Chicken Shawarma Salad 

Folks, this is a really special one. I don’t care if you’ve never had a chicken shawarma before, I don’t even care if you’ve never had a salad before, you need to make this. It’s my two favourite things in the world, and it’s about to be yours too!

What is Chicken Shawarma?

Chicken shawarma can come in a few different styles. There’s the always crushable shawarma wrap, the mountains shawarma plate and now the Chicken Shawarma Salad. 

Shawarma is a traditional Middle Eastern style of cooking. Marinated slices of meat (often beef, chicken or even lamb) are placed on a spit, tightly packed and slowly roasted. Then thinly shave it, add some pickles, veggies, rice and always a ton of garlic sauce. 

If you want to make a home friends version, you can check out my Sheet Pan Shawarma Recipe, no roasting spit required!

How to Make Homemade Chicken Shawarma.

If you want to make a home friendly version, you can check out my Sheet pan chicken shawarma, no roasting spit required! 

I love this recipe, because it’s perfect for large crowds. Make a few trays, steam a couple of pita, and enjoy the night!

Making Fried Pita Chips.

This is a super important part of the salad. It’s what added the crunch, a little bit of salt and that great pita flavour that you can’t miss out on. 

When you make yours, a key tip is to tear, not chop or slice. When you tear your pita, it creates these littles nooks and crannies that when fried, allow for more crispy/crunchiness. Rip up your pita and set it aside. 

Place a medium pan over medium heat. Add in about 1 tbsp of olive oil. Once that’s heated, toss in your pita. You’ll want to keep an eye on them, don’t let them burn. Fry until golden brown, it won’t take long, maybe 3-4 minutes. 

Remove them from the pan and place on a paper towel lined plate or tray. Season your pita while they’re still hot and oily with kosher salt, garlic powder and if you have it, a little bit of sumac.

Making Copycat Shawarma Garlic Sauce.

It just isn’t shawarma without garlic sauce. 

I’ve seen a ton of garlic sauce recipes that usually just consist of garlic, lemon and oil.

This version is a little less sharp, which I think is best for a salad. 

Into a blender, add garlic cloves, light mayo, garlic powder, lemon juice and about ¼ cup of water, just to help thin it out a little bit. Blitz it until super smooth and keep it stored in the fridge for up to a week.  

Other recipes to check out!

Shawarma Chickpea Hummus

Harissa Chicken Meatballs

Easy Lebanese Kofta Skewer

Recipe

Chicken Shawarma Salad

2 Reviews/5.00 Average

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Servings 4

x1 x2 x3

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Ingredients:  

1x2x3x

For the salad

• 2 heads Romaine Lettuce chopped
• 1 1/2 cup Chicken cooked and chopped
• 2 Tomatoes diced
• 1 cup Pickled Turnips chopped
• 1 cup Dill Pickles chopped

For the garlic dressing

• 3 Garlic Cloves
• 1 Lemon juiced
• 1 tsp Kosher Salt
• 1 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1/2 cup Light Mayo
• 1/4 cup Water

For the crispy pita

• 2 Pita torn into bite sized chunks
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• Kosher Salt
• Garlic Powder
• Sumac optional

Instructions: 

• Into a large salad bowl, add romaine lettuce, cooked chicken (I used meat from a rotisserie chicken) diced tomato, roughly chopped pickled turnip and chopped dill pickles.
• Place a pan over medium heat. Add in olive oil. Once heated, toss in your torn pita. Fry until golden brown, 3-4 minutes. Remove them from the pan and place on a paper towel lined plate or tray. Season your pita while they’re still hot and oily with kosher salt, garlic powder and if you have it, a little bit of sumac.
• Into a blender, add garlic cloves, light mayo, garlic powder, lemon juice and just about ¼ cup of water, just to help thin it out a little bit. Blitz it until super smooth and keep it stored in the fridge for up to a week.
• Add your crispy pitas, drizzle over your dressing and toss well!

Enjoy!

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Andy Hay

Andy is the founder of ECK, Chef, and let’s admit it… the reason you’re here. He taught himself to cook, and it all paid off when he secured his spot in the season 5 Finale of Master Chef Canada. Now, Andy uses his big energy to showcase recipes that actually make people want to cook. His brand was built on butter and East Coast charm, and Andy’s kept that same energy ever since. Off-camera, you’ll find him doing what started it all: cooking for his two daughters, wife and the people he loves.

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4 Comments

I had some left over chicken breasts in the fridge and found your chicken swarma recipe. Oh my goodness! It was sooooo good. Thank you! I didn’t have pickled turnips so substituted pickled beets instead and they worked great in this dish.

08/12/25 @ 01:49AM

Reply

So glad you loved it! Pickled beets sound like a perfect swap—great idea, Nora!

08/12/25 @ 08:46AM

Hi Andy,
Thanks so much for saving the day for me yesterday, I had my shawarma salad prepared and was looking for a dressing recipe. This was absolutely amazing, and everyone loved it!!
Keep up the great work, the recipes I have tried on your blog do not disappoint.

08/04/25 @ 09:44AM

Reply

Thanks Lori! Glad you loved this one and thanks for the kind feedback!

08/04/25 @ 10:15AM

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