Shish Tawook Sandwich is a Middle Eastern street food featuring tender, yogurt-marinated chicken skewers paired with a potent homemade garlic sauce (toum), fries, and pickles in toasted pita. The standout is the rich, creamy toum that transforms simple ingredients into an intensely flavorful sauce.
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In a mixing bowl, combine yogurt, tomato paste, olive oil, cumin, paprika, chili powder, salt, pepper, minced garlic, and honey. Mix well to create the marinade.
Add the cubed chicken breast to the marinade and toss until fully coated. Set aside to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
To make the toum (garlic sauce), add the peeled garlic cloves to a tall container suitable for an immersion blender. Cover with about half of the neutral oil and add salt.
Blend with an immersion blender until a thick paste forms. Squeeze in the lemon juice.
With the blender running, slowly drizzle in the remaining neutral oil until the sauce emulsifies and becomes thick and creamy.
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat with a bit of oil. Add the marinated chicken and cook until golden brown and cooked through.
To assemble, lay a pita bread flat and spread a generous layer of toum down the center.
Top the toum with the cooked chicken, a handful of french fries, and sliced pickles.
Roll the sandwich up tightly. Toast in a hot pan with a little chili oil until both sides are golden and crispy.
Serve immediately, with extra toum on top or for dipping.
Cooked chicken keeps refrigerated up to 3 days; reheat gently in a skillet or oven. Toum lasts 5–7 days sealed; fries are best eaten fresh but can be crisped in a 350°F oven. Assemble sandwiches fresh to order for best texture.
skewers (metal or wooden, soaked if wooden) · grill or grill pan
Toum is a creamy Middle Eastern garlic emulsion made from garlic, oil, and lemon. Yes, make it 1–2 days ahead and store in an airtight container in the fridge.
Marinate for at least 2 hours, ideally 4–8 hours, to allow the yogurt and spices to penetrate the meat for maximum tenderness.
Yes. Bake marinated chicken at 400°F for 18–22 minutes until cooked through, then toast the pita and assemble as directed.
The sandwich is not gluten-free as written (pita contains gluten), but the chicken and toum are naturally gluten-free. Use gluten-free pita as a substitute.
Greek yogurt works well for a thicker marinade. Dairy-free yogurt can replace it for a vegan version, though the flavor profile will differ slightly.
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