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. There’s no need for takeout!
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I’m a huge fan of gyros and shawarmas – delicious street food sandwiches with tender meat wrapped in pita. While both originated from the Turkish doner kebab, they’re quite different.
Gyros are Greek, typically made with pork or lamb and served with tzatziki and Mediterranean herbs.
Shawarma is Middle Eastern, made with chicken, lamb, or beef, and features spices like cardamom, cinnamon, and coriander. It’s traditionally served with tahini or garlic sauce.
I adapted this Chicken shawarma Instant Pot recipe from a stovetop version I’ve made for years after being introduced to Arabic food through family in the Middle East. Making it at home is healthier than takeout, with no fat dripping back into the meat from a rotisserie.
I love serving this with fresh vegetables, my Mediterranean Salad, and the garlic sauce I created (which I also use on fish tacos!)
My kids add French fries to their wraps, Istanbul-style – it’s surprisingly delicious, or try sweet potato fries for a healthier twist.
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.
Fun fact: If you love tacos al pastor, you’re already a shawarma fan—it was created by Lebanese immigrants to Mexico as an adaptation of shawarma! I love how world cuisines are all interconnected.
➡ Serve this recipe as part of a mezze platter with traditional sides like hummus, baba ganoush, roasted red pepper dip, Middle Eastern potatoes, Lebanese or Turkish green beans, or Lebanese lentils and rice.
Ingredients and Tips
🧂 Ingredients for Chicken Shawarma
💡 Chicken Shawarma Instant Pot Recipe Tips
⏰ Marination: My recipe calls for marinating for 2 hours to overnight, but I’ve made this without any advance marination, and the flavor is still great!
🍗 Chicken: I prefer to use chicken thighs, especially in the pressure cooker – they’re far more flavorful than breasts, which tend to dry out. However, my readers report good results with chicken breast, too.
🍳 Browning: I prefer to quickly sauté the chicken in a nonstick frying pan or cast iron skillet after it’s pressure-cooked, but you can skip this step. Just remove chicken with a slotted spoon, drain well, and place directly in pita or flatbread.
🌶️ Spice Mix: Make a larger batch of dry spices and store in a bottle in a cool, dry place. Saves time on busy nights!
🔥 Grilling Option: In the summer, use the same marinade and pressure cook whole boneless thighs for 10 minutes. Finish on the grill, slice into thin strips, and assemble shawarma. The grill gives it another dimension of flavor.
💧 Liquid: The recipe has enough liquid to come to pressure in my 6-quart Instant Pot. However, if your Instant Pot is prone to getting the burn error, add ¼ cup chicken broth or extra yogurt. Increase spices accordingly.
❓ 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 bite-size 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.
⏲️ How to Make Instant Pot Chicken Shawarma
- 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. Marinate for 2 hours to overnight.
- Transfer chicken to Instant Pot inner pot. Add bay leaves and stir to combine.
- Add ¼ cup chicken broth if your Instant Pot is prone to getting the burn message. I do not use any broth and my Instant Pot seals up just fine.
- Close the lid.
- Select Pressure Cook mode and cook on high pressure for 5 minutes.
- The display will go from On to 5:00. The float valve will go up after a few minutes. The display will count down to 00:00.
- Do a natural release of pressure or a 15-minute natural release. Once the float valve goes down, the lid can be opened.
- 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. Sauté the chicken till lightly browned, adding some of the sauce to deglaze and keep the chicken moist.
- Serve as a wrap or in a rice bowl. For a pita wrap, 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.
⏲️ Stovetop Chicken Shawarma
- Marinate the chicken for 2 hours to overnight.
- Sauté the chicken in a heavy-bottomed skillet until the chicken is browned, about 10 minutes.
See the recipe card below for detailed instructions.
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 ¼ teaspoon coriander powder, ¼ teaspoon cumin powder, ½ teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon cardamom powder, ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, 1 ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ cup lemon juice, ¼ cup yogurt, and 2 tablespoon garlic.
- Add the 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs 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 2 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 3 tablespoon 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. Add the chicken with the marinade to the pan. Saute 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.
Nutrition
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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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Ellen says
I made this tonight and it was delicious. I had only about 1/2 hour to marinate and it came out great. i did not use the white sauce, instead used Tzatziki and it was a great and authentic addition to the wrap. I also poured off and reserved some of the cooking lliquid after NPR, leaving a little, and sautéed and deglazed right in the instant pot and the chicken was moist and tasty.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thanks Ellen, for sharing your modifications. Tzatziki sauce is great. And sauteing in the Instant Pot is a great option too.
Johanna says
I made this last night and I believe it will become a regular in our house. My husband and I have been so sad ever since a great shawarma restaurant near our house got turned into a French restaurant.
I marinated the chicken for about a day prior and I think it really helped to keep it moist and full of flavor. Followed the recipe exactly afterwards and my house was so fragrant! My kids didn’t like the white sauce, but they ate some of the marinated chicken with pita, veggies and hummus. I also added sweet potato fries. The dinner was fantastic. I’m so happy I found your blog, thank you!
Steve says
I’ve made this recipe twice. I’ve had some really good shawarma and this is highly comparable. Letting it marinate over overnight makes a world of difference. This recipe is now going to be in permanent meal rotation at our house. We like ours with a hot sauce. Thanks for the awesome recipe.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thank you Steve! I agree that marination for at least a few hours is always best. So glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Jennifer says
I’m super excited to try this recipe since my significant other and I really enjoy Chicken Shawarma at restaurants. I do have a question though, do you think the recipe would still be ok if I used dairy free yogurt? I’m lactose intolerant so when we eat it out at a restaurant I just take a pill so the dairy doesn’t effect me. I’d prefer not to do that at home if I don’t have to and can make the food myself. There are some really good coconut milk based yogurts out there but I don’t know if they would work as a substitute.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Jennifer, do you use dairy free yogurt in other pressure cooker recipes? If you do, then I see no reason you wouldn’t be able to substitute. However, I’m not sure what happens to those yogurts when you pressure cook them, so I can’t say for sure – I would try it out with a small amount first so you don’t waste in case it doesn’t work out. Thanks for your question.
Amy says
This was DELICIOUS! The only thing I changed was that I added some turmeric and did not make the sauce. We ate it with hummus, cucumbers, tomatoes, and thinly sliced sweet onion. So good!!!!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thanks, Amy! I’m glad you liked the recipe – it’s great for a leftover lunch too or on a salad!
Andrew says
Hi there, would this work with chicken breast as well?
Thank you it looks great!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Andrew, I’m not a fan of cooking chicken breast in the Instant Pot because it is a lean meat and the IP is best for meats with some degree of fat 🙂 However, since the chicken is submerged in liquid I think you can use chicken breast and pressure cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Hope you like it.
Missy says
I’m part of a freezer meal group. Could I make this ahead of time, freezer it and then Instapot it at a later date. I would be freezing the raw chicken with the marinade.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Missy – my only concern would be freezing the yogurt. Frozen and thawed yogurt can have a watery consistency but since you’re cooking it anyway maybe it would be okay?
CarS says
I made this tonight and it was really very good. I had no issues with it coming up to pressure or cooking it for the amount of time as written.
When it was done cooking in the IP I browned it in a cast iron skillet for about 5 min to give it some crusty texture. Then I put it on a bed of hummus and added tomatoes and shredded lettuce. The house smells like a Greek restaurant for an added bonus. Thank you for sharing this much healthier version as the one I had previously called for using 1/2 c of oil to marinate. Your recipe was just as tender and flavorful. ! 😁💜
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thank you for your kind comment – I do love the aroma of the spices in this recipe too.
Debra Daniel says
Hey,
Thank you for shawarma recipe, I really really like the way you explained it, Me and my family like shawarma when we ate it in asian restaurant so i’m going to try this one in upcoming weekend where we set together once in a week so this will be amazing can you please tell me if i use persian saffron in it ? Because i have purchased saffron in good saffron price that is why thinking to make a twist in it, this will be perfect or not give me some suggestion.
Thanks
Debra
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Debra, any type of saffron would work. Hope you like the recipe!
HeathenIbis says
Do you have a hot sauce recipe that could go with this? Every chicken shwarma I’ve had in the Middle East had a spicy red sauce as an option and we like our food really spicy.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
One of my favorite sauces is harissa sauce, which is a red pepper and chili hot sauce. It’s quite spicy and yummy! Mina’s Harissa sauce is the brand that I find in my local grocery store.
suja md says
Great, this is the recipe I have searched for a long time. The easiest and with the ingredients which are available to me. And to use my instant pot is perfect. I started loving shwarma after I had it in Dubai. This is the closet recipe which I was looking for. Glad I find it at last.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Suja – I’m really glad you liked it; I have family in Dubai too 🙂
Shashi at SavorySpin says
Just reading through your recipe is making my mouth water! I spent my teen years in Abu Dhabi and grew to LOVE chicken shawarma – its been so long since I had it and now I need to go get me an Instant Pot! It was good to chat with you at the conference this past weekend – even though it was for a few seconds – looking forward to meeting you again and chatting more!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Shashi – so great to meet you too! Hopefully next time we’ll be able to chat some more. This recipe is adapted from my stovetop version, so you can do it on the stove too 🙂 I’m looking forward to trying out some of yours!
Ducky L. says
Delicious! My four year old had three servings of this dish. Thank you for sharing it.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Yippee – pleasing a four-year-old is a true seal of approval! Thank you for letting me know.
Kat says
THIS WAS AMAZING! I have 2 teenagers who eat me out of house and home. I made an 8 pound batch in my instapot. Used limes instead of lemons, because that is what I had. My boys polished off all of it in 2 days!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Kat, can definitely relate!! When all three of mine are at home, I have to cook more and no leftovers! Great to hear that you were able to scale the recipe. Thanks for your comment!
Cory Snider says
Easy to read, large graphics, right to the point. Excellent work!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thank you Cory! Hope you like the recipe.
zouhair fiorino najjar says
Awesome recipe..recipe saved and posted to all my sites on social media..pleased to follow you on Facebook..Twitter…instagram..
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thank you Zouhair – that’s so nice of you. I’m so glad you liked it!
Ele says
Maybe it’s just me, but 5 minutes wasn’t enough to bring the chicken’s temperature to 165°. I added 20 minutes. Something to consider.
Ele says
You forgot to mention that the instant pot needs at least 1 cup of water in order for pressure to build.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi there Ele, the quantity of liquid an Instant Pot requires to come to pressure can vary from model to model. You will need to add the quantity that’s right for you. It’s not essential for the liquid to be water – the yogurt and lemon juice work just as well. My Instant Pot comes to pressure with the ingredients that I’ve listed in the recipe but your Instant Pot may require additional yogurt or broth, as I mention in the Tips section.
sandra says
I made this recipe last night in a 6 quart duo instant pot. I followed the recipe as written. My pot would not seal! It hissed and hissed and steamed. I cancelled and added a 1/4 cup of chicken broth as noted. Tried again, no luck. I opened it again and the chicken was cooked so I put it on a sheet pan under the broiler, basting with the an juices until it was browned. I think the problem is because (and I missed this) that when waiting for pressure the first time, most of the liquid had boiled off leaving a little bit of a browned area at the bottom of the pot. The 1/4 cup of broth wasn’t enough to get me back on track.
I assembled as described and it was delicious!!
Anyway, I will make this again, but saute on the stovetop & use the broiler again
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Sandra – good point, you probably needed more liquid. Glad it worked in the end. It is easy enough on the stovetop too. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Tricia Morris says
I can’t wait to try this recipe tonight with all of those fabulous spices! Thank you for all the great tips. I’ve started using chicken thighs for everything because of your use of it in recipes and the fact that it turns out perfectly every time. Thank you for your hard work developing recipes with wonderful step by step photos and tips. Much appreciated!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Tricia – that’s so nice of you to say – thank you! It’s my pleasure to share these recipes with you.