Instant Pot Chicken Shawarma is a quick and easy homemade pressure cooker version of shawarma that’s healthy, requires very little hands-on time and delivers a delicious punch of bold flavor. Make a chicken shawarma wrap with pita bread or make a shawarma rice bowl. Serve with hummus, garlic sauce, tahini sauce or hot sauce, and pickles, lettuce, tomatoes , onions, french fries.
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Table of Contents
Introduction
I’m a huge fan of gyros and shawarmas. Both are street food sandwiches made out of succulent meat wrapped in flatbread or pita and both have a common ancestor: the doner kebab which is Turkish street food, created during Ottoman times.
But there are some important differences between shawarma and gyro.
Gyros originated in Greece. Gyros are generally made from pork, lamb, and/or beef and are served with a cucumber yogurt sauce called Tzatziki. Gyro meat is usually flavored with Mediterranean spices like oregano, rosemary, thyme, and marjoram.
Shawarma has its origins as a Middle Eastern / Arabic street food and is made from chicken, lamb, or beef. It’s served with a tahini sauce (made from sesame seeds) or garlic sauce. Shawarma meat has very different spices from gyro meat – it’s flavored with spices like cardamom, cinnamon, clove, and coriander.
This delicious chicken shawarma pressure cooker recipe is adapted from a stovetop shawarma recipe I’ve been making for many years. I have family living in the Middle East and was introduced to Arabic food during my visits there.
I feel that my recipe is healthier than what you’d get at a shawarma fast food place because when you make chicken shawarma at home, you don’t get that fat dripping back into the rotisserie meat as you do from a takeout place.
I like to eat Instant Pot chicken shawarma with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, and/or onions. Often times I make this Mediterranean Salad that I like to serve on the side or to fill the shawarma with, instead of lettuce and tomatoes.
The garlic sauce / white sauce recipe that I’ve included in the recipe card is my own concoction that I just kinda made up! I serve it with all kinds of foods including Mexican fish tacos or carnitas.
My kids like to add french fries into the shawarma wrap like some of the street-food doner kebabs we ate during a visit to Istanbul. It’s actually quite good! You could substitute sweet potato fries to make them healthier.
Instant Pot Shawarma can also be served with accompaniments like pickled cucumbers, hummus, tabbouleh, or fatoush (Middle Eastern salads). Try it with this delicious mujadara rice and lentil dish.
Another way of eating the chicken shawarma is as part of a shawarma rice bowl, arranging the toppings side by side. You might like to try using my recipe for Instant Pot rice. If you use the Pot-in-Pot method, you could make both chicken shawarma and rice at the same time.
And here’s a tidbit of trivia for you if you’re a fan of Mexican food: Tacos al Pastor was introduced by Lebanese immigrants to Mexico and is an adaptation of shawarma! It always fascinates me how the foods of the world are so interrelated.
TIPS AND SUBSTITUTIONS
Marination
Although the recipe states that you can marinate the chicken 2 hours to overnight, I’ve made this without any marination ahead of time and the flavor is still amazing.
Chicken
If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you probably know that I prefer to use chicken thighs in general and especially in the pressure cooker. The flavor is much superior to chicken breasts, which have a tendency to dry out. That being said, I’ve had readers who use chicken breast and like the results.
Browning
I like to quickly saute the chicken in a frying pan or cast iron skillet but you don’t need to do that; you can just remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and allow to drain well before placing directly in your pita or flatbread.
Spices
I mix up a larger batch of the dry spices and store them in a bottle in a cool dry place, that way I can save time if I want to make this dish on a busy night.
Grilling
In the summertime, I use the same marinade and make this Instant Pot chicken shawarma by pressure cooking boneless whole chicken thighs for 10 minutes, finishing on a barbeque grill, and slicing into thin strips before assembling the shawarma.
Liquid
Although it might seem that there isn’t enough liquid for the Instant Pot to come to pressure, I’ve never had trouble building pressure in my 6 quart Instant Pot with this recipe.
That being said, if your Instant Pot is picky about the quantity of liquid (eg. some newer model Instant Pots, particularly the 8 quart Instant Pots and burn messages), please add ¼ cup of chicken broth or a little extra yogurt. You might want to increase the quantity of spices if you do that.
FAQs
Double all ingredients but keep the cooking time.
It’s not essential to saute the chicken at the end, but it adds caramelization and flavor. If you have the time, it’s worth it.
Yes, you can use whole thighs or chicken breasts if you wish:
– whole boneless thighs – pressure cook for 9 to 10 minutes
– whole bone-in thighs – 12 to 13 minutes
– whole chicken breast – 8 minutes
– chicken breast (cut into pieces) – 4 to 5 minutes
Feel free to shred the chicken after it’s cooked.
If your Instant Pot is prone to getting the burn message, add an extra ¼ cup of broth before pressure cooking. Also, make sure to deglaze the Instant Pot so that no brown bits are stuck to the bottom of the pot before you pressure cook.
If you’re new to the Instant Pot and aren’t familiar with how to use it, you might find it helpful to first read one of the following guides and then come back here to learn how to make this recipe.
- General Instant Pot Instructions for Beginners
- Instant Pot ULTRA Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO EVO PLUS Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO NOVA Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO GOURMET Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO CRISP Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot PRO Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot PRO CRISP Beginner’s Manual
Instant Pot Chicken Shawarma – Ingredients List
- Chicken
- Cloves
- Coriander
- Yogurt
- Lemon juice
- Paprika
- Nutmeg
- Cinnamon
- Garlic
- Bay leaves
- Cardamom
- Cumin
- Salt
More details in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post
How to Make Chicken Shawarma in the Instant Pot (Step by Step Instructions)
- Marinate chicken
- Add chicken to Instant Pot
- Add remaining ingredients
- Pressure cook
- Release pressure
- Brown chicken
- Simmer to thicken
Marinate chicken
- In a large mixing bowl, combine coriander, cumin, paprika, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, salt, lemon juice, yogurt, and garlic.
- Add chicken to the marinade and stir. Refrigerate for 2 hours to overnight.
Saute chicken and mushrooms
- Transfer chicken to Instant Pot inner pot.
- Add bay leaves and stir to combine.
Instant Pot Duo Pressure Cook 5 minutes
- Close the lid and make sure steam release handle is in Sealing position
- Press Manual (or Pressure Cook) and + or – until the display reads ‘5′ (5 minutes).
Instant Pot Ultra Pressure Cook 5 minutes
- Close the lid.
- Select Pressure Cook mode and adjust the time to 5 minutes (00:05).
- Press Start.
Pressure Cooking Process (Duo and Ultra)
- Instant Pot display will change to On.
- Once the Instant Pot is pressurized, the float valve will go up.
- The display will count down to 0; it will then switch to Keep Warm mode and display ‘L0:00’ or ’00 00′ and begin to count up the number of minutes since pressure cooking completed.
How to Naturally Release Pressure (NPR) on the DUO and ULTRA
- Allow the pressure to release naturally (NPR). The float valve will be in the down position. This may take 15 to 30 minutes. [Find out more about the pressure release methods and how and when to use them. ]
- Press Cancel and open the Instant Pot.
Brown chicken
- Stir up the chicken.
- Using a slotted spoon, drain the chicken well and transfer it to a serving bowl, and discard the sauce.
- Heat some oil in a frying pan or cast iron skillet. Saute the chicken till lightly browned, adding some of the sauce to deglaze and keep the chicken moist.
Assemble the pita
- Lightly heat the pita to make it pliable.
- Spread garlic sauce / white sauce on the pita.
- Add your choice of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions.
- Add chicken on the vegetables.
- Sprinkle with chopped parsley.
- Optional toppings: feta cheese, hummus, pickled cucumbers.
- Roll the pita up tightly.
Instant Pot Chicken Shawarma
Equipment
Ingredients
Chicken Shawarma
- ¼ teaspoon coriander powder
- ¼ teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon cardamom powder
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder or 3-inch piece of cinnamon stick
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves powdered
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ¼ cup yogurt
- 2 tablespoon garlic minced
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs (1 kg) cut into 2 inch strips
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 tablespoon olive oil (for stovetop version, or for optional browning of Instant Pot version)
- Chopped parsley for garnish
- pita to serve
- Toppings: lettuce, tomatoes
- Optional toppings: cucumbers, sliced onions, hummus, feta cheese, pickled cucumbers, french fries or sweet potato fries
Garlic Sauce / White Sauce
- ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt or whole milk yogurt
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- ⅛ teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon garlic minced
- ½ jalapeno pepper chopped finely (optional)
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine coriander, cumin, paprika, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, salt, lemon juice, yogurt, and garlic.
- Add chicken to the marinade and stir. Refrigerate for 2 hours to overnight if you have the time.
Instant Pot Instructions for Shawarma
- Transfer chicken to Instant Pot inner pot.
- Add bay leaves and stir to combine. Close the lid and pressure cook on High Pressure for 5 minutes.
- Allow the pressure to release naturally. If you're in a hurry, do a 10 minute natural pressure release (NPR) i.e. allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, and release remaining pressure using quick release (QR). [Read More: The Different Pressure Release Methods]
- Stir chicken and sauce.
- Transfer chicken to a serving dish using a slotted spoon, draining well.
- Optional but recommended: Heat olive oil in a large frying pan or cast iron skillet. Saute the chicken till lightly browned, adding some of the reserved sauce to deglaze and keep the chicken moist.
Stovetop Instructions for Shawarma
- Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add olive oil. Saute chicken for about 10 minutes, or until chicken browns.
- Transfer chicken to a serving dish.
Garlic Sauce / White Sauce
- Combine all ingredients for garlic sauce / white sauce in a medium bowl.
- Whisk together until smooth and set aside.
Chicken Shawarma Assembly
- If necessary, lightly heat the pita to make it pliable
- Spread garlic sauce/white sauce on the pita
- Add lettuce and tomatoes
- Add your choice of optional toppings
- Add chicken on top
- Garnish with chopped parsley
Notes
- This recipe was tested with a 6 quart Instant Pot.
- Instead of using lettuce and tomatoes, try substituting this Mediterranean Salad.
- See the blog post for more detailed recipe tips.
Nutrition
Thank you for visiting Paint the Kitchen Red. All photos and content are copyright protected. Please don’t use any content without prior written permission. If you’ve made this recipe and would like to share it with your friends, please link back to this recipe. Thank you!
I am not a certified nutritionist. I provide my best estimate of nutritional information merely as a courtesy to my readers. If you depend on nutritional information for dietary or health reasons, I suggest using your favorite online nutrition calculator to confirm the nutritional value of this recipe based on the actual ingredients that you use.
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Some Instant Pot Chicken Recipes
Andy says
I’ve had an IP (6qt crisp w//extra air fry lid) for three years and have made a lot of your recipes, which are so perfectly sequenced and explained that they come out amazing every time even if I have no prior experience with that dish. This is the first IP recipe I’d like to try where the recipe does not call for any liquid in the pot, and it makes me a bit anxious. The official IP instruction book recommends a minimum liquid content for the pressure-cook setting, since it’s the moisture which allows the pot to pressurize. Could you speak to that issue? I often use your recipes as “training wheels” so that after the first time I can start adapting the techniques and tweaking things for other cooking. How do we know when we need liquid to pressurize and avoid burns, and when we can get away without it?
Neena Panicker says
Hi Andy, I can see why you might be nervous. I always tell people to follow the recommendations with the manual especially when they’re first starting out. However, you really can get away with less liquid (Unfortunately some IPs tend to have issues with the burn message.). In this recipe, you get 1/2 cup of liquid from yogurt and lemon juice, plus the chicken will release some liquid. Since you are apprehensive about it, to be extra cautious, maybe you can follow the recipe and add 1/2 cup of broth. The flavor may be diluted a bit, but you can reduce the liquid after cooking. If that works for you, next time, reduce the broth to 1/4 cup. Thank you for reaching out, and I’d love to get an update on how it worked out for you.
Dee says
This is the best recipe for instant pot shawarma with the best marinade and blend of spices.
Neena Panicker says
Dee, thanks for commenting and I’m so glad you like the recipe!
Lily says
This is genuinely one of the best recipes I have ever made. It tastes exactly like what I get at the shawarma shop! I broiled the chicken for a few minutes and added pickled turnip to the wrap. I’m borrowing a friends Instant Pot and this alone has convinced me to buy one! I’ll be keeping this one on regular rotation. Thank you, Neena!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
I’m so glad you chose to try out my recipe! Thank you for the kind words – very much appreciated!
Laura says
Great recipe! Ended up drizzling olive oil on the cooked chicken and popping in the oven to broil, 5-6 minutes on each side. So impressive and easy, thank you!!!!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Laura, thank you! I’m so glad you liked it. I love the flavors of this recipe too.
Stephanie says
This is absolutely delicious. Don’t skip the pan browning at the end – it really helps and the flavor intensifies as you deglaze the pan.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Stephanie, thank you for the feedback – I’m thrilled to hear you loved the recipe – I love the browning of the chicken too!
Theresa J says
Could this be adapted into a freezer meal to prep in advance? If so any suggestions?
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Theresa, I’ve not frozen this particular recipe before but if I were to do it, I’d pressure cook and freeze the chicken and sauce and saute before eating. Let me know if you try it out.
Jackie says
Loved this recipe!! So flavourful and easy to make. I did not have cardamom or coriander and it was still delish! Did not have pitas so I used soft taco shells and that worked just as well. Had lots leftover so we had it a second time served over jasmine rice along with the seasoned broth. Also delish!!
The garlic white sauce as well was very yummy!
Absolutely will be making again. Pretty sure this will be a staple instant pot dinner.
Another side note….I did use boneless, skinless chicken breasts and it was extremely tender.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Jackie, thank you so much for your comment. I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe and were able to make your own substitutions.
Nina says
This is delicious. I will definitely make it again!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Glad to hear it, Nina. Thank you for commenting.
Candace says
The flavour was wonderful! It was enough for dinner for 5 of us. If I were to double this recipe, would I need to add time to the instant pot?
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Candace, thank you for your question. No, you would keep the cooking time the same if you double the recipe.
Dhanya says
Hi Neena,
I finally got down to trying this today, and the chicken was fabulous. I was tired after grinding some of the while spices and prepping the chicken, so I didn’t make the white sauce. The chicken was nice and flavorful and was nice even plain with ghee rice. Thank you!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Dhanya, great to hear from you. I appreciate you taking the time to comment and let me know that you liked the recipe. The white sauce adds extra flavor but not essential 🙂
Linda says
I’ve made this a few times and everyone loves it. It’s replaced our favourite oven shawarma recipe.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Linda, that’s so great to hear! I love the how moist the chicken is with this method.
Amanda Becerra says
Great recipe! I don’t think I will pan fry again (just to save time and cleaning) but I could totally see doing this on the grill one day. I have an 8qt IP, I added the 1/4 cup chicken stock just in case but probably didn’t need to. I served with taziki sauce, feta, onion, tomato, and cilantro. Definitely a keeper and a great meal prep recipe!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thank you, Amanda. I’m so glad that you enjoyed the recipe 🙂