Oven shawarma — dry rub recipe
Make shawarma-inspired oven chicken without a spit: chicken thighs, our warmly spiced dry rub, olive oil and lemon form the base. Serve in pita bread or with rice and roasted vegetables. Use a probe thermometer to check doneness; baking time is a guide.
The flavour of our Shawarma rub
Our blend contains cumin, fine sea salt, coriander, garlic powder, cinnamon, smoked paprika, black pepper, onion powder, allspice, cayenne, turmeric and sumac.
Cumin and coriander provide an aromatic base, cinnamon and allspice warm spice notes. Turmeric contributes colour and sumac a tangy accent. Olive oil and lemon juice are separate additions in this recipe.
Our spices come from Kerala, India. We blend the rub to order. Check the current packaging for ingredients, dosage, allergens and any cross-contact information.
Which meat do you use?
This recipe is written for chicken thighs. Choose pieces of similar thickness for more even results. Thighs, chicken breast and different lamb cuts do not need identical cooking methods; do not substitute them without adjusting the method and doneness checks.
For more information, read our complete chicken guide.
Recipe: shawarma-inspired oven chicken
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 800 g chicken thighs
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- Shawarma BBQ Rub, dosed according to the current packaging for 800 g chicken
- Juice of 1 lemon
The rub already contains salt. Do not routinely add extra salt. Use an ovenproof rack with a suitable catching tray and a probe thermometer.
Method
- Season. Mix the oil, measured rub and lemon juice and distribute over the chicken. Keep the rub supply free of raw meat juices. Do not wash raw chicken, and clean hands, worktop and equipment after contact.
- Choose your timing. You can cook immediately. If seasoning ahead, keep the chicken covered in the fridge within its shelf life. Two hours or overnight marinating is not compulsory. Take the chicken out when ready to cook; do not deliberately bring it to room temperature for half an hour.
- Preheat. Heat the oven to 220°C conventional or 200°C fan. Also follow your oven and cookware instructions.
- Bake. Place the pieces in one layer on the rack above the tray. Use 25–30 minutes as an initial guide. Thickness, bone and actual oven temperature affect the time.
- Check doneness. Measure at least 74°C in the thickest meat of several pieces, without touching bone. Bake longer if needed. A higher final temperature can be a texture choice for thigh meat, but 82–85°C is not a mandatory safety threshold.
- Optional extra colour. Use the oven grill only briefly and under constant supervision if you want more colour. A fixed three-to-five-minute grill finish is not needed. Spices can burn. Check that the rack and tray are suitable for the grill setting and maintain sufficient distance from the element.
- Rest and slice. Transfer the cooked chicken to a clean dish using clean utensils. Rest for about five minutes and cut into thin strips, across the grain where possible.
For more background on measuring, see our temperature guide. Colour or a dark spice coating does not replace a core temperature measurement.
Serving and allergens
Serve in warm pita bread with hummus, tabbouleh and pickled vegetables, with tahini if desired. Alternatively choose rice, roasted vegetables and yoghurt sauce. Warm bread according to its packaging and keep perishable dips refrigerated until serving.
Tahini contains sesame and hummus often contains tahini. Yoghurt sauce contains milk; pita bread and tabbouleh made with bulgur generally contain cereals containing gluten. Check the packaging and recipes used, including other allergens and cross-contact information.
Try Shawarma BBQ Rub
Cumin, coriander, cinnamon and allspice give a warmly spiced flavour profile. Blended to order.
View Shawarma BBQ Rub · Starter Pack with three bags of your choice