Grilled Shish Tawook

Grilled Shish Tawook

Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Marinating Time4 hours
Total Time4 hours 25 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Servings: 2
Author: David Buckingham

Equipment

  • skewers

Ingredients

For the chicken

  • 2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into large chunks
  • kosher salt

For the marinade

  • 3/4 cup plain greek yogurt
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice plus zest of 1 lemon
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 8 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp allspice
  • 3/4 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Instructions

  • Prepare the marinade. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the yogurt, lemon juice, zest, extra virgin olive oil, tomato paste, garlic, and spices.
  • Pat the chicken dry and season with kosher salt on both sides.
  • Add the chicken to the marinade, and using a pair of tongs, toss to combine, making sure all the chicken pieces are well covered in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 4 to 8 hours.
  • Heat a gas grill to medium and lightly oil the grates.
  • Thread the chicken pieces through skewers (you can fold larger pieces so that they would fit better through the skewers, they also look better this way and are more manageable on the grill).
  • Arrange the chicken skewers on the heated grill in one single layer. Cover and cook for about 15 to 20 minutes, turning every 5 to 7 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.

Notes

  • For best flavor, do allow a few hours of marinating time in the fridge.  If you don’t have the time, let your chicken marinate for 30 minutes or so while you prepare the grill.
  • Serve with tzatziki sauce.
 
Recipe adapted from Authentic Shish Tawook (Middle Eastern Chicken Skewers) l The Mediterranean Dish