Kebab-shop chicken

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Ken_Code

Original Poster:

381 posts

2 months

Tuesday 16th April
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We’ve an excellent Turkish kebab shop near us from which we often get chicken shish kebabs.

They are cooked on a charcoal grill, and I’d like to be able to get the same sort of flavour and texture at home.

The shop (very fairly) don’t want to share their family recipe, so can anyone suggest what’s likely to be the ingredients and process?

I’ve tried marinading chicken breasts in olive oil and lemon, but it doesn’t seem quite the same.

deadslow

8,000 posts

223 months

Tuesday 16th April
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illmonkey

18,205 posts

198 months

Tuesday 16th April
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In! Wanted to be able to do this for so long. Like proper, all the ones I've tried are ste!

fat80b

2,278 posts

221 months

Tuesday 16th April
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I make home made kebabs the following way.

Slice a cm off the long side of a potato such that it will sit in the bottom of a deep pan.

Shove wooden skewers through the potato and stand it in the pan - skewers pointing to the sky.

Marinade skinless boneless chicken thighs in the rub of choice.

I use a random mix of stuff but always throw in some msg and harissa and spices with some lime juice.

Thread the chicken onto the skewers to make a tower. If you get it high enough to topple, you might need more skewers for structural support.

Cook for 90mims or so until middle is cooked and outside is crunchy. You should have all the juices that came out of the chicken in the bottom of the deep pan.

Pull skewers out / chop chicken in the pan and mix up with the juices / fat.

Pour whole lot out and serve with condiments of your choice. Delicious

RichFN2

3,375 posts

179 months

Tuesday 16th April
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I do love Balkan style cevapi kebabs, the Sarajevo cevapi is the most famous and a few recipes I have seen online use a combination of salt, pepper, paprika, onion and garlic.

Also works well with chicken. Nothing to say it's 100% Turkish but it does date back to the Ottoman empire

TheLurker

1,371 posts

196 months

Tuesday 16th April
quotequote all
The best I've found which works really well, but sounds strange. Everyone I've given it to loves it.

Use boneless, skinless chicken thighs, although breast meat works too. Make a marinade for them using;

Mayo (trust me). Enough to cover all the chicken.
Lemon juice
Salt, quite a lot
Oregano, quite a lot
Pinch of paprika, onion powder, garlic powder. These aren't needed, but do add to it.

Cook over charcoal until lighty charred. The coals will flame up as the mayo drops off, but that adds to the flavour. At first they will go a little black with the smoke sticking to the marinade, but this will go as it cooks off and then they will char up nicely.

It's a go to of mine. You can make them into kebabs or just cook the thighs individually and slice afterwards.

Ken_Code

Original Poster:

381 posts

2 months

Tuesday 16th April
quotequote all
TheLurker said:
The best I've found which works really well, but sounds strange. Everyone I've given it to loves it.

Use boneless, skinless chicken thighs, although breast meat works too. Make a marinade for them using;

Mayo (trust me). Enough to cover all the chicken.
Lemon juice
Salt, quite a lot
Oregano, quite a lot
Pinch of paprika, onion powder, garlic powder. These aren't needed, but do add to it.

Cook over charcoal until lighty charred. The coals will flame up as the mayo drops off, but that adds to the flavour. At first they will go a little black with the smoke sticking to the marinade, but this will go as it cooks off and then they will char up nicely.

It's a go to of mine. You can make them into kebabs or just cook the thighs individually and slice afterwards.
This seems likely to be quite close to what they are doing, so I’ll try it first, thanks.

StupidDecisions

13 posts

22 months

Tuesday 16th April
quotequote all
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gl1DthDLic

She cooks in a griddle pan but on a BBQ makes them better.

trickywoo

11,807 posts

230 months

Wednesday 17th April
quotequote all
TheLurker said:
The best I've found which works really well, but sounds strange. Everyone I've given it to loves it.

Use boneless, skinless chicken thighs, although breast meat works too. Make a marinade for them using;

Mayo (trust me). Enough to cover all the chicken.
Lemon juice
Salt, quite a lot
Oregano, quite a lot
Pinch of paprika, onion powder, garlic powder. These aren't needed, but do add to it.

Cook over charcoal until lighty charred. The coals will flame up as the mayo drops off, but that adds to the flavour. At first they will go a little black with the smoke sticking to the marinade, but this will go as it cooks off and then they will char up nicely.

It's a go to of mine. You can make them into kebabs or just cook the thighs individually and slice afterwards.
Have you tried buttermilk instead of the mayo? Not saying the mayo doesn’t work but I wonder if it’s doing the same job?

I always avoid any salt until after cooking as it can make the meat a little tough if used in a marinade.

andyA700

2,707 posts

37 months

Wednesday 17th April
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The only chicken kebabs I really like are either Indian tandoori style or Persian Joojeh kebabs, using saffron, turmeric and yoghurt for the marinade. The flavour is out of this World.

https://www.themediterraneandish.com/joojeh-kabob-...

RichFN2

3,375 posts

179 months

Wednesday 17th April
quotequote all
I would also use yogurt or buttermilk rather than mayo.

Greek yogurt is my choice and any leftovers can be used for tzatziki