Recipe: Appetizing Middle Eastern Chicken Kebabs

Middle Eastern Chicken Kebabs. One of my all-time favorite recipes for entertaining, these chicken kebabs are marinated in a tangy Middle Eastern blend of Greek yogurt, lemon, garlic and spices, then grilled on skewers until golden brown. They are delicious over a bed of golden Basmati Rice Pilaf with Dried Fruits and Almonds (as pictured above) or on top of a Greek salad. Middle Eastern Chicken Kebabs (Shish Tawook) marinated with yogurt, garlic and spices before grilling.

These Middle Eastern chicken kebabs, or chicken skewers, are marinated in Greek yogurt and aromatic spices before cooking on a grill. They are perfect crowd pleasers for BBQs and summer parties. Serve over some turmeric rice or with tahini and hummus in pita bread. You can have Middle Eastern Chicken Kebabs using 13 ingredients and 2 steps. Here is how you cook it.

Ingredients of Middle Eastern Chicken Kebabs

1. It's 1 cup of yogurt.
2. It's 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
3. Prepare 2 teaspoons of paprika.
4. You need 1/2 teaspoon of cumin.
5. You need 1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon.
6. You need 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes.
7. It's of Zest from one lemon.
8. It's 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice, from one lemon.
9. Prepare 1-3/4 teaspoons of salt.
10. It's 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper.
11. You need 5 of garlic cloves, minced.
12. You need 2-1/2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken thighs (or 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts), trimmed of any excess fat and cut into large bite-sized pieces.
13. Prepare As needed of Oil, for greasing the grill.

A surprisingly simple and easy recipe that takes minutes to prepare. YUMMY MIDDLE EASTERN CHICKEN KABOBS Yogurt, lemon, and vinegar work as a tenderizer for the chicken plus giving the chicken a delicate tangy flavor. Kebab, Kabob, or Kabab is a wide variety of grilled meat usually on skewers. Shish taouk is a traditional chicken kebab in the Middle East.

Middle Eastern Chicken Kebabs step by step

1. In a medium bowl, combine the yogurt, olive oil, paprika, cumin, cinnamon, red pepper flakes, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, pepper and garlic. Thread the chicken onto metal skewers, folding if the pieces are long and thin. Be sure not to cram the skewers. Place the kebabs on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Spoon or brush the marinade all over the meat, coating well. Cover and refrigerate at least eight hours or overnight. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat..
2. Grill the chicken kebabs until golden brown and cooked through, turning skewers occasionally, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer the skewers to a platter and serve..

It is favored in Turkey, Azerbaijan, Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine, Iraq, and Israel. Shish means skewer in Arabic and Taouk means chicken in Turkish. As with many traditional dishes, each region and even family will have their own spin. Shish Tawookcan be one of the tastiest chicken Kabobs around. The name points to its Turkish origins (Tavuk şiş) however it is quite a common chicken bbq dish in virtually every Middle Eastern country, and with Persians having their own "Jujeh Kabob" version.