Slow Cooker Shawarma Chicken

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Our Slow Cooker Shawarma Chicken recipe is perfect for summer. It’s super simple to make and oh so tasty with fresh salad, yogurt dressing and warm flatbreads. Easy weeknight dinner – sorted! 

I know you probably think of slow cooker recipes to be more of a winter thing, but honestly, our slow cooker shawarma chicken is just perfect for summer.

The good bit about using the slow cooker in the summer is that it doesn’t heat up your kitchen in the same way oven cooking does. So it’s good for really hot days.

Our summer slow cooker chicken thigh recipe is just lush. It’s super easy to prepare and cook. And you just simply serve it with warmed flatbreads, salad and a yogurt dressing – it’s almost like a chicken shawarma wrap.

Slow cooker shawarma chicken ingredients

For the marinated chicken 

• 6 large skinless/boneless chicken thighs – choose good quality chicken, free range or organic if you can, otherwise choose high welfare meat.

• 1 tbs olive oil – you can use rapeseed oil if you prefer – this is just to lightly grease the inside of the slow cooker pan.

• juice of a lemon – pick a nice juicy one

• homemade shawarma seasoning – I use a simple mix of spices for the slow cooker shawarma chicken – 1 tsp each of ground cumin, paprika and ground coriander. 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon and a pinch if chilli flakes, sea salt and black pepper.

For the lemon yogurt dip

• 1 tbs natural yogurt – I use Yeo Valley Greek Yogurt because I just think the thicker creamy texture work really well.

• 1 tbs mayonnaise – when it comes to mayonnaise at our house it has to be Hellmanns.

• Juice of half a lemon – again, be sure to pick a nice juicy lemon.

To serve

• 4 flatbreads – I use gorgeous flatbreads from Crosta & Mollica the Piadina breads – they just take a couple of minutes to warm in a dry frying pan and they just taste so good. These are the best shop bought flatbreads I’ve found yet!

• 2 Little Gem lettuces – these little lettuces simply shredded are ideal for serving with our tasty shawarma chicken.

• 1/2 cucumber – simply sliced into half moons

• 1 red pepper – sliced, if you prefer you could use chargrilled peppers from a jar, it’s up to you.

• 150g baby plum tomatoes – you can use red baby tomatoes simply sliced or go for a mix of heritage tomatoes in different colours.

• hot chilli sauce – okay this one is optional, I love a little added extra heat and currently my favourite hot sauce is Nando’s Garlic PERI-PERI Sauce, it says medium on the bottle, but don’t be tricked, it really packs a punch! I just adore this sauce! If you’re buying a bottle, you simply must try it on avocado toast! So GOOD!

How to make slow cooker shawarma chicken

Our Slow Cooker Shawarma Chicken just couldn’t be easier! It takes just minutes to prepare and throw in the slow cooker. 

Simply wipe this inside of the slow cooker pan with a splash of olive oil then lay the chicken thighs snugly next to each other – drizzle over a little more olive oil and the juice of a lemon. 

Sprinkle over the ground cumin, paprika, ground coriander, ground cinnamon, chilli flakes and season well with salt and black pepper.

Cook on high for around 4 hours until the chicken is cooked through, heated to a minimum of 165F (check using meat thermometer – for food temperature guidelines grab the chart at Foodsafety.gov).

Once the chicken is cooked – shred the meat and then serve with salads and flatbreads.

Make slow cooker shawarma chicken your way…

• Skip the spices and smother the chicken in curry paste for a more Indian flavour

• Go for smoky BBQ vibe and add smoked paprika and lime instead of lemon.

• Switch the yogurt dip for hummus.

How to serve shawarma chicken

• Our slow cooker shawarma chicken is delicious served on warmed flatbreads or pitta breads with salads and dip.

• Or shred the chicken and stir through rice, making a simple shawarma rice bowl. I tend to add lots of fresh salad to this and a dollop of hummus.

• Load onto nachos and melt cheese over, add some salsa and guacamole dip on the side for an extra delicious treat!

• Just turn into a big shawarma chicken salad and skip the carbs altogether – add lots of shredded cabbage and lettuce, add in cucumber, tomatoes, peppers, olives, really make it delicious.

• Use the shredded slow cooker chicken to make shawarma wrap or shawarma sandwiches with plenty of salad and yogurt dressing.

Is shawarma chicken healthy?

The way we cook our shawarma chicken in the slow cooker makes it super healthy and low fat.

If you’re watching your weight, then use the chicken to make a salad and serve with wholegrain rice or quinoa instead of flatbreads.

More summer slow cooker recipes to try…

If you like the idea of using the slow cooker for summer recipes then you’ll just LOVE these easy family dinners.

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• Slow Cooker BBQ Brisket – super tender, shredded BBQ brisket that’s perfect stuffed in crusty bread rolls with a side of fries and coleslaw.

• Slow Cooker BBQ Beer Chicken – easy weeknight recipe for lovely tender chicken, delicious served with salads and rice.

• Slow Cooker Turkey Keema  – a healthy keema recipe cooked with ground turkey instead of lamb for a lower fat curry.

Save our tasty slow cooker chicken shawarma to Pinterest for later!

Hey – we hope you enjoy the recipe and when you cook it don’t forget to tag us your creations on Twitter @daisiesandpieUK or Instagram @daisiesandpie