Chicken Doner Kebab
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This incredibly easy and absolutely delicious Chicken Doner Kebab recipe is sure to impress! It’s made with thinly sliced yogurt marinated juicy chicken breast that is first charred to perfection and then wrapped up in a soft pita with some homemade garlicky lemon yogurt sauce, creamy hummus, and all the fixings!
Easy Chicken Doner Kebab Recipe
Let’s talk about this recipe and why it’s easy! First off, you don’t need a grill, spit, or any fancy equipment. In fact, you are going to be amazed by this cooking technique. In a nutshell, you toss chicken breast in a boldly spiced yogurt marinade, wrap it in plastic to form a log shape, freeze the log, and then pan-fry thin slices of the marinated chicken. It’s amazing and you are not going to believe how authentic it tastes!
In some ways, this chicken doner kebab recipe is very similar to Greek Chicken Gyros in that it’s flavorful chicken wrapped up in a pita and served with a yogurt sauce. Yet, instead of serving it with Tzatziki Sauce with cucumber like a gyro, chicken doner kebab is served with a yogurt sauce that is seasoned with za’atar along with lots of fresh garlic and lemon.
Why You’ll Love This Chicken Doner Kebab Recipe
- Simple Recipe! Don’t let the list of ingredients or the name of the recipe fool you! This 4-step chicken doner recipe requires no fancy skills and is perfect for beginners.
- Easy Authentic Flavor! No rotisserie or grill is needed to produce flavor! By freezing a log of yogurt marinated chicken and then charring it to perfection you get authentic flavor.
- Family Favorite! Your family is going to love this homemade version of this popular takeaway sandwich! And the leftovers make a wonderful salad for lunch the next day.
- Chicken Breasts – You will need some boneless skinless chicken breasts. Chicken thighs do not work as well.
- Tomato Paste – Just a touch of tomato paste adds a touch of umami.
- Plain Yogurt – Both regular yogurt and Greek yogurt will work. Just make sure to use plain yogurt that doesn’t have any added sugar.
- Onion – Any type of onion can be used, but I like to use brown onion for the most flavor.
- Soy Sauce – I always use low-sodium soy sauce to control the amount of added salt.
- Olive Oil – A good extra virgin olive oil adds the best flavor, but any type of vegetable oil will work.
- Seasonings – Salt and black pepper are used to season the chicken.
- Spices – A mixture of curry powder, ground cumin, sweet paprika, and ground coriander adds layers of flavor.
- Plain Yogurt – You can use regular or Greek plain yogurt that has no added sugar.
- Garlic – Always mince your own fresh garlic cloves. Store-bought already chopped garlic can sometimes taste bitter.
- Lemon – Fresh lemon juice is always the best choice.
- Olive Oil – Use extra virgin olive oil for the most authentic flavor.
- Za’atar Spice – It’s a Middle Eastern spice mix that is typically made up of dried oregano, thyme, sumac, and toasted sesame seeds. You can find it in most markets.
- Dried Oregano – Adds another layer of herby good flavor to the sauce. You can also use fresh oregano.
- Pita Bread – You can make your chicken doners with pita bread, Lebanese wraps, lavash bread, or any flat bread like flour tortillas. Another option is to omit the bread and serve this dish with rice.
- Veggies – Finely shredded lettuce, sliced tomatoes, and red onions are used to top the wraps.
- Hummus – You can also use some store-bought hummus or make your own hummus to add to the chicken doner wraps.
This recipe is going to blow your mind! It’s really easy and this way of making homemade chicken doner is pretty incredible. Just make sure to give the chicken enough time in the freezer and your wraps will turn out perfect!
To begin, add all the chicken ingredients to a large bowl except for the chicken breasts. Then whisk everything together until it’s fully combined. Now, add the chicken to the bowl and coat it in the marinade. Make sure that every surface of the meat is covered.
This next step is the key to this recipe. First, place all the chicken on a large piece of plastic wrap. Then cover it up with the plastic and roll the ends tightly to form a log. The more compact your chicken log is, the better. Now, put the chicken log in the freezer for at least 3 hours.
You can make the sauce while the chicken is in the freezer. Just whisk all the sauce ingredients together in a medium bowl until they are well mixed. Then cover the sauce with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge to chill.
After the chicken log has been in the freezer for 3 to 4 hours you can start cooking. Heat about 1 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Next, unwrap the log and start to slice off thin slices of chicken.
Then add the slices to the hot skillet and cook them for about 3 to 5 minutes or until fully cooked and charred a bit.
Once the chicken is cooked it’s time to build some wraps! To do this, put a piece of pita bread on a piece of foil. Then top the bread with some yogurt sauce or hummus followed by some cooked chicken, lettuce, tomato, and red onions. I also like to add some tabbouleh salad to mine, but this is totally optional. Now, fold the pita to form a wrap and your chicken doner kebab is assembled and ready to enjoy!
What Is Chicken Doner Kebab
Chicken doner kebab has its roots in Turkey. It’s basically a huge kebab of meat! Unlike a single Beef Shish Kebab, a doner kebab is made by stacking pounds of seasoned meat on a vertical rotisserie and then slowly cooking it to perfection. Then to serve, portions of the meat are shaved off in thin slices.
But this wrap recipe is the modern day version, which hails from the city of Berlin in Germany where Turkish immigrants took their delicious doner kebab and turned it into one of the most popular street foods! It’s meat from a doner kebab on a pita topped with yogurt sauce, lettuce, tomato, and onion. And while this recipe is made with chicken, a doner kebab can be made with lamb, beef, or turkey too.
Can I Use Chicken Thighs Instead?
For this recipe, I don’t recommend using chicken thighs. Most of the time you can easily switch out thighs for breasts with no problem. And truthfully you won’t have any problems doing so with this recipe either. However, the texture will not be the same, which is partially what makes this recipe so good and authentic.
What’s The Difference Between Chicken Kebab And Chicken Doner?
A chicken doner is a stack of meat cooked on a vertical spit more like shawarma. Whereas a regular chicken kebab is cubed chicken meat or ground meat that is grilled on single bamboo or metal skewers.
Expert Tips
- Freeze the chicken log. You must wrap the chicken tightly into a log and give it at least 3 hours of time in the freezer. The recipe will not work properly if the marinated chicken is not frozen.
- Make the yogurt sauce ahead. Whip together the yogurt sauce right after you prep the chicken. This will give the flavors plenty of time to meld together in the fridge.
- Only assemble what you can eat. Make the wraps as you eat them. The leftover cooked chicken keeps really well in the fridge or freezer, but the already assembled wraps not so much.
Storage
Leftover chicken doner kebab that hasn’t been assembled into wraps will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days in an airtight container. To reheat, just cover the chicken and put it in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes on medium power or on the stovetop in a skillet. It’s also really tasty cold. You can also freeze leftovers for up to 3 months and then let them thaw out overnight in the fridge.
Other Delicious Chicken Recipes To Try
- Oven Roasted Chicken Shawarma
- Oven Baked Chicken Thighs
- Garlic and Paprika Chicken
- Balti Chicken
- Szechuan Chicken
- Chicken Madeira
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Chicken Doner Kebab
Video
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2 pounds chicken breasts (boneless and skinless)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ¼ cup plain yogurt
- 1 small onion (grated)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce (low sodium)
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
Yogurt Sauce
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (extra virgin)
- 1 teaspoon za'atar spice
- 1 teaspoon oregano
To Serve
- olive oil
- 6 pita breads (or lebanese wraps)
- 1 cup lettuce (finely shredded)
- ½ cup hummus
- 2 tomatoes (sliced)
- ½ red onion (thinly sliced)
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Add all the chicken ingredients to a bowl and mix everything well, making sure all chicken is fully coated.
- Place the chicken on a large piece of plastic wrap and cover it up, rolling the ends tightly, so that it forms an even log. Place the log in the freezer for at least 3 to 4 hours.
- In a bowl combine all the yogurt sauce ingredients together, whisk well and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Open the chicken wrap and slice off thin slices of chicken. If you find it too hard to slice, let the meat sit at room temperature for a few minutes until it's easier to slice.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add pieces of chicken to the hot skillet to cook. Cook for about 3 to 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and looks almost charred. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
- Assemble doners by placing a pita bread on a piece of foil then topping it with yogurt sauce or hummus, some chicken, a drizzle of olive oil, lettuce, tomatoes and red onions.
Notes
- Freeze the chicken log. You must wrap the chicken tightly into a log and give it at least 3 hours of time in the freezer. The recipe will not work properly if the marinated chicken is not frozen.
- Make the yogurt sauce ahead. Whip together the yogurt sauce right after you prep the chicken. This will give the flavors plenty of time to meld together in the fridge.
- Only assemble what you can eat. Make the wraps as you eat them. The leftover cooked chicken keeps really well in the fridge or freezer, but the already assembled wraps not so much.
Nutrition Information
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
