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    Home » Recipes » Gluten-Free Appetizers

    Published: Apr 13, 2020 · Modified: Jun 2, 2022 by Jen Wooster

    Shawarma Chicken Wings

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    chicken shawarma pinterest graphic

    Crispy oven-baked chicken shawarma wing recipe is served with our favorite garlicky lemon coriander sauce. Perfect for game day or an easy weeknight dinner.

    shawarma chicken lemon garlic sauce on plate

    Please read the entire post for tips and tricks to ensure a perfect recipe every time. And don't forget to tag @peelwithzeal on Instagram so we can admire your creation!

    This post may include affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

    Over the last few months, we have been making a simple grilled chicken shawarma recipe. And while it was nice it was a tad boring. We were out of chicken breast so I used our marinade on wings and this recipe was born. I used the baking powder trick to get the wings nice and crispy without frying them.

    Jump to:
    • Shawarma Spice Rub
    • How to Make Crispy Oven Baked Wings
    • Should You Bake Wings on a Wire Rack or Directly on the Pan
    • What to Serve with Wings
    • 📖 Recipe
    • ⭐Reviews

    Shawarma Spice Rub

    There is a lot of debate about what is traditional in shawarma. A Middle Eastern spice blend, of course, has many of the spices you might associate with Turkish or Arab foods. Cumin, coriander, and turmeric. And that is where recipes deviate.

    In our recipe, the shawarma spice rub contains cumin, coriander, turmeric, garlic powder, cinnamon, a pinch of clove and black pepper for heat. It is also common to see allspice, cayenne or paprika.

    While these are all staples in our house I find the allspice gives too much 'pumpkin pie spice' feeling when combined with cinnamon. And the paprika turns the chicken orange while being overwhelmed by the stronger turmeric and coriander flavors so we skip it.

    As for the cayenne... we love spicy foods but we liked that these wings are not spicy. It is a nice change from the typical buffalo chicken wing.

    This is a great game day recipe for a crowd so I sticking with black pepper makes in universally appealing. But by all means, give it a try if you like things on the spicy side!

    How to Make Crispy Oven Baked Wings

    Making crispy oven baked wings is easy, but preparing the chicken properly is the most important part of the process.

    Brine Your Chicken Wings

    While not technically required, we highly recommend that you brine your chicken wings. Brining ensures the meat stays juicy, which is important when cooking such small pieces at high temperatures.

    Read more about why you should brine and a tutorial here.

    Thoroughly Dry for Crispy Skin

    Next, line a sheet pan with paper towels and lay out the drained wings. Gently pat them dry. We recommend giving them a few extra minutes to dry out. Even if you skip the brine you need to pat the wings dry.

    Crispy wings start with dry skin. Additionally, the spice rub will adhere better to dry chicken skin.

    Prepare the Dry Rub

    Combine the dry spices with the baking powder in a Ziploc style bag or a large mixing bowl. Thoroughly coat the chicken wings with the dry rub. Discard any excess rub.

    shawarma spices, breading chicken wings
    How to Make Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Wings

    Bake the Chicken Wings

    Preheat the oven to 450 F degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment (or foil) spread the wings evenly on the sheet and bake for 25-35 minutes. Turning halfway through.

    The baking powder in the dry rub begins the break down the peptide bonds on the skin and jumpstarting the browning process, meaning the wings will get crispier faster.

    Wings are done when they reach an internal temperature of 165 F and the outside is brown and crispy.

    Make Your Dipping Sauce

    While the chicken wings are baking, make the dipping sauce. The sauce gets better over time so making in advance is also an option.

    Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Spin for 60-90 seconds. Add salt and pepper to taste.

    shawarma sauce ingredients laid out

    Should You Bake Wings on a Wire Rack or Directly on the Pan

    There has been a lot of information lately on Pinterest and around the internet saying that baking on a wire rack yields a crispier baked wing.

    I tested this recipe with the chicken wing on a wire rack and directly on the baking sheet. I found that when coated with baking powder the direct contact with the baking sheet creates the crispiest chicken skin.

    Also, the parchment paper isn't necessary it makes the clean up the tumeric from the dry rub much easier. It doesn't affect the crispiness of the wing.

    What to Serve with Wings

    In addition to serving with our lemon and coriander yogurt dipping sauce, we like to add pickled watermelon radishes and carrot sticks to the mix.

    Looking to serve this for dinner? Our recommended side dishes are this Persian saffron rice and garlic green beans.

    If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave us a rating or a comment. It helps other wonderful people connect with our food.

    📖 Recipe

    shawarma chicken wings and yogurt sauce on plate

    Shawarma Chicken Wings

    Recipe Created By: Jen Wooster
    Easy and flavorful chicken wings- shawarma style!
    5 from 20 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save RecipeSaved!
    Prep Time 5 mins
    Cook Time 20 mins
    Total Time 25 mins
    Course Appetizer, Dinner, Main Course
    Cuisine Game Day, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern
    Servings 4 servings
    Calories 326 kcal

    Equipment

    • Sheet pan

    Ingredients
      

    Chicken Wings

    • 2 lb chicken wings
    • 1 tablespoon baking powder
    • 2 teaspoon cumin
    • 2 teaspoon turmeric powder
    • 2 teaspoon ground coriander
    • 2 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
    • 1 teaspoon black pepper
    • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • ¼ pinch ground clove

    Lemon & Coriander Dip

    • 1 cup greek yogurt
    • 2 tablespoon shallot, chopped
    • 1 clove garlic, chopped
    • 2 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
    • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
    • kosher salt and pepper

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 450 F degrees. (see notes for grilling instructions).
    • Using a paper towel blot chicken wings dry. Combine baking powder and spices in a ziploc bag or large bowl. Toss chicken wings in spice mixture to coat evenly.
      shawarma spices, breading chicken wings
    • Prepare a large sheet pan by covering with foil and spraying with cooking spray. Place chicken on a sheet pan and bake 25-35 minutes turning halfway through. The chicken should reach 165 degrees and be crispy on the outside.

    Lemon & Coriander Dip

    • Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Spin for 60-90 seconds. Add salt and pepper to taste.
      shawarma sauce ingredients laid out

    Serving

    • Place chicken wings on a platter. Serve with dip on the side.
      shawarma chicken lemon garlic sauce on plate

    Video

    Notes

    Grilling Instructions
    • Preheat gas grill on medium high heat
    • Place chicken on grill and turn down to medium
    • Cook chicken,flipping halfway through, until chicken reaches 165 degrees (about 12-14 minutes)
    Dairy Free Lemon & Coriander Dip
    • Substitute dairy-free (plain unsweetened) yogurt 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 326kcal | Carbs: 7g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 20g | Fiber: 1g
    Keyword chicken marinade, Chicken Shawarma, game day, persian, tumeric, wings
    Tried this recipe?Tag us @peelwithzeal so we can see your creation!

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Pauline toh says

      September 09, 2020 at 4:53 am

      Can I ask if half the recipe , cooking time i reduce ok? Then do I have to kinda marinate for an hour or so? Mine doesn’t turn out as crispy as I only use about 15-18mins. Could it be my timing or my baking powder not as fresh ? Overall it was tasty

      Reply
      • Jen says

        September 09, 2020 at 9:55 pm

        5 stars
        Fresh baking powder does matter. Cooking time will be the same regardless of the batch size.

        Reply
    2. Jen says

      May 29, 2020 at 11:22 pm

      5 stars
      Made these the other day & they were FABULOUS!! We grilled them & so I didn't add the baking powder. I also changed up some of the spices due to what I had on hand. Bottom line is that this is an amazingly versatile recipe that we are going to ear again & again!! Thanks for sharing!!

      Reply
      • Jen says

        May 31, 2020 at 8:18 am

        5 stars
        Thanks for commenting. So glad you enjoyed them!!!

        Reply
    3. Jo says

      May 18, 2020 at 4:22 am

      5 stars
      That is by far the most delicious chicken wings I've seen in some time! Shawarma flavors are amazing and love how crispy those wings turn out!

      Reply
    4. Lori | The Kitchen Whisperer says

      May 17, 2020 at 3:24 pm

      5 stars
      These look INCREDIBLE! I love shawarma flavors so much but I rarely make it as it's just me who likes it. I have all of the ingredients on hand and am making these tomorrow. They look crazy good!

      Reply
      • Jen says

        May 18, 2020 at 8:02 am

        5 stars
        We hope you enjoy them!

        Reply
    5. Marisa F. Stewart says

      May 17, 2020 at 2:09 pm

      5 stars
      Lucky for us we have two bags of chicken wings in the freezer. We didn't want to fry them so this recipe is ideal for them. Love the shawarma spice - it will go perfectly with that creamy dip.

      Reply
    6. Pam Greer says

      May 16, 2020 at 1:29 pm

      5 stars
      These wings are so delicious! We also use the flavorful dipping sauce for everything!

      Reply
      • Jen says

        May 17, 2020 at 8:55 am

        5 stars
        Glad you enjoyed!

        Reply
    7. Kelly Anthony says

      May 15, 2020 at 8:14 am

      5 stars
      Baked wings are one of our favorite meals to make at home. I'm excited to try a new spice blend and sauce to dip these delicious wings in.

      Reply
    8. Jacque Hastert says

      May 14, 2020 at 2:00 pm

      5 stars
      These look fantastic! I love how crispy they turn out and are loaded with flavor!

      Reply
    9. Bernice Hill says

      May 14, 2020 at 1:16 am

      5 stars
      Wow!! As I read your description, my mouth automatically started drooling! Love all these flavours and if I can get my hands on some wings, I'm definitely going to give this recipe a try. Pinning for later.

      Reply
    10. Swathi says

      April 15, 2020 at 7:26 pm

      5 stars
      Chicken wings looks crispy and delicious I love those spice rub so much versatile.

      Reply
    11. Cheese Curd In Paradise says

      April 14, 2020 at 3:46 pm

      5 stars
      The spice mixture sounds amazing and these wings look so crisp and delicious. I love the sound of that sauce with the citrus as well!

      Reply
    12. Pavani says

      April 13, 2020 at 10:37 pm

      5 stars
      Wow, your chicken wings look so crispy and love that spicy and delicious looking crust. Shawarma spice blend sounds flavorful and exotic 🙂 Beautiful recipe!!

      Reply
      • Jen says

        April 14, 2020 at 8:25 am

        5 stars
        Thanks so much!

        Reply

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    Welcome Friends!

    picture of Jen

    My name is Jen and I am the recipe developer, writer, and photographer around here. Since being diagnosed with celiac disease over 10 years ago I have been slowly curating a recipe box full of gluten-free goodness. I adore vegetables, crave chocolate, and I am always up for an adventure.

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