There’s a taxonomical furor going on out there among the confused masses of street-meat consumers, and it’s about the difference between gyros and shawarma. Though the two meaty dishes might look similar, there are clear differences. We’ve already covered gyros, a traditional Greek dish, here. So quit your yelling through mouthfuls of chicken, because now we’ll set you straight on the classic Arab dish, shawarma.
Chicken Shawarma

Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 1 tbsp ground cardamom
- 1 tbsp chilli powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp grill seasoning
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 large clove garlic, grated
- 5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 2 bell peppers, sliced
- ¼ cup tahini
- 1 ½ cups Greek yogurt
- 4 boneless D&D Poultry chicken breast
- 4 pitas
Preparation
Preheat grill to high.
Combine coriander, cumin, cardamom, chilli, paprika, and grill seasoning in bowl. Add half of the lemon juice, all of the garlic and oil, and stir into paste. Slather over chicken.
Cook each side of chicken on grill for 6-7 minutes, until cooked through. Remove and let rest before slicing.
Preheat a skillet to medium-high with two tbsp of oil. Once oil is rippling, add vegetables and cook for about 5 minutes (until vegetables wilt).
In a bowl, mix other half of lemon juice, tahini, yogurt, and remaining oil.
Warm the pitas. Add chicken, vegetables, and tahini and yogurt sauce, and serve.
Recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray
Lamb Shawarma

Ingredients
- 1 leg D&D boneless Ontario lamb
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- ½ cup canola oil
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground allspice
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- 8 cloves garlic, chopped
- ½ onion, chopped
Preparation
Combine canola oil, vinegar, cardamom, coriander, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, garlic, and onion in blender. Blend until smooth.
Place lamb in dish. Pour marinade over and turn to coat completely. Cover and let marinate in fridge for at least 4 hours.
Remove lamb from fridge 30 minutes before cooking and let return to room temperature. Remove lamb from marinade and pat dry. Grill until charred on both sides, about 30 minutes.
Let sit for 15 minutes after grilling. Slice thinly. Serve with pita and D&D Poultry’s Signature Tarator Sauce (see below)
Recipe courtesy of the Food Network
D&D Poultry’s Signature Tarator Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup tahini
- ¾ cup lemon juice
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 cloves garlic, crushed
- ½ tsp ground sea salt
- ¼ tsp cumin
- 1 tsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
Preparation
Mix and let sit in refrigerator for 1 hour. Serve with any of D&D’s delicious products and recipes.