Slow Cooker Chicken Shawarma Pitas with Cucumber Yogurt Sauce are so healthy and easy to make, you will be making this chicken dinner recipe again and again!
Although I use my slow cooker all year round, I have been using it almost 3-4 nights a week this winter with our grill completely covered in snow. With the high energy of the #HealthyNewYear challenge in full force, I have been meal planing consistently throughout the month of January which means my slow cooker is getting a lot of extra attention!
Of course, just like all of you, I am always looking for more fast and easy slow cooker chicken recipes. Since my family loves eating Beef Shawarma with Cucumber Yogurt Sauce in the summer months I decided to find a way to enjoy shawarma without the help of my trusty grill.
We happened to have a pack of Kroger Simple Truth boneless, skinless chicken breasts on hand but you could certainly swap it out with chicken thighs, pork shoulder or even a beef chuck roast. The real star of the dish is the fragrant yogurt marinade filled with warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and all-spice.
These slow cooker chicken shawarma pitas are topped with a cool and creamy cucumber yogurt sauce, tomato slices and red onions. Make an extra batch and use leftover shredded chicken for salads, soups, pastas, tacos and more. The options are truly endless.
Your fork is waiting.
Slow Cooker Chicken Shawarma Pitas
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups whole milk plain yogurt
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- ½ teaspoon cayenne optional
- 1 lemon juiced about ¼ cup
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- whole wheat pita pockets
- Cucumber Laban sliced tomatoes and sliced red onion – to serve, Lebanese Yogurt Sauce
Instructions
- Place the yogurt, chicken broth, spices and lemon juice in the slow cooker insert and whisk well.
- Add chicken to the slow cooker and toss to coat with the spiced yogurt mixture.
- Heat on low for four hours or high for two hours. Shred chicken and and stuff inside pita pockets. Serve with Cucumber Laban , tomato and onion slices
Chef’s Notes
Nutrition
More Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes are waiting for you on Pinterest!
Emily
Let me preface by saying as a fellow American with Lebanese heritage, I have SO many recipes of yours pinned to try! I tried this in the crockpot and the results were a bit disappointing. I used Greek yogurt, so I’m not sure if that made a difference, and the 2 tbsp of cinnamon seemed a bit high compared to your grilled shawarma recipe, but I decided to try it as written. The yogurt curdled and made it all rather unappetizing, and the cinnamon was just too much. I’m going to try the marinated version instead and see how that goes! My husband loves shawarma so I’m always on the hunt for the best recipe!
Liz DellaCroce
Hi Emily – Greek yogurt is the culprit I’m afraid. You’ll notice I never use it in Lebanese recipes as it’s not really an ingredient in Middle Eastern cooking. Greek yogurt is delicious but I prefer it with granola or in smoothies. You’ll want to use Plain yogurt (ideally whole milk) – NOT Greek yogurt. The issue with greek yogurt is that it’s a completely different texture and 100x more acidic. The cinnamon helps balance the acid and chicken broth but you do need a good amount of cinnamon as plain chicken breasts are quite bland. Of course though you’re welcome to make this recipe your own – for example, i like to add a bit more cayenne for a kick of heat!! Have you tried any of mny other recipes yet?? I highly recommend the Lebanese Green Beans and Beef! https://thelemonbowl.com/slow-cooked-lebanese-green-beans-and-beef/
Nika
So I followed the recipe to the Tee however I tripled it using 5lbs of chicken instead. The first day it came out it tasted amazing all with that tangy taste shawerma has. The next day, I don’t know what happened, but the dish became so spicy it was overbearing and impossible to eat. Maybe my rating is undeserved and I’m sorry. Maybe it’s a dish I have to eat right away. I’m not sure.
Liz DellaCroce
Hi Nika, I’m a little confused – you said the flavor turned from mild to spicy as it sat in your fridge? I’ve never experienced this. I make it all the time and it’s great as it sits. Did you add anything spicy? Cayenne?
Liz Pease
This was wonderful! I honestly wasn’t sure I was going to like the spice blend – it smelled to me like pumpkin pie cooking, which is nice, but not what I want when I’m thinking about chicken. But OMG it was so incredibly good with the yogurt sauce, red onion, and fresh tomatoes from the farmers market! I almost never want seconds of anything – but I wanted another helping of this!
As an aside, I used unsweetened coconut yogurt in this recipe, and in the yogurt sauce, to make this non-dairy, and it came out great! No weird taste or anything! Definitely recommend if you have any dairy concerns in your household!
Yet another awesome recipe from The Lemon Bowl – haven’t had a single one I didn’t like yet! Thank you for the inspiration!
Liz DellaCroce
I’m so happy to hear this!!!
laura violette
Is the chicken already cooked before it goes in the slow cooker?
Liz DellaCroce
Nope you want raw boneless skinless breasts. :)