Who doesn't love a good chicken doner kebab? It's one of the most popular takeaway recipes. But did you know that you can also make this delicious dish yourself?
First, marinate the meat, so it becomes wonderfully tender and flavorful, and then grill it in the oven (or on the BBQ). Served with pita bread or between a pide (Turkish bread), this recipe is suitable for an easy meal for a party.
Make your own doner kebab: discover the ultimate recipe!
After a great night out, who hasn't gone to a fast food restaurant or a Shawarma eatery? That is the perfect end to your night out. At least when I was younger… ; -). And a Döner Chicken Kebab sandwich was undoubtedly a favorite there. The meat was prepared on a spit and served freshly sliced on a bun or in a wrap. Quite some garlic sauce and some vegetables (at least for the eye).
It's in the Details!
Nowadays, I don't go to the shawarma restaurant that often anymore. But Döner Kebab still sounds good. So a few weeks ago, I started making my own doner kebab recipe.
The spices are very important, so first, I started making the best shoarma spice mix I know. Then I marinated the meat and tried different baking and grilling techniques until I came up with this recipe. The perfect combination of taste, a crispy outer layer, and deliciously tender meat on the inside. I could eat this every day (and then I'll skip that night out 😉 ).
Of course, I submitted it to my test team, who have now taken over and go to the Shawarma eatery regularly, and they have approved this Döner Chicken Kebab (you can make this more often, Mom!). So now I'm going to share it with you! I'm curious about your comments!
What do you need for a Homemade Doner Kebab?
To prepare this Homemade Chicken Doner Kebab, you require the following ingredients. You can find the correct amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of the blog:
- Chicken thighs: Use chicken thighs for this recipe. They are a bit fatter and, therefore, very suitable for baking in the oven without the meat drying out too much. Refrain from replacing it with chicken breast because it dries out too much and is not tasty.
- Shawarma spices: Taste spicy, spicy, and a little sweet. Typically, contains cumin, coriander, paprika, garlic, onion, and chili pepper. You can buy it ready-made, and this is a delicious recipe for making shawarma spices yourself.
- Yogurt: For marinating the chicken. This gives the meat a lot of flavor and makes it wonderfully tender.
- Olive oil: brush the chicken with the olive oil so that it becomes wonderfully crispy.
- Turkish bread: Serve the Chicken Döner Kebab on a bun. Cut a Pide (Turkish bread) into quarters (or buy small Turkish buns) or use pita bread.
- Red onions, tomatoes, lettuce (garnish): Delicious as a garnish on the chicken kebab sandwich. Cut the onion into rings, the tomato into slices, and the lettuce finely. Tasty and fresh.
- Garlic sauce: my choice on bread with Döner Kebab. But you can also go for chili sauce or tzatziki. I always make garlic sauce from scratch, but you can also buy it ready-made.
How to prepare Döner Kebab with Chicken
You can find a printable recipe with a step-by-step description at the bottom of this blog.
- In a bowl, mix the shoarma herbs with the yogurt.
- Place the chicken thigh fillet in it and make sure it is covered on all sides. Marinate for at least 3 hours, but you can prepare this the day before. Cover a baking dish with aluminum foil. Take two muscles and thread the pieces of chicken thigh fillet onto the skewers (see photo). I could easily lose three pieces of chicken thigh fillet. Sprinkle with the rest of the shawarma herbs.
- Place the ends of the skewers on the edge of the baking dish so that the chicken hangs from the bottom. Drizzle olive oil over the chicken and place in a preheated oven at 430 °F (ca. 221 °C) for 35 minutes. Turn the skewers over, drizzle some olive oil onto the chicken, and bake in the oven for another 25 minutes. Check whether the chicken is cooked by measuring the core temperature, which should be 162 °F (ca. 72 °C).
- Remove the dish from the oven and cut the Döner chicken off the skewers as thinly as possible with a sharp knife.
Serve with pita bread or Turkish bread. Cut that open, divide some lettuce over it, and then the Döner chicken. On top of that, some tomato and onion and lots of garlic sauce (but that's my preference). Cover with the cap and serve!
Variations
- Greek: Add some feta, olives, and use tzatziki as a sauce, and you have a delicious Greek variant.
- Vegetables / Garnish: Instead of onion, lettuce, and tomato, you can also think of bell pepper or grilled vegetables such as bell pepper, zucchini, and eggplant
Did you make this recipe? Tag #byandreajanssen via Instagram. I enjoy seeing what your creation looks like. Video recipes can be found on my YouTube channel. And don't forget to save the recipes on Pinterest so you can easily find them next time!
📖 Recipe
RECIPE CARD
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons Shawarma spice mix
- 1 cup yogurt
- 2 pounds chicken thigh fillet, boneless
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Garnish
- 1 Pide, Turkish bread, or 4 small pide buns or pita bread
- 1 red onion, in rings
- 2 tomatoes, sliced
- 2 cups iceberg lettuce, in strips
- 1 cup garlic sauce
All my recipes are written both in Metric (gram / ml) and US Customary (cups / pounds). Here you can select which type of amount you would like to see.
Instructions
- Make a marinade by mixing the yogurt with half the shoarma spices.3 tablespoons Shawarma spice mix, 1 cup yogurt
- Place the chicken thigh fillet in the marinade and make sure all sides are covered. Leave to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours (but you can also put the chicken in the marinade a day in advance).2 pounds chicken thigh fillet
- Preheat the oven to
430 °F or 390 °F. Line a oven dish with aluminum foil. - Grab two skewers and thread the chicken thigh fillet onto the skewers. The skewers can hold about three chicken thighs. Sprinkle the chicken with the rest of the shoarma herbs and place it on the baking dish (the front and back of the skewer 'leans') on the dish's edge.
- Drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil over the meat and place the dish in the oven.2 tablespoons olive oil
- Bake for 35 minutes; remove the baking dish from the oven. Turn the skewers (so the bottom up) and spread a tablespoon of olive oil over the chicken.
- Place back in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
- Take a sharp knife and cut the chicken meat off the skewers.
- Cut the bread open and divide the lettuce over the bottom. Place the meat on top and garnish with tomato and onion slices.1 Pide, 1 red onion, 2 tomatoes, 2 cups iceberg lettuce
- Spoon the garlic sauce on top and cover with the bread cap.1 cup garlic sauce
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Be sure to cool and store leftovers as soon as possible.
- Refrigerator: Put the Döner chicken in an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: You can also store the chicken kebab in a freezer bag or box in the freezer. The meat will then keep for about two months. After that, let it thaw in the refrigerator.
- Reheat: Fry the meat on low heat in a skillet with olive oil. Make sure to heat on low heat; otherwise, the meat will get dry. Let it get hot before serving.
Nutrition
Mina says
Oh wow! This kebob recipe is amazing and I am really enjoying homemade food lately so this has been added to my list!
Andréa says
I'm sure you're going to enjoy it!