Foil-Wrapped Chicken Shawarma Wraps with Garlic Sauce

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Marinated chicken thighs stacked and roasted like a mini vertical spit, then shaved thin and packed into warm pita with whipped garlic sauce, pink pickled turnips and tomato. The real technique here is the wrap: layer in the right order, roll it tight in foil, and let it rest two minutes so everything compresses into a sandwich that eats cleanly to the last bite.

Ingredients

• 2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 1/3 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 5 cloves garlic, grated
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 3/4 tsp ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp black pepper

• 4 cloves garlic
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 large egg white
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 cup neutral oil, such as canola or grapeseed
• 1 tbsp ice water

• 4 large pocketless pita or Greek-style flatbread (about 8 inches)
• 1/2 cup pickled turnips or dill pickle spears, cut into thin strips
• 2 medium Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
• 1/2 small red onion, shaved paper-thin
• 1 cup shredded romaine or chopped parsley
• 2 tbsp tahini, optional, for drizzling
• Sumac and flaky salt, for finishing

Instructions

1. Whisk the yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, grated garlic, cumin, paprika, coriander, allspice, cinnamon, turmeric, cardamom, cayenne, 2 tsp kosher salt and black pepper in a large bowl until smooth. Add the chicken thighs and turn to coat every surface. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour, ideally 8 to 24 hours.
2. Make the garlic sauce: in a tall narrow container or blender, pulse the garlic with 1/2 tsp salt until finely minced, scraping down the sides. Add the egg white and lemon juice and blend 15 seconds. With the motor running, add the neutral oil in a very slow, steady stream — take a full 90 seconds — until the sauce is thick, white and fluffy. Blend in the ice water to loosen slightly. Refrigerate; it keeps 5 days.
3. Heat the oven to 425°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and set a small oven-safe rack or a loose ball of foil in the center as a support.
4. Build the stack: skewer the marinated thighs onto two long metal or soaked wooden skewers, laying them flat and pressing them tightly against each other into a compact loaf about 5 inches tall, fattiest pieces on top. Stand or lean the stack against the foil support on the sheet. (No skewers? Simply overlap the thighs in a tight single layer on the sheet.)
5. Roast 35 to 45 minutes, until the outside is deeply browned in patches and the center of the stack registers 175°F on an instant-read thermometer. For a stacked loaf, rotate the pan halfway through; for flat thighs, expect 22 to 25 minutes.
6. Run the pan under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes to char the exterior edges, watching closely. Transfer to a cutting board and rest 10 minutes.
7. While the chicken rests, warm the pitas: set them directly on a dry skillet over medium-high heat for 30 to 40 seconds per side, until soft, puffed in spots and pliable. Stack them under a clean towel so they stay steamy — a cold pita will crack when you roll it.
8. Slide the chicken off the skewers and shave it into thin, ragged slices with a sharp knife, cutting against the stack the way it comes off a spit. Toss the slices with any browned juices from the pan.
9. Assemble one wrap at a time on a 14-inch sheet of foil: lay a warm pita on the foil, spread 2 to 3 tablespoons garlic sauce in a stripe down the center third, leaving a 2-inch border at the bottom edge. Add lettuce or parsley, then tomato, then a generous handful of chicken (about 1 cup), then pickles and shaved onion on top. Drizzle with tahini if using and dust with sumac and flaky salt.
10. Fold the bottom border of the pita up over the filling, then fold one side over tightly and roll the wrap away from you, using the foil to pull everything snug — like rolling a burrito. Twist the foil closed at the bottom and fold the top over.
11. Set the foil-wrapped shawarma seam-side down in the hot dry skillet for 1 to 2 minutes per side to press and toast it, then let it rest 2 minutes before unwrapping the top half. Eat straight from the foil, peeling it back as you go.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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