Shawarma Fries in the air fryer is my take on kapsalon – the Dutch snack bar classic that packs an entire fast-food meal into one aluminium tray. Crispy fries, spiced shawarma chicken, and a thick layer of melted Gouda finally get topped with cold, crisp salad and creamy garlic sauce. The dish comes from Rotterdam, where a hairdresser in the early 2000s ordered his usual combination from the shawarma stand on the corner, and the name means hairdresser’s salon in Dutch.
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In the air fryer, you make the whole thing without a deep-fat fryer. The chicken gets caramelised edges, the fries turn golden and crispy, and the Gouda melts into a bubbling blanket, while the salad sits cold and waits its turn. It’s snack bar food that you’re in complete control of – from the marinade to the dressing.
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
Table of Contents
Why I love Shawarma Fries in the air fryer
I love dishes where the contrasts do the work, and kapsalon is full of them. Hot meets cold, crisp meets creamy, and the spiced chicken strips with cumin, paprika, turmeric and a hint of cinnamon are lifted by the fresh salad and the tangy garlic sauce. It’s not gourmet food, but it’s thoughtful fast food, where every layer has its job to do.
The air fryer suits this dish perfectly, because all the hot steps happen in the same basket: first the chicken, then the fries, and finally a short gratin finish for the assembled trays. You avoid heating up a big oven for two aluminium trays, and the kitchen doesn’t smell of deep-fat frying afterwards.
Why the Gouda goes in slices
The Dutch original uses Gouda, and so do I – but in slices, not grated. The fan in the air fryer sends the air round at high speed, and light, grated cheese can get blown off the tray. Thin slices stay in place, cover the chicken like a lid, and melt evenly across the whole surface, so the meat doesn’t dry out during the gratin finish.
My kitchen test: Shawarma Fries
I tested the dish in my Philips XXL, and every step in the air fryer runs at 200 °C. The chicken strips got a 30-minute marinade in the fridge and then 12 minutes in the basket with one shake halfway through. The meat thermometer showed 75 °C in the thickest strips, and the edges were lightly caramelised just like shawarma from the grill stand. Afterwards, the frozen fries got 18 minutes with a couple of shakes along the way.
There’s only room for one aluminium tray at a time in my basket, so I gratinated the two trays one after the other for 4 minutes each, until the cheese bubbled and took on a little colour. That comes to 38 minutes in the air fryer, and with 20 minutes of preparation and the marinating time on top, the dish lands on 88 minutes in total. You sort out the salad and dressing while the chicken marinates.
Wait to add the salad and garlic sauce until the tray is out of the air fryer. The cold, crisp topping on the bubbling cheese is the whole point of a good kapsalon.
Tips and tricks from the author: Morten Jensen
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
The first mistake is overfilling the basket with chicken. If the strips lie in several layers, they steam instead of getting a seared crust, so spread them in an even layer and do two batches in a small air fryer. The second mistake is adding the salad and dressing too early. If they go into the air fryer, the salad turns limp and warm, and the fries go soft – the cold layer only goes on once the tray has been taken out. The third mistake is judging the chicken by its colour. Turmeric and paprika make the strips look cooked through before they are, so check with a meat thermometer that the core temperature is at least 75 °C.
How to serve Shawarma Fries
Kapsalon is a complete meal and is best served straight from the aluminium tray. If you want to make a bit more of an occasion of it, you can put this on the table:
- Extra garlic sauce in a bowl on the side
- Sambal oelek or chilli sauce for those who want more heat
- Pickled chillies or jalapeños for acidity and bite
- Lemon wedges to freshen up the chicken
- An ice-cold soft drink or a light lager
Storage and reheating
Kapsalon tastes best right when it’s made, because the contrast between the hot base and the cold top disappears quickly. Leftovers keep for 1-2 days covered in the fridge, ideally with the salad and dressing kept separate. Reheat the fries, chicken and cheese without the salad and dressing in the air fryer at 180 °C for 4-5 minutes, and add the salad and dressing afterwards. The dish isn’t suitable for freezing.
Kapsalon proves that fast food can easily be made from scratch at home. The air fryer gives you crispy fries, juicy chicken and bubbling Gouda without a deep-fat fryer – and with cold salad and garlic sauce on top, Friday night’s dinner is sorted.
Frequently asked questions
Kapsalon is Dutch for hairdresser’s salon. The dish is named after a hairdresser from Rotterdam who, in the early 2000s, had his local shawarma bar combine fries, shawarma, cheese and salad in one tray.
Yes. Thin strips of lamb or beef work fine with the same marinade, and if you’re short on time, you can use ready-made kebab or shawarma meat. Cooking time depends on the meat, so keep an eye on it as you go.
Yes, if you choose fries without a coating. Many frozen fries have a thin coating that makes them extra crispy, and it can contain wheat flour. Also check the packaging on spices and mayonnaise.
Recipe
Shawarma Fries in the Air Fryer
Cooking Guide
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Cost of the dish
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Our estimate is based on average food prices for the current year 2026.
Estimated price for the whole dish:
Airfryer size
All our recipes are tested in a Philips Airfryer 2000 Series NA230/00 – 6.2 L
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Recommended equipment
- 1 Air fryer
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Knife
- 2 Bowl - For the marinade and sauce
- 2 Aluminum tray - That fit in the air fryer basket
- 1 Meat thermometer
Shopping list
Ingredients
Shawarma chicken
- 600 g chicken thigh fillets
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp lemon juice (Freshly squeezed)
- 2 clove garlic (Crushed)
- 2 tsp cumin (Ground)
- 2 tsp paprika (Sweet or smoked)
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 0.5 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt
- 0.5 tsp black pepper (Freshly ground)
Fries and cheese
- 600 g frozen fries
- 200 g Gouda (Thinly sliced)
How to make it
Preparation
- Cut 600 g chicken thigh fillets into thin strips about 1 cm wide, so the meat gets crispy edges like real shawarma.
- Mix 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 2 clove garlic, 2 tsp cumin, 2 tsp paprika, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp turmeric, 0.5 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp salt and 0.5 tsp black pepper in a bowl to make a marinade.
- Marinate the chicken strips in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. First toss them thoroughly in the marinade so every piece is coated, and cover the bowl.
Cooking in the air fryer
- Preheat the air fryer to 200 °C fan.
- Place the marinated chicken in the basket in an even layer and cook at 200 °C for 12 minutes. Shake the basket halfway through, so the strips get lightly caramelised at the edges.
- Use a meat thermometer to check that the chicken has a core temperature of at least 75 °C. Take the chicken out and keep it warm.
- Place 600 g frozen fries in the basket and cook at 200 °C for 18 minutes, until golden and crispy. Shake the basket 2-3 times along the way.
- Fill 2 aluminium trays with the hot fries and spread the shawarma chicken on top.
- Cover the chicken in both trays with 200 g Gouda slices, so the cheese spreads across the whole surface.
- Melt the cheese in the air fryer at 200 °C for 4 minutes per tray, until it bubbles and takes on a little colour. If there isn’t room for both trays in the basket, melt them one at a time.
Our notes for the recipe
Use sliced Gouda rather than grated cheese. The fan in the air fryer can blow grated cheese around the basket, while slices stay put and melt evenly over the chicken. Wait to add the salad and sauce until the cheese has melted and the trays are out of the air fryer – that way the salad stays cold and crisp, and the fries don’t go soft. Variation:
Swap the chicken for thin strips of lamb or beef, or use ready-made kebab or shawarma meat. A few dollops of sambal oelek or chilli sauce give it the classic spicy kick. Choose fries without a coating if the dish needs to be gluten-free – always check the packaging. To serve:
Serve straight from the aluminium trays with extra garlic sauce on the side. The dish is a complete meal in itself, so all you need is a cold drink. Portion size:
If your air fryer is smaller, you can cook the fries in two batches and melt the cheese on one tray at a time.
Your notes for the recipe
Nutrition per serving (Guideline)
Important about shelf life and nutrition
Nutrition per serving (guideline): Calculations are based on data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Shelf life (guideline): Shelf life data is provided, as far as possible, by public institutions, including national food authorities. Our information is therefore only indicative, and it is your responsibility to obtain and calculate accurate information about shelf life and nutrition for all recipes on airfryerkogebogen.dk
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