Rookie Pan
← All recipes
Peru, Americas · Pollo a la Brasa (Peruvian Roast Chicken)

Pollo a la Brasa Shawarma Wraps (Peruvian × Levantine)

Pollo a la brasa flavours rolled the Lebanese way: seared ají panca chicken thighs, fries, pickles and a garlicky green yogurt sauce wrapped in flatbread and toasted until crisp.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time45 min
Marinating+ 1 h
DifficultyMedium
About servingsCook chicken to 75 °C, keep it cold while marinating, and use separate boards for raw chicken and the vegetables.

Method

  1. Mix the garlic, soy sauce, lime juice, ají panca, cumin, smoked paprika, allspice, yogurt, half the oil and the salt in a bowl. Add the chicken thighs, coat them well and refrigerate for . The yogurt tenderises the meat and helps it brown.

    Add in this stepGarlic cloves, grated 2Soy sauce 1 tbspLime juice 10 mlAjí panca paste 2 tspGround cumin 1 tspSmoked paprika 1 tspGround allspice ¼ tspPlain yogurt 2 tbspVegetable oil ½ tbspSalt ½ tspBoneless, skinless chicken thighs 300 g

  2. Preheat the oven to 220 °C. Spread the fries on a lined tray in a single layer and bake for , turning halfway, until golden and crisp.

    Add in this stepFrozen oven fries 160 g

    oven
  3. Heat the rest of the oil in a 24 cm frying pan over medium-high heat. Lay the thighs flat, smooth side down, and cook for per side without moving them, until deeply browned and the thickest part reaches 75 °C. Don't crowd the pan; cook in two batches for 3–4 servings. Rest for 5 minutes, then slice into thin strips.

    Add in this stepVegetable oil ½ tbsp

    medium-high heat
  4. For the sauce, finely chop the jalapeño (seeded for less heat), coriander and garlic, or blend them, and stir into the Greek yogurt with the lime juice and salt. It should be thick enough to spread.

    Add in this stepGreek yogurt 80 gJalapeño ½Fresh coriander 10 gGarlic clove (for the sauce) 1Lime juice (for the sauce) 2 tspSalt (for the sauce) 1 pinch

  5. Slice the tomato into half-moons and the red onion into thin rings; slice the pickles if they are whole.

    Add in this stepTomato 1Red onion ½Pickled cucumbers, sliced 40 g

  6. Warm each flatbread in a dry pan over medium heat for per side so it becomes soft and pliable instead of cracking when rolled.

    Add in this stepLarge flatbreads (pita or lavash) 2

    medium heat
  7. Spread sauce over the lower half of each flatbread, then add chicken, a handful of fries, pickles, tomato and onion. Fold in the sides and roll up tightly. Toast the wraps seam side down in the dry pan over medium heat for per side until crisp and golden, then cut in half on the diagonal.

    medium heat

Cook's tip

Thighs stay juicy even if slightly overcooked, which makes them far more forgiving than breast. Putting fries inside the wrap is how many Lebanese shawarma shops do it, and it soaks up the sauce. Wrap tightly in foil to eat on the go.

Cooking it at camp

Marinate the chicken at home and carry it in a sealed bag on ice. Grill the thighs over medium coals and warm the flatbreads on the grate; replace the oven fries with crisps (potato chips) crushed into the wrap.