This loaf pan chicken shawarma is my FAVORITE way to prep chicken thighs. The thighs soak in a lemony Greek yogurt marinade with turmeric, cumin, paprika, and coriander, then get stacked tight in a loaf pan with red bell pepper and onion and baked for 45 minutes. About an hour start to finish, and you’ve got juicy shawarma chicken for bowls, pitas, and salads all week.
Each 4 oz serving is 209 calories with 30.5 grams of protein. And you all know I love chicken breasts and tenderloins, but these thighs are seriously worth a little higher fat. I promise you can’t mess these up!
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: Loaf Pan Chicken Shawarma (Juicy Oven-Baked Thighs)
- Ready In: 65 minutes
- Serves: 6
- Calories: 209 cal
- Protein: 30.5g
- Fat: 3.9g
- Carbs: 3.9g
- Why You'll Love It: Juicy chicken thighs in a lemony Greek yogurt marinade with turmeric, cumin, paprika, and coriander, stacked in a loaf pan and baked like Middle Eastern shawarma. Perfect for bowls, pitas, and salads all week.
Why Bake Chicken Shawarma in a Loaf Pan?
Shawarma is a Middle Eastern street food from the Levant. Shops stack marinated meat on a tall vertical rotisserie, let it slowly turn and roast, then shave thin slices off the outside for pitas and plates. Most of us don’t have one of those in our kitchens, so baking chicken shawarma in a loaf pan does the job.
As the chicken bakes, the layers press down on each other the same way they would on that spit. The tight pan also keeps the juices and fat rendering and basting the meat the whole time, which is how you get that super tender, juicy texture without any special equipment.
I stick with thighs for this one. They stay juicy through 45 minutes at 425°F, where chicken breasts would dry out.
Before You Start Cooking
- Use a standard loaf pan. Two pounds of thighs should fill it snugly. A bigger pan lets the chicken spread out, and it ends up cooking more like a sheet pan bake than shawarma.
- Marinate the night before. Toss everything in a zip-top bag and stick it in the fridge. The next day it goes straight into the pan, and the overnight soak gives you the most flavor.
- Check the center. The stack is dense, so the middle cooks last. If you have a meat thermometer, check the very center for 165°F before pulling it out.
- Slice or chop based on how you’ll eat it. Thin slices across the stack look and eat like restaurant shawarma for pitas. A rough chop is easier for bowls and salads.
- Tracking macros? Search “Lillie Eats and Tells Loaf Pan Chicken Shawarma (Meal Plan)” in MyFitnessPal, or here’s how to create a recipe in MyFitnessPal.
Important Ingredients and Substitutions
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs: My thighs were labeled just 4.5g fat per 4 oz. Give them a good trim of any excess fat before they go in the marinade.
- Nonfat Greek yogurt: It makes the marinade thick enough to cling to every piece. For dairy free, I love Forager plant-based sour cream, and it barely changes the macros.
- Turmeric, cumin, paprika, and coriander: This warm spice blend is what gives the chicken its classic shawarma flavor and golden color. Garlic powder and kosher salt round it out.
- Fresh lemon juice: I highly recommend fresh here. Bottled juice just doesn’t have the same bright flavor.
- Red bell pepper: I really like its sweetness with the spices. Orange or yellow work too, but I wouldn’t use green since it’s more bitter.
- Fresh parsley: Or sub 2 tablespoons of dried parsley.
How to Make Chicken Shawarma in a Loaf Pan
- Marinate. Spread your thighs out so they’re not folded up and trim off any unwanted fat. No need to go crazy here! Add the chicken to a large bowl with the remaining ingredients and mix well. Bake right away or let it marinate for a couple of hours or even overnight.
- Stack and bake. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Let the chicken come to room temp if possible, then stack the marinated thighs tightly on top of each other in a loaf pan. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes or until cooked through.
- Rest and chop. Let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Carefully drain the liquid into a bowl, since you might want to drizzle it back on later, then turn the pan upside down onto a cutting board. Slice or chop and use it in bowls, pitas, and salads!
What to Serve with Chicken Shawarma
My go-to is a shawarma bowl: rice or greens, a big pile of the chopped chicken, and a scoop of my creamy cucumber salad on top. It’s creamy enough to work as the sauce too.
For pitas, I spoon on some cucumber dill sauce and add tomatoes and red onion. If you want it heartier, feta parsley potato wedges on the side make it a full dinner.
This is exactly the kind of protein I prep for the week. If you like having dinner mapped out, my meal plans do the planning and the macros for you, with a new plan every week.
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Loaf Pan Chicken Shawarma (Juicy Oven-Baked Thighs)
Ingredients
- 2 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs (896g)
- ¼ cup nonfat Greek yogurt 60g; or sub dairy-free sour cream or yogurt
- 2 Tbsp. lemon juice 30g
- ½ Tbsp. olive oil 7g
- 2 ½ tsp. turmeric
- 2 ½ tsp. garlic powder
- 2 tsp. ground cumin
- 2 tsp. paprika
- 2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. coriander
- 1 ½ cups red bell pepper sliced thinly (145g)
- 1 cup red onion sliced thinly (150g)
- ¾ cup parsley chopped (20g)
Instructions
- Spread your thighs out so they’re not folded up, and trim off any unwanted fat. No need to go crazy here! Add chicken to a large bowl and mix well with the remaining ingredients. You can cook right away or let it marinate for a couple of hours or even overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F when you’re ready to bake your chicken. Let the chicken come to room temp if possible, and stack the marinated thighs tightly on top of each other in a loaf pan. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes or until cooked through.
- Let it rest for 5-10 minutes, then carefully drain the liquid from your loaf pan into a bowl (you might want to drizzle it back on later) and turn the pan upside down onto a cutting board. Chop it up and use it in rice bowls, pitas, salads etc!
Notes
Nutrition
Tried this recipe?
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Just reading the first instruction I burst into uncontrollable laughter.
Was that intentional? If not…even funnier.
not intentional, but now i’m not changing it. 🫣😂
Made this tonight! Everyone loved it! Super easy too. Will be adding to dinner rotation.
This was absolutely scrumptious! Served it over jasmine rice with roasted carrots, roasted red bell peppers, red onion, feta & greek yogurt.
Fantastic!! Definitely going into the rotation! Thank you 🙏🏻
This is our favorite new recipe. It’s delicious next to veggies or rice. Wonderful on a salad, or in a wrap. And for my pickiest eater, all by itself.
I have been making an 8lb batch almost every week. My kids are all delighted to have it available for a fast, satisfying lunch.
This is a definite winner! Thanks for another great recipe!
Note- I have a kid who dislikes dark meat, so I make a regular sized batch of chicken breasts for her. In my opinion, they are not as good as the thighs, but they are still good. The thighs are very difficult to over cook, but the breasts you gotta watch. I do the breasts in a casserole dish rather than a loaf pan. I like to keep them in a single layer so they are all done at the same time.
I prefer the thighs, but the breasts can work, you just gotta be careful not to over cook.
Great recipe! Couldn’t agree more that this restaurant food made better at home…hummus, pita and tabouli make it a meal. Thx you!Dakmam
Didn’t have bell peppers, but used carrots, garlic cloves, thyme, oregano as well as Penzy’s “Ruth Ann’s” Chicken seasoning, which constitutes many of your spices, plus lemon peel within. Scrumptious! Thanks!
Big hit with my family. I e tried a few different recipes and everyone loved the spices and how moist the chicken was. Great recipe, I’ll be making it again!
I’ve made this three times now and it is absolutely delicious. I serve it with a tomato cucumber salad, hummus, etc and let people either make a bowl or fill a pita.
How do you think this would work as a marinade to grill the chicken?
Yes. Works very well
Made this tonight and it was delish! The whole family enjoyed. So easy. Will definitely make again!!
I made this and it was AMAZING! Wondering if I could do the same recipe with chicken breasts? Have you tried it?
I used chicken tenderloins (which is what I had) and it came out great. I’d recommend reducing the book time by 5-10 minutes. I would think breasts could work too!