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What would be your preferred pick for lunch, a Mexican burrito or a Middle Eastern chicken shawarma? Hmm… Okay, I guess all of us keto/low-carb eaters might have to first ask the question, “What are we using for the tortilla, wrap or pita?” That part is a toss up… But, I have a couple recommendations for you!

If you’re like my husband and I, we’d go with the shawarma, hands down! When traveling, the shawarma–“Çevirme” in Turkish, which means “to turn”, doner kabob or doner kabap (both wrap forms), as it’s called in other parts of the world, is vey much like the burrito to us Southern Californians. You can find little hole-in-the-wall establishments and street vendors just about everywhere, and it’s quite an economical meal for travelers. And probably 90 percent of the time, you just can’t go wrong, unless you’re in a really small town in Canada near Banff. (I won’t mention restaurant names… Maybe they cannot source all the spices??) Lol. Otherwise, the tasty-spiced meat, mixed with some tomatoes, romaine, onions and garlic sauce, eaten over a salad or making this the occasional cheat (when traveling, of course) often comes up as a true winner!

What we love about shawarma is that it’s versatile. You can eat it in a low-carb wrap, as a salad topping as mentioned above, or maybe to add to your keto breakfast. (I personally get tired of eating the same few items for breakfast and I just need something simple and fast. But, more often than not, I adhere to intermittent fasting, which makes everything easier!)

And if you’re local to San Diego, you know you can’t beat Aladdin Cafe’s juicy chicken shawarma anywhere in the city. I think they must marinade their meat overnight, or at least way longer than most places that serve this in San Diego, using the recommenced chicken thighs over breasts. (They’re more juicy using thighs!) Lol. I love having mine over their chicken salad, with the grilled chicken swapped out for the shawarma. Just sayin’… But do note, chicken shawarma or a doner kabap overseas is more often carved off a spit than marinated and cut into bite-sized pieces like we’re making here.

If you get a chance to try this recipe, which is a modification from the original version by Nagi of Recipe Tin Eats, please leave a review or rating. (My modification overall uses more spices per the amount of chicken cooked, as well as the addition of allspice, more garlic, less salt, and avocado oil in the marinade over olive oil.) I’d love to get your feedback. And, as always, I appreciate your support as I provide this site nearly ad free with the exception of my links to recommended products I personally use.

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Macros and calories for this dish will be coming soon. Otherwise, if you’re just serving this over salad alone, there are going to be a low number of net carbs, except for those in your Mediterranean salad fixings.

Chicken Shawarma

5 from 1 vote

Recipe by J. Irish, Ketolicious Eats Course: Lunch, DinnerCuisine: Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, LebaneseDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4-6

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Try my recipe for a Middle Eastern favorite, with the flexibility of making it a low-carb wrap or Mediterranean salad topping.

Ingredients

1.5 – 1.75 lbs 1.5 – 1.75 org. free-range chicken thighs, either leave uncut for slicing after it is cooked or cut into small chunks before cooking (I prefer this latter method)
3 large 3 garlic cloves, minced, 2 tsp pre-minced garlic or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tbsp 1 ground coriander
1 tbsp 1 ground cumin
1 tbsp 1 ground cardamom
1/2 – 1 tsp 1/2 – 1 cayenne pepper, depending on level of preferred spiciness; 1/2 tsp isn’t spicy
2 tsp 2 paprika
1 tsp 1 pink salt
1/2 tsp 1/2 ground black pepper
1/4/-1/2 tsp 1/4/-1/2 allspice
2 tbsp 2 lemon juice (2 tablespoons is about equal to one whole squeezed medium-sized lemon)
3 tbsp 3 avocado oil
Suggested Wraps/Tortillas & Garlic Sauce
La Tortilla Factory Low Carb Tortillas
Organic grain- and gluten-free tortillas–These are a little higher in carbs than I would prefer so I would recommend only eating two (22 net carbs for 3 small tortillas) with a side salad, but these are paleo friendly as well.
Majestic Garlic Delicious Creamy Garlic Sauce (found at Whole Foods and Jimbo’s Naturally)

Directions

Combine the ingredients into a ziplock bag or container you can easily mix the spices with the meat.
Tightly seal the container, and marinate overnight or 24 hours.
When about ready to prep for lunch or dinner, remove marinated meat from the refrigerator about 30 to 45 minutes prior to cooking. You can cook the meat on a grill, cast iron skillet (medium heat), or BBQ for 3 to 5 minutes on one side and 3 to 4 minutes on the other. If you’re barbecuing it, it may be easier to leave the meat whole rather than in small, bite-sized pieces. When finished cooking, transfer the cooked meat to a glass Pyrex dish you may seal for leftovers later, or to a serving platter.
Let the meat cool before slicing chicken into strips or loading precut meat onto your Mediterranean style salad (with romaine, feta, cherry tomatoes, and cucumber with or without kalamata olives), or low-carb tortilla wrap.
Top your salad with squeezed lemon and olive oil-based dressing with parsley, a simple balsamic dressing (note balsamic vinegar inherently contains sugar due to how it’s made), or Majestic Garlic sauce for a low-carb wrap.
Now, dig in and enjoy that you made this at home!