We have a new grill that includes a rotisserie, and when I saw this recipe I wanted to give it a try. This recipe has it’s roots in the Levant region of the Ottoman Empire and Shawarma in turn was the inspiration for Turkish doner kebab and Greek gyro’s, and Mexican tacos el pastor. This recipe was inspired by Pitmaster X, recipetineats, and ThatDudeCanCook.
Open up your packages of chicken thighs and wash them off. Don’t bother to trim the fat off, you’ll need it on the rotisserie.
Mix up your marinade, and stir the chicken through it, either with your gloved hands or in a zip-loc bag.
Allow the chicken to marinade for at least 4 hours but preferably overnight.
While the chicken is marinading, mix up your garlic mayo so these flavors also have plenty of time to blend.
When the chicken is ready, it’s time to put the chicken on the rotisserie.
First put a lemon on the rod to keep the chicken off of the rotisserie fingers – this makes it easier to cut the chicken off the rotisserie while it is still cooking.
Stack the chicken thighs on the rod – it’s okay to have some bits hanging off, these will become tasty burnt ends while cooking.
Top the rotisserie off with another lemon and put the second basket on topor.
Set your rotisserie up and begin grilling. Place an aluminum pan underneath to catch the drippings.
Cook for 20-30 minutes on high, then check that the chicken is starting to brown and reduce heat to medium or medium high.
Using a brush, you can baste the chicken with the juices in the pan.
As the edges get darker, you can shave those off with a knife and let the pieces fall into the pan. You can leave them in the pan to stay warm until you have enough to make the wraps.
When you have enough chicken to serve, build your Shawarma with the lavash or pita bread. Spread a little garlic mayo on the bread, then add some chicken pieces, lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, and some more garlic mayo. Wrap them up and serve with a Greek salad, rice pilaf and/or french fries.
