Döner Kebab

Berlin’s most popular street food.

4-6 servings
2 hours 30 minutes
Ethan Chlebowski

Ingredients

Shaved chicken meat

  • Chicken Thighs
    8~2 lb / 900 g
  • Salt
    to taste~1% / 9 g
  • Cooking oil
    as needed
  • Rosemary, minced
    a spoonful5 g
  • Onion Powder
    a spoonful5 g
  • Garlic Powder
    a sprinkle2 g
  • Dried parsley
    a sprinkle
  • Dried oregano
    a sprinkle2 g
  • Cumin
    a sprinkle2 g
  • Paprika
    a sprinkle2 g
  • MSG
    a sprinkle2 g

Herb sauce

  • Mayonnaise
    225 g2 parts
  • Yogurt
    115 g1 part
  • Salt
    to taste~ 5 g
  • MSG
    a sprinkle2 g
  • Dried dill
    a sprinkle2 g
  • Dried mint
    a sprinkle2 g
  • Dried oregano
    a sprinkle2 g
  • Garlic Powder
    a sprinkle2 g
  • Onion Powder
    a sprinkle2 g
  • Agave syrup
    a spoonful7 g

Spicy sauce

  • Ketchup
    50 g1 part
  • Sambal
    50 g1 part
  • Harissa paste
    50 g1 part

Salad components

  • Purple cabbage, thinly shaved
    1/2
  • Salt
    to taste
  • Lemon juice
    1/2 lemon
  • Olive Oil
    a drizzle
  • Tomatoes, chopped
  • Iceberg lettuce, thinly sliced
  • Red Onions, thinly sliced
  • Cucumbers, thinly sliced

Bread

  • Pide (Turkish Bread)
    4-6 slices

Method

Step 1: Prep the chicken meat

If your chicken thighs are bone-in, remove the chicken skin and bones.

  • Optionally save the bones for stock and render chicken skin in a pot over low heat. The fat can be used for cooking the chicken later. If you have boneless chicken thighs, proceed from here.

Generously season the chicken on all sides with a sprinkle of salt.

  • If you want to be exact, use 1% salt by weight relative to the total weight of the chicken meat. For example, 900 g of boneless chicken would need 9 g of salt.

Mix the remaining dry seasonings in a bowl. Evenly sprinkle the seasoning onto all sides of the chicken thighs, and then lay them flat on a baking sheet. Freeze this sheet tray (uncovered) for at least 2 hours (or overnight) to firm up the chicken for slicing.

Step 2: Shave the chicken

Once the seasoned chicken is frozen, pull out one piece at a time and slice the chicken as thinly as possible with a knife. This should make almost translucent shavings that will mimic the texture of döner meat when cooked.

  • You’ll need a very sharp knife for this. If it’s too difficult, you can thaw the meat for about 10 minutes on the counter, which will soften it slightly. You need the meat to be mostly frozen, however, to make thin shavings.

Once you’ve thinly shaved all of the chicken, you can cook it right away, or add it to gallon bags and freeze it for later use. The shavings are so thin that they can be cooked straight from frozen if needed.

Step 3: Sear the chicken

Preheat a griddle or cast iron pan over high heat.

Add a drizzle of cooking oil (or rendered chicken fat, if using) to coat the cooking surface. Add a single layer of shaved chicken straight from the freezer and undisturbed on high heat until on one side.

  • The chicken slices are so thin that they will cook through without flipping. The sear on one side mimics the cooking from the kebab spits.

Repeat as needed.

Step 4: Mix the sauces

Make the herb sauce: Set a bowl over a scale to measure all the ingredients. Mix well. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Make the spicy sauce: Mix the ingredients and taste. Add more of an ingredient if desired.

Step 5: Prep the salad components

Make the cabbage slaw: Add the thinly sliced cabbage to a bowl and dress with a sprinkle of salt, lemon juice, and a drizzle of oil. Taste and adjust as needed. This gets better as it sits over time.

Prep the remaining vegetables and optionally season with a sprinkle of salt.

Step 6: Assemble & serve the sandwich

Warm the bread: Place a triangle or serving of Pide (Turkish bread) in a wet paper towel. Microwave for 30 seconds. Then, toast in a pan and flatten with a press or another pan before assembling.

  • This gets you a crispy exterior with a warmed interior ready for serving.

Assemble: Slice or tear the triangle of Pide bread open so it can be filled. Slather one side with herb sauce, and the other side with spicy sauce. Add a serving of seared chicken, and then a handful of the vegetables and cabbage slaw.

Close the döner, optionally wrap or serve with parchment paper. Enjoy.

“Germany’s most popular street food, and in my opinion, one of the greatest sandwiches I’ve ever eaten. If you want to make your own Pide bread, you can find my recipe for that here.”

Ethan Chlebowski
Creator

Watch & Cook

Nutritional Information

PER SANDWICH
Calories677
74g
25g
41g

FAQ

Does this work with other kinds of meat?

Yes. You could use this same seasoning and freezer-shaving technique with chicken breast, steak, or even well-mixed ground meat, like lamb.

This uses a lot of dried herbs. Do I have to make both sauces?

Use what you have around. Fresh herbs work as substitutes. Additionally, if you can make just one sauce to save on ingredients. In Berlin, you usually choose 1-2 sauces (most commonly spicy, herb, and garlic sauce options). To make garlic sauce instead: substitute all of the dried spices in the herb sauce for grated garlic.

Where can I get Pide bread? Are there other options?

It can be difficult to source Pide bread in the U.S., so check out our recipe for how to make it at home. Depending on where you live, however, you may be able to find it at the grocer. You could also make döner with pita-style breads, flatbreads or wraps, or even focaccia cut into the right shape! You want bread with a soft interior that can also hold ingredients in a triangular pocket.