Chicken Shawarma with Tomato and Cucumber Salad

Chicken Shawarma with Tomato and Cucumber Salad

Lee - Smoke & Sear
Servings: 4 Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins Difficulty: Intermediate Family Friendly Family Friendly Quick Cook Quick Cook
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Smoky Chicken Shawarma with a Cool Tomato and Cucumber Salad

Let’s get grilling with this knockout Chicken Shawarma recipe, using the Ninja Woodfire outdoor grill. The chicken is marinated in sour cream, spices, and lemon, then grilled to juicy perfection with that woodfire flavour we all crave. Paired with a cool cucumber and tomato salad and a punchy tahini sauce, this dish will have you feeling like you’re at a Middle Eastern street market—minus the passport! Trust me, after a bite, you’ll wonder why you didn’t fire up your grill sooner.

Chicken Shawarma with Tomato and Cucumber Salad

Chicken
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Prep Time 30 mins Cook Time 30 mins Rest Time 5 mins Total Time 1 hr 5 mins
Difficulty: Intermediate Cooking Temp: 200  C Servings: 4 Estimated Cost: £ 12 Calories: Approximately 450 per serving Best Season: Summer
Author: Lee - Smoke & Sear Cooking Method: Cuisine: Courses: , Recipe Keys: Family Friendly Family Friendly Quick Cook Quick Cook

Ingredients

For the Chicken:

For the Tomato and Cucumber Salad:

For the Tahini Sauce:

Instructions

  1. Marinate the Chicken:

    In a large bowl, mix together sour cream, olive oil, tomato puree, lemon zest and juice, garlic, cumin, coriander seeds, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, and Aleppo chili flakes. Add the chicken thighs and coat them thoroughly. Cover the bowl with clingfilm and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but overnight is best for the flavours to really sink in.

  2. Prepare the Tomato and Cucumber Salad:

    In a medium bowl, combine the diced tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, red wine vinegar, olive oil, fresh parsley, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Set aside in the fridge until serving time.

  3. Make the Tahini Sauce:

    In a small bowl, whisk together the tahini paste, warm water, minced garlic, salt, cumin, parsley, lemon juice, and sweet paprika until smooth. Adjust seasoning to taste. If tahini isn't your thing, have some garlic mayo on standby for the less adventurous!

  4. Grill the Chicken:

    Set up your Ninja Woodfire Grill by filling the pellet box with the all-purpose blend, then select the 'Air Fry' function. Set the temperature to 200°C (390°F) for 20 minutes, and don’t forget to hit that 'Woodfire Flavour Technology' button for that smoky kick. Cook the chicken until it reaches an internal temperature of 80°C (175°F) and the outside is nicely crisp.

  5. Serve:

    Once the chicken is grilled, chop it up and serve with warmed flatbreads. Spread a generous layer of tahini sauce on the bread, pile on the chicken, and top with the tomato and cucumber salad. Drizzle with extra sauce if you’re feeling saucy!

Equipment

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Note

If you want to switch it up, garlic mayo or a yogurt-based sauce can be great alternatives to tahini.

Chicken thighs give the best juiciness, but if you're watching the calories, swap them for breasts.

Keywords: chicken shawarma, Ninja Woodfire grill, tomato cucumber salad, tahini sauce, BBQ chicken wraps, grilled shawarma
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Tag #SmokeSearRecipes if you made this recipe. Follow @smoke.sear on Instagram for more BBQ tips and recipes.

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Lee Bishop - Smoke & Sear

smoke.sear

1,065 24,066

24,000+ on Instagram.
11,000+ on Facebook.
66,000 website users this year.
130,000 page views.

And somehow, the Ninja Woodfire UK Facebook group has now passed 27,000 members, while the UK BBQ Community on WhatsApp has gone past 450 members.

That’s honestly mad.

Smoke & Sear has always just been me cooking outside, filming what I’m doing, sharing the wins, the mistakes, the gear, the fire, the smoke and all the no-bollocks bits in between.

But this year feels like things are starting to properly move.

The big goals are simple.

Keep pushing @fourge.bbq with three good mates and see how far we can take a proper UK BBQ business built around flavour, fire and graft.

Keep supporting the UK BBQ community, helping it grow, connecting more people, and doing what I can to push it forward.

And hopefully find a couple of brands to work with properly long-term. Real content, proper use, honest feedback, recipes, and maybe even stepping into demos a bit more.

To everyone who follows, comments, shares, reads the website, joins the groups, tries a recipe, buys from FOURGE, or just sticks around for the madness — genuinely, thank you.

It’s all a bit ridiculous.

But we’re only getting started 🔥

#SmokeAndSear #FOURGE #UKBBQ #BBQCommunity #OutdoorCooking

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24,000+ on Instagram. 11,000+ on Facebook. 66,000 website users this year. 130,000 page views. And somehow, the Ninja Woodfire UK Facebook group has now passed 27,000 members, while the UK BBQ Community on WhatsApp has gone past 450 members. That’s honestly mad. Smoke & Sear has always just been me cooking outside, filming what I’m doing, sharing the wins, the mistakes, the gear, the fire, the smoke and all the no-bollocks bits in between. But this year feels like things are starting to properly move. The big goals are simple. Keep pushing @fourge.bbq with three good mates and see how far we can take a proper UK BBQ business built around flavour, fire and graft. Keep supporting the UK BBQ community, helping it grow, connecting more people, and doing what I can to push it forward. And hopefully find a couple of brands to work with properly long-term. Real content, proper use, honest feedback, recipes, and maybe even stepping into demos a bit more. To everyone who follows, comments, shares, reads the website, joins the groups, tries a recipe, buys from FOURGE, or just sticks around for the madness — genuinely, thank you. It’s all a bit ridiculous. But we’re only getting started 🔥 #SmokeAndSear #FOURGE #UKBBQ #BBQCommunity #OutdoorCooking

Bit of a special one today ❤️🔥

Olivia and Oakley wanted to take over the Kamado Joe and make their own cooking video . . . so we made smoked & tallow-confit beef cheeks together.

And honestly, this is what it’s all about for me.

Getting kids outside. Around fire. Around food. Learning patience, confidence and where proper food actually comes from.

There is absolutely NO chance I’d have eaten beef cheeks at their age 😅

But when kids get involved in cooking outdoors, they become curious. They want to try things. Learn things. Experience things.

And somewhere between the smoke, the laughs and the chaos . . . core memories get made ❤️

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Bit of a special one today ❤️🔥 Olivia and Oakley wanted to take over the Kamado Joe and make their own cooking video . . . so we made smoked & tallow-confit beef cheeks together. And honestly, this is what it’s all about for me. Getting kids outside. Around fire. Around food. Learning patience, confidence and where proper food actually comes from. There is absolutely NO chance I’d have eaten beef cheeks at their age 😅 But when kids get involved in cooking outdoors, they become curious. They want to try things. Learn things. Experience things. And somewhere between the smoke, the laughs and the chaos . . . core memories get made ❤️

First proper hike completed ✅

Big shoutout to @lads_project25 for a cracking day out in the Peak District.

This was my first real hike and my first ever visit to the Peak District — and what a place to start.

📍 Higger Tor, Burbage Edge & Padley Gorge Circular
🥾 7.2 miles
⛰️ 1,378ft elevation gain
⏱️ 4 hours 6 minutes
🐾 One very happy, very tired Labrador

12 lads turned up, most of us strangers at the start, but it didn’t feel like that for long. Non-stop chats, proper laughs, some deep conversations, a bit of scrambling, a few boggy moments, and views that made every climb worth it.

Groups like Lads Project matter.

No judgement. No pressure. Just good lads getting outside, keeping active, sharing stories, having a laugh, and supporting each other in a way that feels natural.

If you’re a bloke who’s been thinking about doing something like this, reach out to @lads_project25 and get involved.

Fresh air, good people, and a reminder that sometimes the best conversations happen while walking side by side.

I’ll definitely be joining them again soon.

#LadsProject #PeakDistrict #MensMentalHealth #HikingUK #MensCommunity

60 9
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First proper hike completed ✅ Big shoutout to @lads_project25 for a cracking day out in the Peak District. This was my first real hike and my first ever visit to the Peak District — and what a place to start. 📍 Higger Tor, Burbage Edge & Padley Gorge Circular 🥾 7.2 miles ⛰️ 1,378ft elevation gain ⏱️ 4 hours 6 minutes 🐾 One very happy, very tired Labrador 12 lads turned up, most of us strangers at the start, but it didn’t feel like that for long. Non-stop chats, proper laughs, some deep conversations, a bit of scrambling, a few boggy moments, and views that made every climb worth it. Groups like Lads Project matter. No judgement. No pressure. Just good lads getting outside, keeping active, sharing stories, having a laugh, and supporting each other in a way that feels natural. If you’re a bloke who’s been thinking about doing something like this, reach out to @lads_project25 and get involved. Fresh air, good people, and a reminder that sometimes the best conversations happen while walking side by side. I’ll definitely be joining them again soon. #LadsProject #PeakDistrict #MensMentalHealth #HikingUK #MensCommunity

TEMPER Smoked Pulled Lamb Flatbreads 🔥

2.6kg bone-in lamb shoulder from @thecateringbutcher , hit with TEMPER from @fourge.bbq , smoked low and slow, then pulled into fresh flatbreads with garlic yoghurt, pickled onions, herbs and charred lemon.

Bit more of an involved cook this one, but absolutely worth it.

I also used the @typhur_uk Sync Gold Dual for temps throughout the cook and, to be fair, the Sub-1G connection was solid. No problem getting through the lamb, wrapped in foil, inside the Kamado Joe, through a few walls, while I cracked on writing the full recipe for the website like the BBQ geek I apparently am.

Full recipe is here:

https://www.smokeandsear.world/BBQ-recipes/temper-smoked-pulled-lamb-flatbreads/

Enjoy!

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TEMPER Smoked Pulled Lamb Flatbreads 🔥 2.6kg bone-in lamb shoulder from @thecateringbutcher , hit with TEMPER from @fourge.bbq , smoked low and slow, then pulled into fresh flatbreads with garlic yoghurt, pickled onions, herbs and charred lemon. Bit more of an involved cook this one, but absolutely worth it. I also used the @typhur_uk Sync Gold Dual for temps throughout the cook and, to be fair, the Sub-1G connection was solid. No problem getting through the lamb, wrapped in foil, inside the Kamado Joe, through a few walls, while I cracked on writing the full recipe for the website like the BBQ geek I apparently am. Full recipe is here: https://www.smokeandsear.world/BBQ-recipes/temper-smoked-pulled-lamb-flatbreads/ Enjoy!

DRAGON, edge of the sky.

Flt Lt Tom Nation, the 2026 RAF Typhoon Display Pilot, putting the Typhoon through its paces over Coningsby.

Tom’s name is now on the jet, the black flying suit is on, the helmet has been unveiled, and the 2026 display season is starting to feel very real.

The aircraft, the pilot, the team behind it — all coming together for what looks like it’s going to be an unbelievable season.

Fast, precise, aggressive, controlled . . . and absolutely breathtaking to watch.

@raf_typhoondisplayteam
@eurofighter.typhoon

#RAFTyphoon #TyphoonDisplayTeam #EurofighterTyphoon #RAFConingsby

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DRAGON, edge of the sky. Flt Lt Tom Nation, the 2026 RAF Typhoon Display Pilot, putting the Typhoon through its paces over Coningsby. Tom’s name is now on the jet, the black flying suit is on, the helmet has been unveiled, and the 2026 display season is starting to feel very real. The aircraft, the pilot, the team behind it — all coming together for what looks like it’s going to be an unbelievable season. Fast, precise, aggressive, controlled . . . and absolutely breathtaking to watch. @raf_typhoondisplayteam @eurofighter.typhoon #RAFTyphoon #TyphoonDisplayTeam #EurofighterTyphoon #RAFConingsby