Shish Tawook a Mediterranean chicken Shish Kabob recipe features chicken breasts marinated in a sweet and savory marinade making the chicken tender, juicy, and delicious. The mixture of spices in this recipe gives an amazing aroma and flavor to the chicken. This recipe is very easy and simple to prepare. Perfect for a weeknight dinner, or for cookouts. It can also be prepared under a broiler during the cold winter months.
Jump to RecipeMARINATING THE CHICKEN
Marinating the chicken is an essential part of this recipe. You will not get the same flavor or tenderness if you do not marinate the chicken. The longer you marinate the chicken, the more flavor it will retain.
I like to marinate the chicken for at least 2 hours, preferably, overnight.
It is also possible to marinate it overnight, then freeze it for a later date. When you are ready to use it, simply thaw it in the fridge the night before, and follow the directions listed in the recipe.
SHISH TAWOOK SPICES
Usually, I would use ready, prepackaged, store-bought sheesh tawook spices. I used to specifically ask my parents for these spices every time they came to visit from Lebanon.
I understand that the majority of people are probably not going to be able to go oversees to get these spices, so I created a spice blend for this shish kabob recipe to try and replicate that of the shish tawook recipe. I believe that the flavor produced is super close to the original spice blend.
You could also buy shish tawook spice blend online, but I am not sure if it is the same blend that I am used to or not.
The spices that we will bee using in this recipe are paprika, black pepper, fresh ginger, cumin, turmeric, and nutmeg.
You’ll probably find many different variations of this recipe floating over the internet, but this is my favorite way of doing it, using what I believe the closest spice blend to the original shish tawook spice blend.
TENDERIZING THE CHICKEN
There are several things that could be used to tenderize the chicken and give it flavor in the process. What I chose here, are the ingredients that my mom used in making this recipe, and personally my favorite, although not very healthy.
Hopefully, soon enough I will be posting a healthier version of this recipe, but for now, these are my favorite ingredients that I prefer to use in making this chicken recipe.
Mayonnaise, ketchup, salt, and apple cider vinegar. Both mayonnaise and Ketchup have vinegar which is one of the major tenderizer in this recipe. If you want to make the recipe a little healthier, you can use a little more apple cider vinegar, and use tomato paste and a dash of sugar instead of ketchup.
GRILLING OR COOKING PROCESS
I can’t tell you exactly the amount of time that it will take you to cook these chicken kabobs, but I can venture to say that on medium heat, it will take you about 15 to 25 minutes.
I personally like to cook these shish kabobs using metal skewers. This way I don’t have to bother with soaking any skewers ahead of time, and worrying about them burning over the fire.
Metal skewers are pretty easy to clean up. After you are done using them, soak them in hot water in a large deep dish pan with a bit of dish detergent. This makes cleaning them up a breeze.
If you want to use wooden skewers, make sure to soak them for at least 30 minutes before threading the chicken onto them and placing them over the hot flames. If you do not soak the wooden skewers well enough, they will burn up in the cooking process (true story).
My favorite all time grilling method is using charcoal because I find that it gives the best flavor to any grilled food. However, charcoal grills can be pretty hard to start sometimes. You may also be in a hurry, and too hungry to wait for a charcoal grill to start. In that case, you can use a propane grill, or even an electric grill. Just make sure to adjust the temperature as needed as you cook the chicken.
If it is too cold outside to start a grill, you can use an oven broiler. Simply fill the bottom of a deep dish pan with water, lay the chicken skewers over it, and place it on the rack that is one lower than the top rack, and cook the chicken kabobs the same as you would over a grill.
The water will catch any drippings from the chicken, therefore preventing your oven from smoking and triggering the smoke alarm. You only need about a 1/4 inch of water at the bottom of the pan.
Another way you could do this, is to simply preheat a large skillet with a tiny bit of oil, place the chicken into the preheated skillet, and cook until no longer pink. Have you checked out my favorite cookware 2021 post?
HOW TO SERVE SHISH TAWOOk
You can serve this dish in many fun ways. You can serve it alongside some grilled vegetables, over rice, in a lettuce wrap, or any way you can imagine.
The traditional way to serving shish tawook is to serve it in a wrap with some ketchup, coleslaw, maybe some pickles, and French fries. Yes, not healthy, but seriously delicious! For the wraps, you can use my Gluten Free Flat Rice Bread Recipe.
You can also serve this shish tawook recipe at a barbeque paired with many other grilled meats and vegetables. Of course, you shouldn’t forget the coleslaws, salads, wraps, buns, condiments, and all the good and delicious sides that come with it.
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Shish Tawook Mediterranean Chicken Shish Kabob Recipe
Equipment
- Skewers
- Medium bowl
- Sharp knife
- Cutting board
- Measuring Spoons
- Measuring cups
- Cling wrap
- Spatula
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breasts
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg preferably, freshly grated
Instructions
- Slice the chicken breasts into 2-inch cubes and place them into a medium bowl.
- Add in the remaining ingredients into the bowl, with the chicken.
- Using a spatula, mix well, and scrape off the sides of the bowl.
- Using cling wrap, cover the bowl and place into the fridge to marinate for 2 hours or overnight.
- Heat a grill to medium heat.
- Thread the marinated chicken slices onto skewers.
- Place the chicken kabobs onto the grill and cook for 15 to 25 minutes or until no longer pink on the inside, turning the kabobs every 5 minutes.
- If you are using an oven broiler, Prepare the chicken as directed. Place the chicken kebobs on a deep-dish pan that’s filled about 1/4 inch deep with water. Place the deep-dish pan 1 rack lower than the top oven rack, and broil on high for 15 to 25 minutes or until no longer pink on the inside, turning the kabobs every 5 minutes.
- These chicken kabobs are traditionally served in a flat bread wrap along with ketchup, coleslaw, and fries, all wrapped together into the most scrumptious wrap. You can use my flat rice bread recipe to wrap these kabobs in.
Notes
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