature to about 170F once rested. This results in a dry, rubbery chicken, devoid of moisture. And nobody wants that!
So what you need to do, is. Take the chicken breasts out of the oven once they reach an internal temperature of 160F. Then, lightly cover with foil & let them rest for a couple of minutes.
The chicken will naturally reach the perfect 165F temperature, thanks to the residual heat in the baking dish. And you will have succulent, juicy chicken breasts to enjoy.
Delicious Side dish for Your Oven Baked Shawarma Chicken
- Mediterranean Tomato Salad
- Mediterranean Chickpea salad
- Oven-Roasted Cauliflower
- Roasted Beets & Labneh
- Instant pot Lebanese Vermicelli rice
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Baked Shawarma Chicken Breast
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breast, boneless, skinless
- 1 lemon, juiced
- ¼ cup vinegar
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoon shawarma spice
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425º. Once the oven is warmed up, place the breast into a baking dish and squeeze some lemon on top.
- Season the chicken: In a small bowl, add all of the spices, tomato paste, olive oil, vinegar, & lemon juice⏤mix into a paste. Rub the paste all over the chicken. make sure to coat both sides.
- Bake the chicken: Place the baking dish into the oven for 18-25 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 160°F
- Finished baking: Remove the chicken from the oven and loosely cover the baking dish for 5-10 minutes, so the chicken can continue cooking in its residual heat, and the juices in the meat can redistribute.
Natalia
I love chicken recipes a lot and this sounds like one I would really like trying. I will be trying it in the next few days. Thanks for sharing!
Teodora Grujic
Everyone in the family loves this! Thanks for sharing!