Crispy Shawarma Quesadilla

Crispy Shawarma Quesadilla is the Lebanese-Mexican fusion dinner nobody saw coming and now cannot stop making. Shawarma-spiced chicken thighs marinated in Greek yogurt and lemon. Then cooked until deeply golden, stuffed inside a flour tortilla spread with toum, loaded with melted mozzarella, folded, and pan-fried until the outside is crispy and the inside is perfectly melted!

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Ingredient Notes

Boneless Chicken Thighs: They stay juicy even after a hard sear over high heat. The yogurt marinade does two jobs. It tenderizes the meat and keeps it moist under high heat. I use the same yogurt marinade technique in my Sheet Pan Beef Shawarma and my One Pot Chicken Shawarma Rice, and it makes a real difference to the final texture every time.

The Shawarma Spice Blend: This is the spice combination that makes shawarma taste like shawarma, and it is rooted in Lebanese and broader Levantine cooking. Every spice has a job. The cumin and coriander are the earthy backbone. The cinnamon adds a warm, slightly sweet depth that is distinctly Levantine. The turmeric adds color and a subtle earthiness. Together they create a flavor profile that is complex, warm, and deeply satisfying. If you want to learn more about these spices, my Mediterranean herbs and spices guide covers everything you need.

Toum: Toum is a Lebanese garlic sauce that Lebanese cooks make by emulsifying garlic, oil, lemon juice, and salt into a fluffy, intensely garlicky white cream. It shows up across the Lebanese table as a condiment, a marinade, and a spread, and once you have a jar in your fridge, you will put it on everything. One tablespoon per quesadilla is all it takes to infuse the entire thing with that deep garlicky flavor that defines Lebanese street food. Look for it at Middle Eastern grocery stores or online. If you cannot find it, use the white sauce from this recipe spread inside the tortilla instead.

The White Sauce: A creamy, tangy dipping sauce that is genuinely one of the best things to come out of this recipe. The Kewpie mayo adds a richness and a slight sweetness that regular mayo does not have. The sumac and turmeric add a color and a tangy depth that makes the sauce taste specifically Mediterranean. Make extra. You will use it on everything. It is the same white sauce from my One Pot Chicken Shawarma Rice.

⭐️ Recipe

Crispy Shawarma Quesadilla

Crispy Shawarma Quesadilla is the Lebanese-Mexican fusion dinner nobody saw coming and now cannot stop making. Shawarma-spiced chicken thighs marinated in Greek yogurt and lemon. Then cooked until deeply golden, stuffed inside a flour tortilla spread with toum, loaded with melted mozzarella, folded, and pan-fried until the outside is crispy and the inside is perfectly melted!

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mediterranean, Middle Eastern

Keyword: quesadilla, shawarma

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

Calories: 678kcal

Author: Lola Jay

Ingredients

• Shawarma chicken
• 2.5 lbs boneless chicken thighs sliced
• ¼ cup Greek yogurt
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil for cooking

Quesadilla

• 4 large flour tortillas
• 4 tablespoon toum 1 tablespoon per quesadilla
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella
• Extra virgin olive oil for the pan

White sauce

• 1 cup Greek yogurt
• ⅓ cup Kewpie mayo
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove grated
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ¼ teaspoon sumac optional
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric optional
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon water

US Customary - Metric

Instructions 

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Marinate and cook the chicken

• Slice the chicken thighs into strips or bite sized pieces. Add to a large bowl with the Greek yogurt, lemon juice, smoked paprika, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, garlic powder, turmeric, onion powder, salt, and black pepper. Toss until every piece is evenly coated. Marinate for up to 4 hours in the fridge or cook immediately.
  2.5 lbs boneless chicken thighs, ¼ cup Greek yogurt, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tsp smoked paprika, 2 tsp cumin, 1 tsp coriander, ½ tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook undisturbed for 5 minutes until a deep golden sear develops on the bottom. Toss and cook for another 4 minutes until cooked through to 170F. Remove from the pan and set aside.
  2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil for cooking

Make the white sauce

• Whisk together the Greek yogurt, Kewpie mayo, lemon juice, grated garlic, onion powder, sumac, turmeric, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl until completely smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust lemon and salt as needed. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
  1 cup Greek yogurt, ⅓ cup Kewpie mayo, 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice, 1 garlic clove, ½ tsp onion powder, ¼ tsp sumac, ¼ tsp turmeric, ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp black pepper, 1 tbsp water

Build and cook the quesadillas

• Heat a small drizzle of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place one flour tortilla flat in the pan. Spread one tablespoon of toum evenly across the entire surface of the tortilla.
  4 large flour tortillas, Extra virgin olive oil for the pan, 4 tbsp toum
• Scatter about a third of a cup of shredded mozzarella evenly over the entire tortilla. Let it melt completely until bubbling and fully liquid. The cheese needs to be completely melted before the chicken goes on.
  2 cups shredded mozzarella
• Add a generous portion of the cooked shawarma chicken to one half of the tortilla only. Fold the empty cheese half over the chicken half and press down firmly with a spatula across the entire surface.
• Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the bottom is deeply golden and crispy. Carefully flip and cook for another 2 minutes until the second side is equally golden. Remove from the pan and repeat with the remaining tortillas.

Serve

• Slice each quesadilla into thirds or halves. Serve immediately with the white sauce on the side for dipping and a Mediterranean salad alongside.

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Notes

Nutrition facts are only estimates.

Storage

Store leftover cooked chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Store the white sauce separately for up to 3 days. Assemble and cook quesadillas fresh each time rather than storing assembled quesadillas as the tortilla will go soggy. Reheat the chicken in a skillet before building. Leftover cooked quesadillas can be reheated in the air fryer at 375F for 4 minutes to bring back the crispiness. Not recommended for freezing once assembled.

Nutrition

Calories: 678kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 46g | Fat: 58g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 17g | Monounsaturated Fat: 20g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 226mg | Sodium: 1167mg | Potassium: 565mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 754IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 298mg | Iron: 3mg

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