Authentic Chicken Shawarma

I knew I could do hummus at home (see previous post), but what about my favorite Lebanese dish - chicken shawarma?  A little careful research lead me to www.dedemed.com a great collection of demonstration videos by Dede on cooking Mediterranean foods.  Her recipes are simple and very authentic.  The following recipe is her version of chicken shawarma.  My variation is to use boneless dark thigh meat instead of chicken breasts, marinating is longer (8+ hours) and grilling it until done.  Yummm!  The garlic sauce (homemade garlic mayo) is a MUST.

2 boneless (skinless) chicken breasts, cut into thins strips
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup Mediterranean (Greek) yogurt
1 tbs minced garlic
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp 7 spices (found in Arabic food stores or make it at home yourself)
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp dried parsley
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp cinnamon
3 tbs olive oil
Pita, kabees(pink pickled turnips), pickles and garlic sauce for sandwich.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, cover and let marinate for 2 hours in the refrigerator. Preheat pan and add 3 tbs olive oil, add chicken and let cook for 10 minutes until chicken browns, cook for an additional 2 minutes if necessary to brown. To make sandwich, use pita bread, spread garlic sauce (use the link or buy some locally) on pita, add chicken, kabees and pickles (you can add tomatoes and lettuce if desired). Roll sandwich and press in the grill press to make sandwich crispy for 3 minutes. Enjoy with fries or salad.