Name: Parchment Chicken Doner Kebab (Oven Method)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 85 min
Ingredients: 900 g (2 lb) boneless, skinless chicken thighs; 120 g (½ cup) plain full-fat yogurt; 3 tbsp (45 ml) olive oil; 2 tbsp (30 ml) lemon juice; 1 tbsp (16 g) tomato paste; 1 tbsp (15 g) Turkish red pepper paste (biber salçası), optional; 4 garlic cloves, finely grated; ½ small onion, grated; 2 tsp ground cumin; 2 tsp sweet paprika; 1 ½ tsp ground coriander; 1 tsp dried oregano; ¼ tsp ground cinnamon; 1 ½ tsp fine sea salt; 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper; ½–1 tsp Turkish chilli flakes (pul biber); 250 g (1 cup) Greek yogurt; 1 small garlic clove, finely grated; 1 tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice; 1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil; 1 tbsp chopped fresh mint or dill; ¼ tsp fine sea salt; 2 tbsp (32 g) tomato paste; 1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil; 1 tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice; 3 tbsp (45 ml) water; 1 tsp Turkish chilli flakes or ½ tsp cayenne; 1 pinch each sugar and salt; 6–8 flatbreads (pide, pitta or lavash); 1 small red onion, thinly sliced, with 1 tsp sumac and chopped parsley

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This is a home version of chicken döner kebab made without a rotating spit. Strips of chicken thigh are marinated in yogurt, garlic, lemon, tomato paste and warm spices, packed tightly into a log, wrapped in parchment and baked so they steam in their own juices and fuse together like spit-roasted meat. The log is then browned, sliced thinly and seared in a hot pan for the crisp edges that make döner so good.

Serve it in warm flatbread with crunchy salad, a garlicky yogurt sauce and a little chilli sauce. It takes about 20 minutes of prep, an hour or more of marinating, and about 45 minutes in the oven.

Serves 6 (6–8 wraps).

Döner’s story, briefly

Döner means “turning” in Turkish. Meat roasted on a vertical spit is associated with the Ottoman city of Bursa in the 19th century, where it was traditionally served on a plate. The döner kebab in bread, with salad and sauce, is usually credited to Turkish immigrants in West Berlin in the early 1970s, and from Germany it became fast food across Europe. Chicken döner, or tavuk döner, is now as common as lamb or beef in Turkey itself.

Ingredients

Chicken and marinade

900 g (2 lb) boneless, skinless chicken thighs
120 g (½ cup) plain full-fat yogurt
3 tbsp (45 ml) olive oil
2 tbsp (30 ml) lemon juice
1 tbsp (16 g) tomato paste
1 tbsp (15 g) Turkish red pepper paste (biber salçası), optional, or another 1 tsp tomato paste
4 garlic cloves, finely grated
½ small onion, grated, juice and pulp
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp sweet paprika
1 ½ tsp ground coriander
1 tsp dried oregano
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
1 ½ tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
½–1 tsp Turkish chilli flakes (pul biber) or ¼ tsp red pepper flakes

Garlic yogurt sauce

250 g (1 cup) Greek yogurt
1 small garlic clove, finely grated
1 tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice
1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil
1 tbsp chopped fresh mint or dill
¼ tsp fine sea salt

Quick chilli sauce

2 tbsp (32 g) tomato paste
1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil
1 tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice
3 tbsp (45 ml) water
1 tsp Turkish chilli flakes or ½ tsp cayenne
1 pinch sugar and salt

To serve

6–8 flatbreads, such as Turkish pide, pitta or lavash
1 small red onion, thinly sliced, tossed with 1 tsp sumac and a handful of chopped parsley
150 g (2 cups) finely shredded red or white cabbage
2 tomatoes, sliced, and 1 cucumber, sliced
Pickled green chillies (optional)

Notes on the ingredients

Chicken thighs stay juicy in the oven and have enough fat to crisp up when the slices are seared. Breast can be used for up to half the weight, but on its own it dries out.

Yogurt in the marinade tenderises the chicken gently and helps it brown. Use full-fat; low-fat yogurt is more watery.

Grated onion is a common part of Turkish kebab marinades. Its juice seasons and tenderises the meat.

Pepper paste and pul biber. Biber salçası is a thick paste of sun-dried red peppers, sold as sweet (tatlı) or hot (acı). Pul biber, also called Aleppo-style pepper, is a coarse, oily, fruity chilli flake that’s only moderately hot. Both are sold in Turkish and Middle Eastern grocers. Paprika and ordinary chilli flakes are fine substitutes.

Method

Slice the chicken. Trim any large pieces of fat and cut each thigh lengthways into strips about 1.5 cm (½ in) wide.
Marinate. Whisk all the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl, add the chicken and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 12 hours. Longer gives a more seasoned result.
Make the sauces. Stir together the yogurt sauce ingredients. In another bowl, whisk the chilli sauce ingredients until smooth. Refrigerate both.
Heat the oven. Heat to 220°C (425°F), or 200°C (400°F) fan. Line a rimmed baking tray with a large sheet of parchment.
Build the log. Lift the chicken out of the marinade, letting the excess drip back. Lay the strips on the parchment, overlapping and pressing them together, into a tight, compact log about 25 × 10 cm (10 × 4 in) and 5–6 cm (2–2 ½ in) high. The tighter it’s packed, the more it slices like spit-roasted döner.
Wrap. Cover with a second sheet of parchment and fold and crimp the edges together all the way round to make a sealed parcel.
Bake. Bake for 30–35 minutes, until the parcel has puffed and the chicken is firm.
Brown. Carefully open the parcel, as hot steam will escape, and fold the paper back. Spoon some juices over the top and bake uncovered for 10–15 minutes more, until browned on top and 74°C (165°F) in the centre of the log. For a darker top, finish under a hot grill (broiler) for 2–3 minutes.
Rest. Leave it for 10 minutes so the juices settle and the log firms up.
Slice and sear. Using a sharp knife, shave the log into thin slices, working from the end. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan over high heat and sear the slices in batches for 1–2 minutes, until crisp and browned at the edges. Spoon over a little of the pan juices.
Assemble. Warm the flatbreads in a dry pan or over a gas flame for a few seconds per side. Fill with cabbage, tomato, cucumber, sumac onions and the chicken. Add yogurt sauce and chilli sauce, roll or fold, and serve.

Why the parchment and the final sear?

A spit cooks a huge cylinder of meat slowly, while the outside crisps against the heat and is shaved away as it browns. At home, the sealed parcel does the slow part: the chicken steams in its marinade and the strips set into one firm, sliceable piece. The sear at the end replaces the browned outer layer, so each slice gets crisp edges. If you skip it, you’ll have tasty sliced chicken, but it won’t have that döner texture.

Looking for more? See our easy chicken dinner recipes from around the world, sorted by time.

Common mistakes

Packing the log loosely. It falls apart into strips. Press it together firmly.
Overbaking. Check the centre with a thermometer; at 74°C (165°F) it’s done. Our kitchen conversions guide lists safe temperatures for the lamb and beef version too.
Slicing hot. The log needs 10 minutes to firm up, or it shreds.
Wet salad. Dry the cabbage and tomatoes well, or the bread turns soggy.
Cold flatbread. Warm bread is soft and folds without cracking.

Lamb and beef version

For a texture closer to the classic shop-bought döner, mix 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) minced lamb and 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) minced beef with half the marinade spices, the grated onion and the garlic, leaving out the yogurt and lemon. Knead it for 5 minutes until sticky and smooth, then press it firmly into a 900 g (2 lb) loaf tin. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 60–70 minutes, until it reaches 71°C (160°F) in the centre. Rest, tip out, slice very thinly and sear as above.

Make ahead, storage and reheating

Ahead: marinate the chicken up to 12 hours in advance. The sauces keep in the fridge for 3 days.
Leftovers: refrigerate sliced chicken within 2 hours for up to 3 days. Sear the slices in a hot pan until piping hot and crisp.
Freezing: freeze sliced, cooled chicken flat in a bag for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and sear.

Other ways to serve it

Instead of wraps, serve it as a plate with rice or bulgur pilaf, salad and both sauces, or tuck it into a crusty roll. A chopped salad of chickpeas, tomato and cucumber, like our Mediterranean chickpea salad, is a good side. For a full Turkish meal, start with a bowl of our Turkish red lentil soup (mercimek).

Can’t find sumac? Our world pantry guide lists the closest swaps.

For more on cooling, freezing and reheating, see our make-ahead, storage and freezing guide.

Common questions

Can I use foil instead of parchment? Yes. Foil seals even more easily. Because the marinade is acidic, the best option is parchment against the chicken with foil crimped over it, but foil on its own works for this short bake.

How do I get thin slices? Let the log rest the full 10 minutes, then use your longest, sharpest knife and shave it from the end in long strokes, the way a döner shop carves from the spit. Slices that break up are fine; they crisp up in the pan.

Can I cook it ahead for a party? Yes. Bake the log, cool it and refrigerate it whole for up to 3 days. Cold chicken slices more thinly and neatly than warm, so slice it straight from the fridge and sear the slices in batches until piping hot and crisp just before serving.

Can I make it dairy-free? Leave the yogurt out of the marinade and add another tablespoon of olive oil. For the sauce, use a thick dairy-free yogurt, or whisk tahini with lemon juice, garlic and enough water to make it pourable.

Is döner the same as gyros or shawarma? They’re related: all three are meat cooked on a vertical spit and shaved off in thin slices. Gyros is the Greek version and shawarma the Arab one, and each has its own spices, breads and sauces. Our Greek chicken souvlaki post explains how gyros differs from skewered souvlaki.