Griddle Chicken Shawarma-Style Pitas with Garlic Yogurt Sauce
Marinate sliced chicken thighs at home, then sear them on a camp griddle over a medium-high flame or grate for 6 to 8 minutes per batch, until they hit 165°F inside. Char sliced onion on the same griddle, warm the pitas, and stuff them with tomato, cucumber and a quick garlic yogurt sauce. It takes about 40 minutes at camp.
Thin chicken slices cook fast on a flat griddle and get browned edges you can't get in a pan. The spices are cumin, paprika, coriander and a little cinnamon, so it tastes like a street-cart shawarma without a vertical spit.
The chicken marinates at home and rides in the cooler, so camp work is slicing a few vegetables and stirring a sauce. The whole meal cooks on one griddle, which keeps cleanup reasonable. It feeds four hungry people at lunch.
Griddle Chicken Shawarma-Style Pitas with Garlic Yogurt Sauce
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Heat
- Medium-high flame
- Pack weight
- 5 lb
- Campfire
- Camp stove
- Backpacking
- Cooler required
- One burner
- Some water
- A few dishes
- Prep ahead
Ingredients
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Gear you'll need
- Flat-top camp griddle or cast-iron griddle plate over a grate
- Camp stove or fire grate
- Metal spatula
- Tongs
- Instant-read thermometer
- Small mixing bowl
- Cutting board and knife
- 2 plates (one for raw chicken prep, one clean for cooked)
- Paper towels
Steps
-
Heat the griddle
Set the griddle over a medium-high flame or a grate over a bed of hot coals. Let it preheat 4 to 5 minutes. Keep the chicken in the cooler until the griddle is hot.
-
Stir the sauce
In a small bowl, mix the yogurt, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, grated garlic and 1/4 tsp salt. Set it in the cooler or a shady spot while you cook.
-
Slice the vegetables
Slice the tomatoes and cucumber and set them on a plate. Keep the sliced onion separate, since it goes on the griddle.
-
Char the onions
Brush the griddle with a little of the remaining oil and spread the onion out. Cook 4 to 5 minutes, turning, until soft with brown edges. Push it to a cooler edge of the griddle.
-
Sear the chicken
Add oil, then half the chicken in a single layer. Cook 3 to 4 minutes per side, until browned and 165°F in the thickest pieces. Move it to a clean plate and repeat with the second half. Throw out the leftover marinade.
-
Warm the pitas
Wipe the griddle with a paper towel. Warm each pita 20 to 30 seconds per side on the cooler zone, until soft and flexible.
-
Build and eat
Fill each pita with chicken, onions, tomato and cucumber, then spoon on the garlic yogurt. Eat right away while the chicken is hot.
Trail Notes
Mix the chicken with the oil, lemon, garlic, spices, salt and pepper in a zip bag up to 24 hours before you leave. Lemon juice breaks down meat if it sits longer. You can freeze the bag flat and let it act as an ice pack, then thaw it in the cooler for about 24 hours.
Keep raw chicken at 40°F or below in a cooler with plenty of ice. Use a clean plate and clean tongs for cooked chicken, and wash your hands and the cutting board after handling raw meat. Cook until the thickest pieces read 165°F.
For a vegetarian version, use two drained 15 oz cans of chickpeas tossed in the same marinade. Sear them on the griddle 8 to 10 minutes until browned and a little crisp. Skip the thermometer.
Wipe the griddle with paper towels and pack them out with any food scraps. Strain dishwater, pack out the solids, and scatter the water at least 200 feet from streams, lakes and your campsite.
Campers ask
Can I cook shawarma chicken on a camp griddle?
Yes. Thin strips of thigh meat sear well on a hot flat-top and cook through in 6 to 8 minutes. Work in two batches so the chicken browns instead of steaming.
What temperature should chicken be cooked to at camp?
Chicken is safe at 165°F in the thickest part. Check a few of the thickest strips with an instant-read thermometer before moving the batch to a clean plate.
How long can marinated chicken stay in the cooler?
Use it within 24 hours of marinating if it's thawed, and keep it at 40°F or colder the whole time. If it's frozen, it can hold in the cooler until it thaws, then cook it the same day.
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