Meat kebabs are said to be have originated in Turkey, going back to the time of Genghis Khan, when soldiers would skewer chunks of freshly-hunted animals their on swords and grill them over open field fires for a slap-up meal wherever they were camping for the night.
Chicken kebabs are cubes of chicken breast or thigh meat that have been marinated for a few few hours and threaded on skewers, sometimes interspersed with onions and peppers, before being grilled on a high heat to get a beautiful browned char on the outside.
This recipe stays true to Turkish flavours, with a marinade that’s quite spicy but extremely tasty, especially on chicken.
You might not need swords to make these anymore, but they’ll satisfy hungry hordes just the same!
Turkish Chicken Kebabs
Ingredients
- 500 g chicken thighs cut into large cubes
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp crushed red chilli flakes
- 2 tbsp dried mint
- 1 tbsp finely chopped thyme
- 1 tbsp Aleppo pepper
- 1 tbsp sweet red pepper paste
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- kosher salt to taste
Instructions
Preparing the marinade
- n a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, mint, chile flakes, thyme, Aleppo pepper, tomato paste, red pepper paste, black pepper, and salt.
- Add the chicken and toss to coat.
- Cover with plastic wrap; let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes or for two hours in the fridge
- Prepare six 12-inch metal or (thoroughly soaked) bamboo skewers, shaking off any excess water before using.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade and thread onto the skewers.
Cooking the kebabs
- Preheat the grill to medium-high heat
- Line a baking sheet with some tin foil
- Lay the kebabs on the tin foil
- Pour any leftover marinade over the top of the chicken skewers
- brush the chicken with vegetable oil or melted butter
- Grill the chicken kebabs until fully cooked and golden brown, about 10-15 minutes, turning the skewers every couple minutes to allow for even cooking
- Transfer to a platter and serve warm
Notes
Stainless steel, double pronged 13 inch sturdy skewers that keep your food from rolling when turning over on the barbecue. When it comes time to serve, a handy built-in slider pushes the meat off each skewer with one easy push.
