Grilled Chicken Shawarma Ramen
Shawarma is one of those things where you learn what it actually is and then spend years mildly annoyed that you grew up eating mediocre versions of it. The real thing, rotating on a spit in a Beirut street shop at two in the morning, is something else entirely, layers of marinated chicken cooked slowly in their own fat and carved fresh with garlic sauce and pickles. Getting those spices, cumin and coriander and turmeric and cinnamon, into a ramen bowl was not a combination I expected to work as well as it does. The tahini garlic sauce replaces a traditional broth and coats the noodles in something rich and slightly nutty, while the grilled chicken on top brings the char that makes the whole thing feel like it actually came off a flame. Lebanon and Japan share more than people realize, a commitment to deeply developed flavor, respect for fermented and pickled things, and the conviction that food should be treated seriously. This bowl leans into that overlap without making a big deal of it. It's the kind of meal that makes you wish you were eating it at a sidewalk table with too much noise and not enough napkins.
Cumin chars the skin—lemon tahini drips down—ancient meets the bowl
Let Me Tell You...
The first time I had real shawarma was in Dearborn, Michigan, from a place with no printed menu and three wobbly tables and a rotating spit visible through a cutout in the kitchen wall.
The chicken came out carved thin against the spit and wrapped in foil with garlic sauce and pickles, and I stood in the parking lot eating it because there was no room inside and it was raining, and I didn't care even slightly.
What made it extraordinary wasn't any secret technique but time and patience with a marinade built from cumin and coriander and turmeric and cinnamon, spices that had been doing exactly this work for centuries before anyone thought to put them near a ramen bowl.
Yogurt tenderizes the meat and the spice penetration after 8 hours is completely different.
Putting those flavors over ramen noodles sounds like it shouldn't work until you actually taste the tahini garlic sauce coating the noodles alongside the char on the chicken, and then the argument collapses fairly quickly.
Lebanon and Japan both have serious, deeply developed food cultures that most people don't recognize as similar because the aesthetics are so different, but the underlying philosophy is the same: a meal should have layers, every component deserves attention, and shortcuts that compromise the flavor aren't worth taking.
This bowl is the place where those two impulses land together without either of them needing to apologize.
You want immediate sear, not slow steam.
Pale, colorless shawarma chicken is its own kind of disappointment.
The tahini garlic sauce is where I make no compromises.
It should be smooth and pourable and garlicky to the edge of recklessness, thinned with just enough warm water that it flows over the noodles in ribbons rather than sitting in a thick, stubborn blob on top.
Some people are scared of tahini because it can turn bitter with a low-quality brand, but good tahini, the kind that smells almost like sesame candy when you open the jar, turns into something remarkable when you add lemon juice and raw garlic and give it thirty seconds to come together.
Cold water causes tahini to seize and thicken rather than loosening into the smooth, pourable consistency you need.
You build the bowl and the colors do most of the work before the first bite, golden charred chicken laid over pale noodles, tahini drizzled in long strokes, pickled red onions bright and sharp against everything else.
The cilantro on top smells like a street market and the whole thing is a reminder that the best fusion doesn't require a clever origin story or any justification at all.
It just requires two cultures that take food seriously and the willingness to stop worrying about whether it's allowed.
Ingredients
- 8 oz boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 2 thighs)
- 6 oz dried ramen noodles (2 bricks, seasoning packets discarded)
- 3 tablespoons plain full-fat yogurt
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon), divided
- 2 tablespoons tahini (well-stirred)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced (divided: 1 for marinade, 1 for sauce)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 tablespoons warm water (for tahini sauce)
- 2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped (for serving)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Preparation
- In a medium bowl, combine the yogurt, 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice, 1 minced garlic clove, cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, turmeric, cinnamon, cayenne, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and several grinds of black pepper. Add the chicken thighs and toss to coat thoroughly. Let marinate at room temperature for at least 15 minutes, or refrigerate up to 8 hours for deeper flavor.
- While the chicken marinates, make the tahini garlic sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together the tahini, remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice, remaining minced garlic clove, and warm water until completely smooth and pourable. Season with a pinch of salt and set aside.
- Heat a grill pan or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until very hot. Brush with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Remove the chicken from the marinade, shaking off excess, and lay in the pan. Cook undisturbed for 5-6 minutes per side until deeply golden with char marks and cooked through to an internal temperature of 165°F. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes.
- While the chicken rests, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the ramen noodles for 2-3 minutes until just tender with a slight chew. Drain and rinse under warm water.
- Slice the rested chicken thinly against the grain.
- Divide the noodles between shallow bowls. Fan the sliced shawarma chicken over the noodles. Drizzle the tahini garlic sauce generously in ribbons across the top. Finish with the chopped parsley and serve immediately with any optional toppings alongside.