Home / Lebanese Recipes / Lebanese Shish Tawook Chicken

Lebanese Shish Tawook Chicken

Liz DellaCroce Avatar

LIZ DELLA CROCE

Updated:

Jump to Recipe


Shish Tawook chicken, a traditional Lebanese dish, becomes juicy and tender from a simple marinade of fresh lemon juice and garlic. The perfect healthy, low carb chicken dinner recipe.

Forkful of Lebanese shish tawook chicken.

If I could eat one food every single day for the rest of my life, it would be Lebanese food, without a doubt. Shish Tawook Chicken (also spelled shish taouk), a native dish of Lebanon and Syria, is marinated chicken breasts that are typically grilled on skewers. It’s delicious with Lebanese Rice Pilaf, a big Syrian Salad, wrapped in pita with a side of Traditional Hummus. You can even make it with shrimp in the air fryer! Since we live in Michigan where the grill is covered in snow 75% of the year, for most of the year we sauté the chicken in a pan with a little olive oil. I’ve also broiled the chicken in the oven which works well, too.

Why You’ll Love this Shish Tawook Chicken

  • It uses only 5 simple ingredients, that you likely already have!
  • A great lean source of protein that the whole family will like.
  • Tastes great on its own, but is great in salads or wraps in pita bread. Easy meal prep!

Ingredients

  • Chicken breasts: Large, moist, and meaty part of the chicken that is easily accessible and affordable. Chicken thighs would work as well.
  • Lemon juice: Bright and acidic, it works as a great natural tenderizer for meat.
  • Lemon zest: Fresh, intense citrus flavor without any of the bitterness.
  • Garlic: Nutty, earthy, and strong flavor that pairs well with lemon.
  • Olive oil: A great addition to any marinade to add volume to help coat the chicken.

How to Make Shish Tawook Chicken

Step 1. Start your Shish Tawook Chicken by using a microplane to freshly grate your garlic into a large bowl.

Step 2. Drizzle in some olive oil.

Step 3. Use a zester or microplane to freshly zest one lemon into the mix.

Step 4. Once the lemon has been zested, juice it and add it to the bowl.

Add in some salt and pepper for taste, then give it a little whisk.

Step 5. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Step 6. Once the marinade is made, take your chicken breast and cut them into cubes.

Step 7. Add your cubed chicken to the bowl, and stir until evenly coated in the marinade. Let sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Step 8. When ready to cook, preheat a large skillet over medium high heat and add a bit of olive oil. Add the chicken along with any remaining juices, and cook until golden browned.

Lebanese shish tawook chicken.

Serve your Lebanese Shish Tawook Chicken garnished with fresh parsley, and enjoy!

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between chicken shawarma and chicken tawook?

The biggest difference is that chicken shawarma uses warmer spices, and usually more of them than chicken tawook.

Is shish tawook healthy?

It’s relatively low in calories and fat, making it a great healthy recipe to add to your dinner rotation.

How do you store leftover tawook chicken?

Kept in an airtight container in the fridge, leftovers will keep for up to 4 days.

More Lebanese Recipes

Eat It, Like It, Share it!

Did you try this recipe and love it? The next time you make it, snap a picture and share it to your socials! Tag @thelemonbowl and #thelemonbowl so we can admire and share your meal.

Liz eating Lebanese shish tawook chicken.

If you need some inspiration, leftover Shish Tawook Chicken tastes delicious wrapped in a pita with cucumber laban and hummus. Let me know how you like it in the comments!

Your fork is waiting.

Shish Tawook Chicken

4.79 stars average
Shish tawook, a traditional Lebanese dish, becomes juicy and tender from a simple marinade of fresh lemon juice and garlic.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 7 minutes
Total Time 17 minutes
Serves4
CourseMain Dish
Calories160

Ingredients
 
 

  • 20 ounces boneless skinless chicken breasts – cut in cubes
  • 1 juice and zest of lemon
  • 2 cloves garlic grated
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • fresh parsley to serve

Instructions
 

  1. Place chicken breasts cubes in a glass bowl or large resealable plastic bag.
    20 ounces boneless
  2. Add lemon juice, zest, grated garlic, salt and pepper to the chicken toss until chicken is evenly coated with marinade. Refrigerate for 20 minutes or up to overnight.
    1 juice and zest of lemon, 2 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  3. Heat pan over medium-high heat and add olive oil. Add chicken to the pan along with all of the marinade. Sauté chicken, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, about 5-7 minutes.
    1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  4. Serve with fresh minced parsley on top.
    fresh parsley to serve

Nutrition

Calories: 160kcalCarbohydrates: 1.5gProtein: 28.8gFat: 5.3gSaturated Fat: 0.4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4.9gCholesterol: 75mgSodium: 869mgFiber: 0.1gSugar: 0.4g

Have you tried this?

Let us know how it was!

4.79 from 46 votes (29 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *






This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.


84 responses to “Lebanese Shish Tawook Chicken”

  1. Carol at Wild Goose Tea Avatar
    Carol at Wild Goose Tea

    I with the other responders. The color and the flavor make this both a fun and tasty dish. Good job.

    1. Liz DellaCroce Avatar
      Liz DellaCroce

      Thank you so much Carol!

  2. Melissa @ Bless this Mess Avatar
    Melissa @ Bless this Mess

    Made this last night because I had everything on hand. It was super easy and really tasty! Adding it to my list of go-tos! I have no idea what it should be served with so we just had it with roasted beets, corn on the cop, fresh peaches, and some fresh bread. I’m sure that’s not traditional but it was awesome!

    1. Liz DellaCroce Avatar
      Liz DellaCroce

      Oh I’m so thrilled you made it and enjoyed it Melissa!! And I LOVE what you served it with!! We typically serve it with salad and rice but honestly your menu sounds even better this time of year!

  3. Phi @ The Sweetphi Blog Avatar
    Phi @ The Sweetphi Blog

    WOW! This lebanese chicken is calling my name! No, really, did you hear that? lol! Definitely am going to be making this asap, all the lebanese recipes I’ve made from you are so good!

    1. Liz DellaCroce Avatar
      Liz DellaCroce

      haha I do hear it! MAKE ME! PHI! MAKE ME!

  4. Cookin Canuck Avatar
    Cookin Canuck

    I made this for dinner last night – a double batch, in fact! We loved the tang of the chicken and I appreciated how quick and easy it was. I did add a few shakes of red pepper flakes because my family enjoys a bit of heat. Otherwise we followed the directions exactly. The leftovers would be fantastic on a salad or in a pita with tomatoes and cucumber. Thank you for such a great recipe, Liz!

    1. Liz DellaCroce Avatar
      Liz DellaCroce

      This comment has made my day, Dara! And I’m laughing to myself because in all truth, I almost always add chili flakes too!!! Or sriracha. ;) Too funny!! Glad you enjoyed it! Hopefully you have some leftovers for a pita today with hummus. :)

  5. Lisa @ The Meaning of Me Avatar
    Lisa @ The Meaning of Me

    You speak my husband’s language with this one! His absolute favorite dish from a local Middle Eastern restaurant we love is shish tawook. If I made it at home? He’ll be in heaven. Not sure why I never did, but he’ll be thrilled if I add this to the rotation. This looks great and I have to admit I’d do it just to get the leftovers with labneh on pita – yum!

    1. Liz DellaCroce Avatar
      Liz DellaCroce

      Oh my gosh I hope he loves it!!!! Yay!! And yes, I ALWAYS make a double batch for the sandwich the next day!

      1. Lisa @ The Meaning of Me Avatar
        Lisa @ The Meaning of Me

        The Hub and Kidzilla loved this. So easy and so good…I think this will end up a regular item on our rotation. Leftovers tonight!

        1. Liz DellaCroce Avatar
          Liz DellaCroce

          Oh I’m so thrilled!! Thanks for reporting back!

  6. Cookin Canuck Avatar
    Cookin Canuck

    I need something simple, healthy and tasty for dinner tonight. This is what I’m making! I’ll be sure to report back. :)

    1. Liz DellaCroce Avatar
      Liz DellaCroce

      I can’t wait to hear what you think! We eat this at least once a week. :)

  7. Gaby Avatar
    Gaby

    This looks amazing! I need to make it soon!

  8. Courtney @ Neighborfood Avatar
    Courtney @ Neighborfood

    I can’t wait to try this! I love Lebanese food and this sounds like such a great weeknight meal. Pinning for later!

    1. Liz DellaCroce Avatar
      Liz DellaCroce

      Let me know what you think!!

  9. Sophia @ NY Foodgasm Avatar
    Sophia @ NY Foodgasm

    Add lemon to almost anything and I will be happy! This sounds amazing and I totally share your love of lemon!

    1. Liz DellaCroce Avatar
      Liz DellaCroce

      That is the absolute truth. Thank you Sophia!!

  10. Lauren @ Climbing Grier Mountain Avatar
    Lauren @ Climbing Grier Mountain

    The first sentence of this post is why you are the COOLEST person ever!!!

    1. Liz DellaCroce Avatar
      Liz DellaCroce

      Aww I heart you!!!