This might just be my favorite way to season and marinate chicken this summer. Creamy greek yogurt combined with tangy tomato paste and plenty of spice come together to create some of the most flavorful chicken to ever come out of my kitchen! I happily ate these leftovers for 4 days straight. These Turkish Chicken Kebabs are the perfect way to change things up for the bbq this summer. I threaded mine on kabobs to make things a bit easier but whole chicken breasts would work as well.
Have y’all noticed I’m really into kabobs this summer? There is something about juicy chicken on a stick that intrigues my kids so I’m just going to go with it!
Try my Garlic Ranch Grilled Chicken Skewers next!
How to Serve them:
I have already thought of 5+ ways to serve these Turkish Chicken Kebabs but the simplest is on a platter surrounded by some sort of naan, flatbread, or pita, a fresh green salad dressed with a red wine vinaigrette, served with dollops of roasted garlic hummus and cooling tatziki. You can also serve it with tabouleh, a cold orzo salad, and a cucumber and red onion salad if you really want to provide some options.
I slather the flatbread with a little hummus load it up with a little chicken, top it with the green salad mix and finally drizzle with taziki.
Whole30
Now if you’re not into using dairy or are in the middle of a Whole30, this recipe is EASILY adjusted. You will just ditch the Greek yogurt for coconut cream, and serve it with this INSANELY delicious, dairy- free, Whole30 Compliant Garlic Sauce. It’s a thinner sauce packed with flavor that you will want to drizzle on EVERYTHING. Store bought hummus and tatziki aren’t compliant, but I like to serve my Turkish Chicken Kebabs in a lettuce wrap with an easy red wine vinaigrette, cucumber tomato salad, and a healthy drizzle of my Garlic Sauce.
PrintTurkish Chicken Kebabs (Whole30 Recipe included)
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 40
- Total Time: 55
- Yield: 6 servings
- Category: dinner
- Method: oven roasted
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Description
Perfectly seasoned kebabs, cooked till juicy and dripping with flavor. Serve them over a salad, as a lettuce wrap, or cocooned in warm pita bread dressed up with hummus, red wine vinaigrette and a cucumber tomato salad.
Ingredients
2 lbs chicken breast or thighs, cut into 3 inch pieces
olive oil, for cooking
Marinade
- 1 C Greek Yogurt or Full Fat Coconut milk (If whole30)
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- juice of half a medium lemon
- 1 tsp coriander
- 2 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
- pinch of cinnamon, <1/4 tsp (optional)
Serve with:
- Flat Bread, Pita, or Naan
- Thinly sliced romaine lettuce
- diced tomato and cucumber salad
- pickled red onions
- hummus
- tatziki
- feta
- Red Wine Vinaigrette
- tabouleh
- majadras
- orzo salad
Roasted Garlic Sauce
- 3/4 C Coconut Milk
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 3-4 cloves roasted garlic
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- Prepare Marinade: In a large bowl combine all marinade ingredients: Greek yogurt OR Coconut milk, minced garlic, tomato paste, olive oil, lemon juice, coriander, cumin, smoked paprika, onion powder, black pepper, salt, turmeric, red pepper flakes, and cinnamon. Add chicken to bowl and stir till coated. Cover and refrigerate for 4- 24 hours.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees*. Thread chicken onto skewers. Prop threaded skewers onto a foil lined baking sheet. It would be ideal if they weren’t touching the bottom of the pan.
- Drizzle the kebabs with olive oil before placing in the oven. Bake for 25 minutes**. Turn the kabobs over and baste with drippings. Add another drizzle of olive oil and let cook for an addition 15 minutes. The kebabs should begin to char, but if not turn onto broil for 4 minutes. You must WATCH the chicken to make sure it doesn’t burn. Remove from oven and slice off the chicken, vertically.
- Prepare Roasted Garlic Sauce: Add coconut milk, roasted garlic, lemon juice, and salt to a blender. Pulse till smooth.
- Serve hot with options listed above drizzled with roasted garlic sauce.
Notes
*I have made this recipe on the grill as well as in the oven. I like to use the oven method to trap those sauce that drip off the chicken and brush them back on but either way turns out delicious! If you decide to grill, brush olive oil on halfway!
**The cook time depends on how large your chicken breast pieces are or if you decide to use thighs.
Keywords: kebabs, kabobs, Iurkish, middle Eastern, Whole30