Chicken Shawarma

Shawarma, like its Greek counterpart Gyro, means turn.  They are named after the method of meat(s) spinning slowly on a vertical spit with a heat source on one side.  Fat is mixed in with the meat so it is a self basting method similar to a rotisserie.  Both methods lend themselves to even cooking with a crispy surface covering a meltingly tender interior.  The surface is shaved off in stages making for a popular "fast food" found just about everywhere these days.

Shawama is different from the Gyro in that it is more flexible.  Gyro's are made from a specific recipe containing lamb, beef, or more likely, a mixture of the two.  This is chicken Shawarma.

I started with 6 pounds boned and skinned chicken thighs spiced with lemon juice, toasted coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cinnamon stick, black peppercorns, cloves, nutmeg, allspice berries, green cardamom, paprika, turmeric, white pepper, salt, EVOO, Greek Yogurt and garlic paste.  This was threaded onto a vertical skewer and tightly wrapped with plastic wrap to marinate overnight in my fridge.  Next day it was placed on my ceramic cooker at 325F.  My vertical skewer doesn't spin but it does a fairly good job of mimicking the process.

Lamb fat is usually added but I've never been a huge fan of lamb so I added much of the chicken skin to the skewer to render fat as the chicken cooks.  Lemon water is in the stainless steel drip pan.

2 hours in

3 hrs in and it has an internal temp of 167F.  Done, and pictured below after the first shaving.

I had planned on making up some Lebanese bread for this but ended up serving it on naan bread with pickled carrot slivers, chopped romaine, tomaahtos and garlicky toum sauce made with a base of Greek yogurt. This was very good. I'm going to have to order a longer vertical spit cause 6lbs of chicken thighs vanished in a couple of minutes.