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Chicken Doner Kebab is a delicious Turkish street food featuring perfectly seasoned, thinly sliced chicken. This homemade version replicates the authentic flavor and texture you love from your favorite takeout spots, made easy for home cooks.
Doner spots can be found on nearly every corner in Türkiye. While beef doner is widely popular and loved by many, chicken doner is a lighter and more economical variation that’s also incredibly well-loved. If you love Turkish street food as much as I do, make sure to try kumpir, lahmacun and balik ekmek (fish sandwich).
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Authentic Flavor: This blend of spices creates the traditional doner kebab taste.
Simple Technique: Easy freezing and slicing method ensures perfect thin slices.
Versatile Serving: Ideal for wraps, sandwiches, bowls or salads.
Doner vs. Gyro vs. Shawarma: What’s the Difference?
These popular dishes share similarities but differ in spices and preparation. While all three are made using a rotating spit, there are differences in flavor. Here are some of their obvious differences:
Doner Kebab: Turkish origin; seasoned primarily with Aleppo pepper; often sliced thinly and served in pita or lavash. Doner is usually served with sumac onion.
Gyro: Greek origin; flavored with oregano and garlic and using yogurt for marinade. It’s typically served with tzatziki sauce.
Shawarma: Middle Eastern origin; seasoned with cumin, coriander, and a hint of cinnamon; usually served with tahini or garlic sauce. You can check out the recipes for beef shawarma, lamb shawarma and chicken shawarma to learn more.
Ingredients for Chicken Doner Kebab
- Chicken: I prefer using boneless skinless chicken thighs because they soak up the marinade beautifully and stay juicy when cooked.
- Onion and garlic: Add a lot of flavor to the dish. The onion is grated, however, there is no need to squeeze out the excess onion juice.
- Olive Oil: Enhances flavor and keeps the chicken tender.
- Whole Milk Yogurt: Tenderizes chicken and helps with the flavor.
- Tomato Paste: Deepens flavor and adds a bit of color.
- Spices: You need oregano, Aleppo pepper, kosher salt and black pepper.
How to Make Chicken Doner Kebab
Step 1: Marinate and Prepare
Start by cutting small slits in the chicken thighs to help absorb marinade. Add the grated onion, olive oil, garlic, yogurt, tomato paste, oregano, kosher salt, black pepper, and Aleppo pepper. Mix to combine and make sure the chicken is well coated with the marinade.
Step 2: Shape and Freeze
Arrange the chicken pieces on plastic wrap, tightly roll into a cylinder, and seal ends. If needed, use two pieces of plastic wrap, it’s important to make sure the marinade is not leaking. Freeze overnight to firm up.
Step 3: Cook and Serve
When you’re ready to cook, remove chicken from freezer, let it sit on the counter for 10-15 minutes and slice it thinly using a sharp knife.
Pan-sear thin slices in a hot skillet with a drizzle of olive oil, about 1 minute per side. Make sure not to overcrowd the pan as the chicken pieces would start steaming.
Step 4: Serve
Serve with pita or lavash, sumac onion and parsley, fries, pickles, tomatoes and lettuce.
Roasting using a Pan with A Spit
- Marinate chicken for 1 hour.
- Stack marinated chicken slices on an oven-safe vertical spit.
- Roast in the oven for 90n minutes, until the chicken is fully cooked and the outside is golden brown. This method creates an authentic, crispy exterior.
Recipe Tips
Control Moisture: Pat dry chicken thighs lightly with paper towels before marinating to ensure better adherence of marinade and browning.
Marination Time: Overnight freezing is crucial to slicing thinly and achieving the authentic doner texture.
Thin Slices: Slice chicken as thinly as possible for quick cooking and authentic taste. Use a very sharp knife for slicing the frozen chicken cylinder to achieve clean, thin slices easily. Aim for uniform chicken thigh sizes for even marination, freezing, and cooking.
Pan Temperature: Ensure your skillet is hot before adding chicken slices for optimal browning. Avoid overcrowding the skillet when pan-searing; cook in batches if necessary for even browning and caramelization.
3 Authentic Ways To Serve Chicken Doner
Here are 3 delicious ways to serve chicken doner, just like they do in Türkiye:
- Ekmek arası: Similar to what you see in these photos, the doner is served as a sandwich using a crusty submarine or French style bread.
- Dürüm: Wrapped in lavash, this would be a bit lighter than the sandwich.
- Pilav üstü: Literally meaning “over rice”, for this version, doner is served over white rice instead of bread for a sit down meal.
Storage
Store cooked chicken doner in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Freezing: Uncooked marinated chicken cylinder can be frozen for up to 2 months. Let it sit on the counter for 10-20 minutes for easy slicing.
Reheating: Place the leftovers in a pan over medium heat with 2 tablespoons of water. Cover and reheat for about 10 minutes until the chicken is warm. Avoid microwaving as it can dry out the chicken.
Frequently Asked Questions
I don’t recommend using chicken breast as it can get dry. Chicken thighs offer the best flavor and juiciness.
Freezing helps you slice the chicken thinly, which is essential for authenticity. Skipping freezing won’t produce the same results.
Other Turkish Favorites to Try
Fall Recipe
Turkish Yogurt Soup (Yayla Çorbasi)
Turkish Recipes
Mücver – Turkish Zucchini Fritters
Turkish Recipes
Turkish Bulgur Salad (Kisir)
Mediterranean recipes
Turkish Rice Pudding Recipe (Sutlac)
Did you make this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Please comment and leave a 5-star🌟 rating below. You can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest or subscribe to our newsletter to get a free e-Cookbook!
Chicken Doner Kebab
Ingredients
- 2 lb Boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 Yellow onion , grated
- ¼ cup Olive oil
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 3 tbsp Whole milk yogurt
- 1½ tbsp Tomato paste
- 1 tsp Oregano
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- ¼ tsp Black pepper
- 1 tsp Aleppo pepper
To serve
- Pita or sub bread
- Tomatoes
- Pickled cucumbers
- Sumac onion
- Fries
Instructions
- Cut small slits in chicken thighs to help absorb marinade and place them in a bowl
- add in the grated onion, olive oil, garlic, yogurt, tomato paste, oregano, kosher salt, black pepper, and Aleppo pepper.
- Coat chicken thoroughly in marinade.
- Arrange marinated chicken on a piece of plastic wrap, tightly roll into a cylinder, and seal the ends. You might need to use 2 plastic wraps, make sure the marinade is not leaking.
- Freeze for 6 to 8 hours to firm up.
- Once ready to cook, remove it from freezer, and let it sit on the counter for 10 to 15 minutes. Slice the chicken thinly using a sharp knife.
- Heat a pan over medium high heat. Pan-sear the sliced chicken doner in a with a drizzle of olive oil (if needed). Cook for about 1 minute per side. Avoid overcooking to keep the chicken juicy. And void overcrowding the pan otherwise the chicken will start steaming and won't get crispy.
- Serve with pita or lavash, sumac onion and parsley, fries, pickles and tomatoes.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
