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Street food inspired Roasted Turmeric Chicken Pitas with Garlic Lemon Tahini. Homemade, Middle Eastern inspired chicken stuffed inside fresh pitas with all the “extras”. Delicious garlic lemon tahini sauce, spicy harissa, and all of the desired toppings you love. This loaded pita is SO GOOD and makes for a fun, delicious, and different weeknight dinner. Serve each pita with homemade fries for a meal that everyone will truly love.
Guys, I figured out how to make Wednesdays more fun. Mid weekdays can drag on and on, but I love having a dinner like these pitas planned. They feel fresh, different, and exciting, right?
As with a lot of my recipes these days, this was yet another request from my brother, Creighton. When he’s back home In Cleveland, he loves to get chicken or lamb shawarma from his favorite middle eastern spots in town. Sometimes he’ll get a Shawarma bowl, but his favorite is the Shawarma wrap. So when I asked him for some recipe suggestions the other day, this was at the top of his list.
Never one to turn down a street food inspired recipe, I jumped on the opportunity to try to create my own simpler version using ingredients that people might just have on hand. And here we are!
I have to say, I’m pretty excited. Not only is this simple to put together, but it’s just one of those recipes that’s really good. Hoping it’s going to be on repeat for many of you!
The Inspiration.
Shawarma is one of the most popular middle eastern street foods you’ll come across. As well as one of the most well-loved…especially by my oldest brother. Traditionally, Shawarma is made with roasted meat cut into thin slices. Originally lamb was used, but it’s now often made with chicken, beef, or pork. The meat is seasoned with spices, marinated, and then roasted vertically, rotisserie-style. It’s usually served inside a pita, or on a plate with hummus.
The thing that’s so incredible about shawarma is that when it’s served up in a pita, it’s also served with multiple toppings and sauces. It’s a little “build your own” in that way. Simply pick and choose what you want your pita stuffed with. After some reading, it seems that everyone has different preferences…just order (or make) them to your liking.
Usually, there are shredded lettuce, tomatoes, pickled red onions, creamy tahini and or white sauce, and multiple hot sauces…either red or green zhug and harissa. I also read about a mango sauce called Amba, in Eden Grinshpan’s Eating Out Loud, which sounds truly like an incredible addition. Apparently, you can now buy it at Trader Joe’s? Has anyone seen it?
Anyway, you can really do up a street-style pita. I think that’s why I loved creating my take on a street-style pita so much. It’s just fun, delicious food.
Here are the details.
It seems everyone has their own seasoning blend when it comes to Shawarma and each is slightly different. This is just my take. I love to use a good amount of paprika, and lots of cumin. Then some cardamon, turmeric, and a tiny pinch of cinnamon.
This mix gets tossed with the chicken and a splash of lemon juice. Then let the chicken sit for a bit to really soak up the wonderful spices.
While the chicken is resting, I usually make up a batch of fries to serve alongside.
Traditionally shawarma meat is roasted vertically, like you would a rotisserie chicken. But since my variation is being made at home, I roasted mine in the oven until it got a slight char. ‘Tis delicious. Again, this is not traditional, just a little bit easier.
Now onto the toppings or “stuff-ins”.
You know what really makes a good stuffed pita…all of the sauces. Of course.
As with shawarma, you can pick and choose your toppings/sauces. I used a bit of spicy harissa and then a garlic lemon tahini sauce. The tahini is just a simple mix of tahini, lemon, and garlic. I add a squeeze of dijon mustard for flavor and creaminess, but that’s just my variation.
We all LOVE this sauce.
Then just stuff the chicken inside a warmed pita or naan and add every last topping. SO DELICIOUS.
These Roasted Turmeric Chicken Pitas are so good, so full of flavor, and layered with texture. Not to mention, they’re just a fun way to switch up your average weeknight dinner.
Also, the leftovers? They’re really delicious the next day when piled onto a salad or served up with leftover fries and hummus. Great if you want to double the recipe and have some prepped for the week ahead!
The perfect any night of the week pita dinner!
Looking for other easy dinners? Here are some favorites:
Easy Greek Sheet Pan Chicken and Potatoes
30 Minute Spicy Indian Butter Chicken
Roasted Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki and Feta Fries
Lastly, if you make these Roasted Turmeric Chicken Pitas with Garlic Lemon Tahini be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Roasted Turmeric Chicken Pitas with Garlic Lemon Tahini
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 799 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless, chicken breasts (or thighs) cut into bite-size pieces
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons smoked or sweet paprika
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- juice from half a lemon
- 4 garlic cloves finely, chopped or grated
- kosher salt black pepper
- 4 fresh naan or pitas, warmed
- pickled red onion, lettuce, cucumbers, and parsley, for serving
Garlicky Lemon Tahini
- 1/2 cup tahini
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon honey
Instructions
- 1. In a bowl, combine the olive oil, chicken, paprika, cumin, cardamom, turmeric, cinnamon, cayenne, lemon, garlic, and a large pinch each of salt and pepper. Let marinate for 15 minutes at room temperature or up to overnight in the refrigerator.2. Preheat the oven to 425° F. Arrange the chicken on a baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes, toss and bake another 5-10 minutes, or until cooked through. Switch the oven to broil. Broil 1-2 minutes, until the chicken chars on the edge. *Watch closely!3. Meanwhile, make the tahini. Combine all ingredients and 1/4 cup water in a blender and blend until smooth. If needed, add water to thin the sauce as desired. Season to taste with salt.4. To assemble, stuff/spread each pita with tahini, then lettuce, and cucumber. Add the chicken, red onion, avocado, and parsley. Drizzle over more tahini and harissa (recipe in notes).
Notes
Spiced Harissa Sauce: combine 1/3 cup harissa, 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/4 teaspoon turmeric, and a pinch of salt
Is there a way to cook the chicken in an instant pot?
Hey Brooke,
You certainly could, but for this recipe I prefer the oven to get a nice crisp on the chicken. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Loved this recipe! We really like trying simple things in new and tasty ways and this hit the spot. Also made a double batch for lunches and was perfect! Simple, delicious, different. I love how all of your recipes give a delicious new spin to favorites, all about it!
Hey Nichole,
Happy Friday!! I am so excited that this recipe was enjoyed, I appreciate you giving it a try!! xTieghan
I absolutely loved the flavor of the chicken, although I think I overcooked it a bit. I had such a hard time finding harissa sauce and the one I did find was not very good. I liked the tahini sauce but kept thinking it was too tahini heavy. Maybe next time I will use a little less or balance out with some Greek yogurt. Overall it was tasty and different than anything I’ve really made before.
Hey Kaitlin,
Awesome! I am so glad this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xTieghan
I love so many of your recipes and this is one of my new favorites! The tahini sauce is outrageous and I have been putting it on absolutely everything. The chicken was so tasty, it was hard not to eat it all before it was time to put everything together. Thanks for sharing such a great recipe, I can’t wait to make it again but with homemade pita instead of store bought!
Hey Val,
Awesome! I am so glad this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xTieghan
So tasty! I love how flavorful & moist the chicken is! Whenever I make chicken it usually ends up dry & rubbery…lol! Not this time! Thanks for the help!
Hey Tanya,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
This is so good! Both sauces are amazing and super flavorful and really bring the dish together. Love how simple and quick it is to make too!
Hey Alexis,
So great to hear! Love that this recipe was enjoyed and thanks so much for making it! Have a great week? xTieghan
Made these last night with home made pitas. SO good!! These will be part of the regular rotation around here ❤️
Hey Suzanne,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! Happy Easter ?Tieghan
Made these tonight, and OMG they were absolutely AMAZING! This recipe is a new staple in our weekly dinners!
Hey Megan,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it!! xTieghan
Oh mama was this good! Used thighs, and made it just as written except somehow I don’t have cardamom. Made some quick-pickled red onions and used spinach & chopped cucumber as our salad. Whole Foods has a harissa mayo that I used. And that tahini sauce is DIVINE. Can’t wait to make this as a casual dinner for friends. I will probably have to triple the recipe because my husband and I devoured all of this. Thank you for sharing!
Hey Bethany,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad that it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xTieghan
Making for family on Tuesday. Cant wait!! What is in the bottom of your sheet pan? Can I use parchment paper?
Hey Kim,
I do not line my baking sheets with anything, but you can if you like to. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi there! When buying Harissa, do you buy paste, the spice or a jar of the sauce prepare. I’ve never tried it so I’m not sure how to follow the recipe in the notes. Thanks! 🙂
Hey Megan,
I like to buy Harissa paste. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This is amazing! I made it for my family dinner which they loved and then ate it everyday myself for lunch! Looking up the recipe to make it for lunch again this week! Yum!
Hey Susan,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! ☘️ xTieghan
Ok Writing down the ingredients to make this right now. Looks yummy. My question is I am from Cleveland and now I’m curious as to your brothers favorite spots? He sounds like an expert and I need to know.?? Love your gorgeous feed on both your Instagram and your blog.
Hey Beth,
I hope you love the recipe, he loves Joe’s Deli in Rocky River! Let me know how it turns out! xTieghan
T—
Another one for the recipe box! Just made it and ate and it was AWESOME. Thanks!
Hey there,
Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed. Happy Sunday! xTieghan
This was amazing !!! I doubled the recipe and there is NOTHING left. My son and husband LOVED it.
Thank you for all your amazing recipes.
I have both your cookbooks and just LOVING them !!!
Hey Michelle,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Happy Friday? xTieghan