Serves 6
Food on a stick or skewer, known as kebabs or kabobs, is a fun cooking concept. The variations in spelling depend upon where people are from. Either way it’s spelled, we can all agree that food on a stick or skewer is tasty. Especially when you add chicken.
Special Equipment:
- About 12 wooden chicken skewers (soak them in water first before use to prevent splintering)
Meat:
- 3 lbs. of boneless skinless chicken thigh meat, cut into even 2” size pieces
Raw Meat Marinade:
- 1 ½ cups of your favorite Greek Yogurt
- 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1 ½ tsp. ground cumin
- 1 ½ tsp. smoky paprika
- ½ cup white onion, finely grated
- Zest of two lemons (yellow part only)
- 3 Tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 3 Tbsp. olive oil
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley or cilantro or dill (use one)
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. black pepper
Garnish:
- Fresh lemon slices
- Fresh chopped parsley or cilantro or dill
Dipping Sauce for Serving:
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 garlic clove mushed into a paste
- Salt to taste
- Fresh cracked black pepper to taste
- ¼ tsp. cumin
- ½ tsp. lemon juice
- A pinch of fresh chopped parsley or cilantro or dill
To Prepare the Chicken:
In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients of the marinade. Add the cut-up chicken pieces to the marinade and gently stir to coat. Then, cover and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours.
To Cook the Chicken:
When ready to cook, preheat your grill on medium-high and prepare it by greasing the grates to prevent sticking. Thread your chicken onto the skewers. Discard raw meat marinade. Grill kabobs until golden on all sides, turning occasionally. They generally take about 14 minutes to cook. Be sure that the chicken is cooked thoroughly before serving. Test with meat thermometer to be sure. (Tip: chicken generally releases from a seasoned grill more easily when it’s ready to be turned.) Serve with garnish and dipping sauce.
To Make the Dipping Sauce:
Mix the ingredients well and cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Can be made slightly ahead of meal. Serve the dip cold alongside the hot cooked chicken.
Enjoy!
Extra Tips:
For safety, always discard leftover raw meat marinade.
The most precise way to know if chicken is done is to check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer. (165 degrees ideal for chicken per Bon Appetit.)
One common mistake people make with kabobs is serving them whole to a hungry crowd. If someone takes too many, there may not be enough for all the guests. Thus, it’s best to thoughtfully distribute what is placed on each skewer, make extras, or remove the meat from the sticks or skewers before serving.
…
Kabobs or kebabs can serve as a main meal, side dish, appetizer, or even a dessert – depending upon what’s on it. Historically, meat kebabs originated in Turkey when soldiers grilled chunks of fresh hunted animals on swords and cooked them on open fires. Shish Kabob is a famous dish that consists of small pieces of lamb threaded on a skewer and cooked over a flame. In fact, the word “shish” is derived from the Turkish word for spit or skewer. Today, there are many variations on kebabs or kabobs. This can include chicken, beef, pork, and vegetables, and even desserts such as fruit or chocolate marshmallow kabobs.
Tell us… what is your favorite way to enjoy chicken?