Fusion

Shawarma Taco

Name: Shawarma Taco
Prep time: 21 min
Cook time: 39 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 10 tacos
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 2 lb Boneless chicken thighs; 1/2 cup Plain yogurt; 3 tbsp Lemon juice; 5 Garlic cloves, grated; 2 tsp Ground cumin; 1 tsp Ground coriander; 2 tsp Smoked paprika; 3/4 tsp Cayenne; 1/2 tsp each Ground turmeric and cinnamon; 2 tsp Salt; 10 Corn tortillas; 3/4 cup Garlic crema; 3/4 cup Pickled red onion; 1/2 Cucumber, diced; 1/2 cup Parsley or cilantro, chopped

Yogurt-marinated chicken thighs rubbed with cumin, coriander, and hot paprika, roasted until the edges crisp like the vertical spit intended. The Lebanese ancestor of al pastor comes full circle onto a CDMX tortilla with garlicky crema and pickled onion.

Time: 1 hr
Heat
Yield: 10 tacos
Region: CDMX

Ingredients

Shawarma marinade

To build

Per-100g nutrition (12 ingredients verified)

Ingredient	kcal	Protein	Fat	Carbs
Plain yogurt	40	3.4 g	1.7 g	5.7 g
Lemon juice	0	0 g	0 g	0 g
Garlic cloves, grated	100	0 g	0 g	20 g
Ground cumin	500	0 g	0 g	50 g
Ground coriander	0	0 g	0 g	0 g
Smoked paprika	625	0 g	0 g	0 g
Cayenne	0	0 g	0 g	0 g
Ground turmeric and cinnamon	0	0 g	0 g	0 g
Salt	0	0 g	0 g	1330 g
Corn tortillas	188	3.1 g	1.6 g	40.6 g
Garlic crema	683	1.4 g	74 g	2.9 g
Pickled red onion	36	0 g	0 g	7.1 g

Values are per 100 g of the listed ingredient. Nutrition data: USDA FoodData Central (snapshot 2026-09-11). Ingredients without a verified match are omitted.

Method

Whisk the yogurt with the lemon juice, garlic, and all the spices, then massage the marinade into the chicken thighs.
Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes while the oven heats to 425°F.
Pack the thighs onto a foil-lined sheet pan, overlapping them like a flattened trompo, and roast until charred at the edges and cooked through.
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Rest the chicken briefly, then shave it into thin strips and crisp the strips in a hot skillet with a spoonful of the pan drippings.
Warm the tortillas on a comal until soft and pliable.
Swipe each tortilla with garlic crema and pile on shawarma, pickled onion, cucumber, and herbs.