Chicken Shawarma Pita Pizza
Updated Jun 28, 2025
Shawarma pita pizza made with Arabic-style pita layered with tahini sauce and topped with chicken shawarma, tomatoes, onions, and mozzarella cheese.
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My Shawarma Pita Pizza is so good!
I love making shawarma pizza when I’ve got extra chicken shawarma in the fridge. It’s a simple way to turn leftovers into something fun, just a pita, some veggies, and a drizzle of tahini sauce.
This chicken shawarma pizza has got everything I want in a quick meal. No dough-making, no fuss, just a Lebanese-style pizza that hits the spot for me every time.
Happy Cooking!
– Yumna
Pita Pizza Ingredients
- Chicken Shawarma: I like to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs to make my shawarma, but you can swap in beef or even chickpeas. Here’s a quick chicken shawarma recipe if you don’t have leftovers to use.
- Pita Bread: You can use any type of pita bread you want. I’ve got a great recipe for homemade pita bread, or you can pick some up at your local grocery store! Just try to look for Arabic bread that’s thinner in style than Greek pita bread for more authentic flavor.
- Mozzarella Cheese: I like to buy shredded mozzarella because it’s easy to work with, but feel free to use any kind you like.
- Vegetables: I use red onion, plumb tomatoes, and sliced pickled banana peppers (or traditional pickles). Go ahead and add in any other veggie toppings you like!
- Tahini Sauce: Tahini complements chicken shawarma so well! Try my authentic tahini sauce recipe or grab whatever brand your grocery store has in stock.
How to Make Pita Pizza
Chicken Shawarma Pita Pizza Recipe
Ingredients
For the chicken shawarma
For assembly
- 4 pita breads
- 1 ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 roma tomatoes sliced
- ½ red onion thinly sliced
- 2 ounces pickled sliced banana peppers
- ½ cup tahini sauce
- chopped parsley
Instructions
- Place the marinade ingredients in a large bowl: olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, paprika, cardamom, cumin, cinnamon and crushed red pepper; and whisk to blend.
- Add the chicken into the large bowl with the marinade and stir with a spoon to evenly coat the chicken with the marinade. Cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least an hour or up to 24 hours.
- Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat and add the marinated chicken to it. Cook, stirring occasionally until the chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place two pitas on each baking sheet and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake until the bread is lightly toasted and the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.
- Add the cooked chicken shawarma on top of the mozzarella cheese. Top with the tomatoes, red onions and banana peppers, and drizzle with tahini sauce. Sprinkle with fresh parsley.
- Cut each pita pizza into fourth and enjoy immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Recipe Video Tutorial
Recipe Tips
- Thinly slice your toppings. Because Arabic pita bread is on the thinner side, try not to overload it with heavy and large toppings. That way, it won’t break apart when you try to pick up a slice!
- Be careful not to burn your pita. The pita bread may brown even before your cheese melts! That’s because it only takes a few minutes to crisp it up, and it can actually burn pretty quickly if left unattended, especially since every oven is different.
- Give the chicken time to marinate. If you’re able to marinate your chicken for 24 hours, great! If not, try to marinate it for at least one hour. This is key to getting the most flavor into your shawarma.
- Use good quality tahini sauce. This is the sauce that really pulls all the flavors together, so don’t skimp on it. Check out my recipe for authentic tahini sauce and give it a try. You may never go back to store-bought again!
Serving Ideas
- Serve with fattoush. This is one of my absolute favorite salads! And the flavors of this Middle Eastern-style dish will pair perfectly with this pita pizza, whether you serve it on the side, or directly on top.
- Top with tzatziki. If you’re looking to add a little tart, brightness to your pita pizza, it’ll taste great with a little tzatziki. Whether as a dipping sauce, or drizzled on top, I’ve got an easy go-to tzatziki recipe!
- Pair with cucumbers. For a little crunch (and some extra greens) with this pita pizza, my kids love a little bit of creamy cucumber salad! It’s got the same Mediterranean kick but with some added freshness.
FAQs
Pita pizzas are best eaten fresh and warm right out of the oven! But, if you DO have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. After a day or two, the pita will start to get soggy, so eat ’em as soon as possible! To reheat, place your pizza on a baking sheet and warm in a 350˚F oven until heated through. It should take about 10 minutes!
You can! Just try to hold off on adding any sauces, as they’ll change in texture when you thaw them. In an airtight container, this pizza should keep well for up to a month in the freezer. To reheat, place it in the oven directly from the freezer at 375F for 10-15 minutes.
Yes! If you can’t find thin pita bread, you can use a tortilla instead. Just keep in mind: you may need to adjust the cooking times and amount of toppings to avoid burning the tortilla.
Yes, you can use a store-bought rotisserie chicken to save time! Just shred the meat and toss it in the marinade.
You can make the chicken shawarma ahead of time and store it in the fridge. I wouldn’t recommend assembling the pita pizzas ahead of time as the pita may become soggy!
Comments
If I could give this more than 5 stars, I would. It was super delicious.
Because raw onions and I don’t get along very nicely, I tossed the sliced onions into the pan where I had cooked the chicken. They caramelized nicely with the leftover marinate.
It was a huge hit with the family and something we look forward to eating again. Thank you Yumna.
Love that idea of caramelizing the onions; I bet that was amazing! Thank you so much for continuing to visit my site and try my recipes!
Great idea and super tasty tahini sauce making it a wonderful dish. We love to make it with bacon and mushrooms and taste in owen before add fresh vegetables and onion. Thank you for the this recipe 💗
Thank you so much! That version sounds delicious too. Hope you continue to enjoy it!
Your chicken schwarma recipe was excellent!! “5”!!!
Made twice this past week!❤️❤️
Thank you!! That makes me so happy to hear!
This shawarma pizza is delish — loved the seasoning and of course, the tahini sauce. This is a great lunch or light dinner dish and I’ll be making it often.
So glad to hear it! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback!!
Yummy Yummy. Thanks for another great recipe,Yumna. Love tahini sauce
Love the idea of Open faces shawarma! I’ve been cooking my shawarma ( whole boneless thigh and breast) in my Instant Pot then I follow up with a sear in a cast iron skillet… comes out sooo moist and delicious!
Yum! I love that idea Vanessa! I’m trying that next time!
Awesome idea for a pizza.
Thanks Al!