Lebanese Wrap Recipe with Chicken, Toum, and Pickles

This Lebanese-style chicken wrap pairs warmly spiced skillet chicken with creamy toum, crisp pickles, and fresh vegetables tucked into soft flatbread. It draws on the familiar Levantine shawarma-style combination, while leaving room for the regional and family variations common to wraps like this.

Ingredients

1½ lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs (680 g), trimmed and cut into strips about ½ inch (1.25 cm) wide
½ cup plain whole-milk yogurt (120 g)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (30 ml)
1 tablespoon olive oil (15 ml), plus 1 teaspoon (5 ml) for the pan if needed
3 garlic cloves (about 9 g), finely grated or minced
1½ teaspoons ground cumin (3 g)
1 teaspoon paprika (2 g)
¾ teaspoon ground coriander (1.5 g)
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon (about 1 g)
½ teaspoon ground allspice (about 1 g)
¾ teaspoon fine salt (4 g), plus more to taste
¼ teaspoon black pepper (0.5 g)
4 large Lebanese-style flatbreads or thin pita (about 10 inches/25 cm each; roughly 320 g total)
⅓ cup prepared toum, Lebanese garlic sauce (about 80 g)
1 cup thinly sliced cucumber pickles (about 150 g), drained
1½ cups shredded romaine lettuce (about 75 g)
1 medium tomato (about 150 g), thinly sliced or diced
½ small red onion (about 50 g), thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (about 8 g), optional

Instructions

Season the chicken. In a medium bowl, whisk together the yogurt, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil, garlic, cumin, paprika, coriander, cinnamon, allspice, salt, and pepper. Add the chicken strips and turn them until evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Avoid leaving raw chicken at room temperature while it marinates.
Prepare the toppings. While the chicken marinates, drain and slice the pickles, shred the lettuce, cut the tomato, and thinly slice the onion. Keep the toppings chilled until you are ready to assemble. Set out the toum and flatbreads so everything is ready to use after cooking.
Cook the chicken. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. If the pan is not nonstick or well seasoned, add the extra teaspoon of oil. Lift the chicken from the marinade, letting excess drip back into the bowl, and arrange it in a single layer. Cook in batches if needed; crowding the pan can make the chicken steam instead of brown. Cook, turning the strips occasionally, for about 12–16 minutes, until browned in spots and cooked through. Check the thickest pieces with a food thermometer: USDA FSIS recommends that poultry reach a safe minimum internal temperature of 165°F (74°C). Discard the leftover marinade.
Rest and warm the bread. Transfer the cooked chicken to a clean plate and let it rest for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, warm each flatbread in a dry skillet for about 20–30 seconds per side, just until soft and pliable. Keep the bread covered with a clean towel so it does not dry out.
Fill and roll. Spread about 1 tablespoon of toum over each flatbread, leaving a border around the edge. Divide the chicken among the breads, then add pickles, lettuce, tomato, onion, and parsley if using. Fold the sides inward over the filling, then roll from the bottom up into a snug wrap. Serve straight away, or toast the seam side in the dry skillet for 1–2 minutes to help it hold together.

Tips

Keep the chicken in a single layer. A hot pan and space between pieces encourage browned edges. If all the chicken does not fit comfortably, cook it in two batches and add a little extra time rather than piling it up.
Use a thermometer instead of judging by color. Chicken strips vary in thickness, and browned surfaces do not guarantee the center is cooked. Check a few of the thickest pieces and return any that have not reached 165°F (74°C) to the pan.
Choose a practical toum substitute if needed. Toum is a strong, fluffy Lebanese garlic sauce that can be hard to find. Use plain Greek yogurt mixed with a little grated garlic, lemon juice, and salt for a milder, tangier wrap; it will not have toum’s airy texture or bold garlic flavor.
Do not overfill the bread. A generous-looking pile can make the wrap split or push the toppings out as you roll. Keep the filling in a narrow line, and save extra vegetables to serve alongside.

Serving Suggestions

Serve the wraps as soon as they are rolled, while the chicken is warm and the flatbread is soft. A simple side of extra cucumber pickles, sliced tomatoes, and lettuce echoes the fresh, tangy crunch inside. For a more substantial meal, offer baked or pan-fried potatoes, a chopped cucumber-tomato salad, or a bowl of lentil soup.

Put extra toum on the table for anyone who likes a stronger garlic flavor, along with lemon wedges for a bright squeeze over the filling. If you are serving a group, set out the warm chicken, bread, sauce, and toppings separately so each person can build a wrap. Keep the chicken hot and the cold toppings chilled until serving, and do not leave the assembled food at room temperature for more than 2 hours.

Variations

Make it with chicken breast. Boneless, skinless breast works if you prefer leaner, less rich meat. Cut it into even strips and start checking for doneness earlier, since breast can dry out if it stays in the pan after reaching 165°F (74°C).

Use beef instead. Thin strips of beef make a hearty alternative with the same spice blend. Cook them to the appropriate safe temperature for the cut: whole cuts of beef should reach 145°F (63°C) and rest for 3 minutes. If using ground beef, cook it to 160°F (71°C), checking with a thermometer.

Make a vegetarian wrap. Replace the chicken with 1 lb (450 g) thickly sliced mushrooms or 2 cans chickpeas, drained (about 480 g drained). Toss with the spices, lemon, oil, and a spoonful of yogurt, then cook until the mushrooms are browned and tender or the chickpeas are hot and lightly crisp. Use a plant-based yogurt if you want the wrap to be dairy-free.

Adjust the heat and crunch. Add a pinch of cayenne or a few slices of fresh chili for heat, or swap some of the pickles for thinly sliced radishes. Sumac, a tart, deep-red spice sometimes used as a finishing touch, is optional; a little extra lemon juice gives a similar bright note, though not the same earthy flavor.

Storage and Reheating

For the best texture, store the chicken, flatbreads, toum, and fresh toppings separately rather than assembling all the wraps in advance. Refrigerate cooked chicken within 2 hours of cooking in a covered, shallow container; it keeps for 3–4 days in the refrigerator. Keep prepared toum refrigerated according to its package directions, and store washed or cut vegetables in a separate covered container.

Reheat only the amount of chicken you plan to eat. Warm it in a covered skillet over medium-low heat with a teaspoon of water, stirring occasionally, or microwave it in short bursts with a cover. USDA FSIS advises reheating leftovers to 165°F (74°C); check the center with a food thermometer. Warm the flatbread separately, then add cold toppings and sauce just before serving. You can freeze the cooked chicken in a sealed freezer-safe container for up to 2 months for best quality; thaw it in the refrigerator before reheating. Freezing assembled wraps is not recommended because the lettuce and tomato turn watery.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I marinate the chicken overnight?
Yes, you can refrigerate the chicken in the marinade for up to 12 hours. Because it contains lemon juice and yogurt, an overnight soak can make the surface softer, so 30 minutes to several hours is a good range for this cut. Keep the bowl covered and refrigerated throughout.

What kind of bread works best?
Thin, flexible Lebanese flatbread or pita is easiest to roll. Large flour tortillas are a convenient substitute, though their flavor and texture are different. If the bread feels stiff, warm it briefly in a dry skillet before filling; do not heat it so long that it becomes crisp and cracks.

Is this the same as restaurant shawarma?
It is a home-cooked, shawarma-style wrap rather than meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie. Shawarma and its toppings vary across the Levant and between cooks. This version uses a skillet, a yogurt-and-spice marinade, toum, pickles, and fresh vegetables to make a practical wrap at home.

Can I make the wraps ahead?
You can cook the chicken and prepare the vegetables ahead, but assemble the wraps shortly before serving to prevent the bread from becoming soggy. Store the components separately in the refrigerator, then reheat the chicken to 165°F (74°C) and warm the bread when you are ready to eat.

How can I make the recipe dairy-free?
Use an unsweetened, unflavored dairy-free yogurt in the marinade, or replace the yogurt with an additional tablespoon of olive oil and a little lemon juice. The oil-and-lemon version will taste less creamy, but the spices will still coat the chicken. Check that your flatbread and toum are also dairy-free.

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Safety notes: safe minimum internal temperatures from USDA FSIS; raw and undercooked fish guidance from the U.S. FDA. Food safety notes

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