Easy Mediterranean Chicken Kebabs

⏱ Marinate: 1 hr, overnight 🔥Grill: 12–15 min 👤Makes: 8 skewers / Serves 4 🌡Grill: 400°F–450°F

Mediterranean chicken kebabs are the dish that converts people who think they do not like chicken on skewers, because they have never had chicken marinated in Greek yogurt overnight and grilled properly over high heat. Chicken thighs coated in a marinade of Greek yogurt, lemon zest and juice, garlic, dried oregano, cumin, paprika, cinnamon and olive oil, left overnight so the yogurt works through the meat, then grilled until the outside chars and the inside stays impossibly juicy. Twelve minutes on the grill. The kind of dinner that makes people ask what you did differently.

I made these for the first time in a kitchen in Beirut, following a Lebanese version with za’atar and pomegranate molasses. But the bones of the dish, yogurt, lemon, garlic, heat, are the same from Greece to Lebanon to Turkey. This is that dish, done correctly.

What you need for Mediterranean Chicken Kebabs

For the chicken

• 2 lbs (900g) boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1½-inch (4cm) cubes. Thighs only, they stay juicy on a hot grill where breast dries out within minutes. This is not negotiable.

For the yogurt marinade

• ½ cup (120g) full-fat Greek yogurt, 5% fat minimum. The fat content in the yogurt is what keeps the chicken moist during high-heat grilling. Low-fat yogurt produces a drier result.
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Zest of 1 lemon, grated directly into the marinade. The zest carries more concentrated lemon flavor than the juice alone.
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, approximately 1 large lemon
• 5 cloves garlic, finely grated or minced
• 1½ teaspoons dried oregano, dried, not fresh. Dried oregano is more concentrated and withstands the grill heat better than fresh.
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika, or smoked paprika for extra depth
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, small amount but it rounds the spice blend in a way that distinguishes Mediterranean kebabs from generic grilled chicken
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, adjust to heat preference
• 1½ teaspoons salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste, optional but recommended. Adds color and a subtle umami depth to the marinade.

For the skewers

• 1 large red onion, cut into 1-inch squares, layers separated. Threads between the chicken pieces for sweetness and char.
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch squares, optional but adds color and sweetness
• 1 zucchini, cut into ½-inch rounds, optional
• Metal skewers, preferred. Or wooden skewers soaked in cold water for 30 minutes.

For the tzatziki sauce

• 1 cup (240g) full-fat Greek yogurt
• ½ English cucumber, grated and squeezed completely dry
• 2 cloves garlic, finely grated
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon fresh dill, finely chopped, or fresh mint
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• Salt to taste

The method

1. Make the tzatziki first. Grate the cucumber on a box grater. Place in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze hard until almost no liquid remains, this is the most important step in tzatziki. Wet cucumber makes watery sauce. Combine the squeezed cucumber with Greek yogurt, grated garlic, lemon juice, dill, olive oil and salt. Stir well. Cover and refrigerate, tzatziki improves significantly after 30 minutes as the garlic softens into the yogurt.Make tzatziki first so it is ready and cold when the kebabs come off the grill. Cold tzatziki against hot charred chicken is the contrast that makes the whole dish work.
2. Make the marinade. Combine Greek yogurt, olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, grated garlic, oregano, paprika, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, salt, black pepper and tomato paste in a large bowl. Whisk until completely smooth and uniform, the marinade should be a pale orange-pink color. Taste it directly. It should be tangy, garlicky and warmly spiced. Adjust now before the chicken goes in.
3. Marinate the chicken. Add the chicken cubes to the marinade. Toss and press every piece into the yogurt, every surface should be coated. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour. Overnight is significantly better. The yogurt’s lactic acid and the lemon’s citric acid together tenderize the chicken from the outside in 1 hour produces good kebabs, overnight produces extraordinary ones.Do not marinate more than 24 hours. Beyond that the acid begins to break down the proteins too aggressively and the texture becomes slightly mushy on the exterior.
4. Prepare the skewers. Remove the chicken from the fridge 30 minutes before grilling, room temperature chicken cooks more evenly than cold chicken. Thread the chicken onto skewers alternating with pieces of red onion and bell pepper. Leave a small gap between pieces, crowded pieces steam rather than char. Do not wipe the marinade off before grilling, the yogurt coating is what creates the characteristic crust on a Mediterranean kebab.
5. Heat the grill. Preheat an outdoor grill or indoor grill pan to 400°F–450°F (200°C–230°C). Brush the grates with oil immediately before adding the skewers. High heat is essential, medium heat produces pale, steamed chicken. You want actual char, not gentle browning.
6. Grill. Place the skewers on the hot grill. Do not touch them for the first 4 minutes, let the yogurt coating set and begin charring. Turn and grill 4 more minutes. Turn once more and grill a final 3–4 minutes until the chicken is charred at the edges and the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C). Total grill time: 12–15 minutes.The yogurt coating will look dark, almost burnt in places. This is correct. That char is where all the flavor lives. Only pull back if it smells acrid rather than smoky and caramelized.
7. Rest and serve. Remove from the grill. Rest 3–5 minutes, the juices redistribute and the chicken stays moist when you slide it off the skewer. Serve immediately with cold tzatziki, warm pita, sliced tomatoes and fresh parsley scattered over the top.

Why this recipe works

Greek yogurt does three things in this marinade that no other ingredient can. First, the lactic acid tenderizes the chicken slowly and gently, less aggressively than lemon juice alone, which means the meat stays firm enough to hold on the skewer while becoming tender throughout. Second, the fat in the yogurt coats every surface of the chicken and protects it from the direct heat of the grill, this is why yogurt-marinated chicken stays moist at temperatures that would dry out an olive oil-only marinade. Third, the milk proteins in the yogurt caramelize on the grill at high heat to produce the specific charred, slightly smoky crust, darker and more complex than the crust produced by any other marinade that gives Mediterranean kebabs their recognizable character.

Before you serve

Claire’s note

These kebabs are excellent at room temperature, which makes them one of the best make-ahead grilling recipes for a group. Grill them, let them rest, slide off the skewers onto a platter and cover loosely with foil. They stay at a perfect eating temperature for 20–25 minutes while you sort out everything else. The tzatziki can be made 2 days ahead and actually improves overnight. The chicken can be marinated 24 hours ahead and refrigerated on the skewers ready to go straight on the grill. Oven option for winter: broil at 450°F (230°C) on a wire rack over a foil-lined tray for 10 minutes, flip, broil 8–10 more minutes to 165°F. Add the broiler for the final 2 minutes for char. Not identical to the grill but genuinely very good.

Serve with

Mediterranean chicken kebabs belong with warm pita, cold tzatziki, sliced ripe tomatoes, raw red onion, fresh parsley and a squeeze of lemo, the full wrapping experience that makes them a complete meal. They also work alongside Lebanese mezze, served over rice pilaf with the tzatziki drizzled over, or laid across a fattoush salad. The hummus and muhammara from the Middle Eastern collection belong on the same table. For everything else in this region, the spreads, the breads, the salads, the complete Middle Eastern recipes collection has it all.

Add Mediterranean chicken kebabs to your weekly meal planner, marinate Sunday night, grill Monday in 15 minutes. And for more recipes, follow us on Pinterest.

Mediterranean Chicken Kebabs

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• Author: Claire Bennett
• Total Time: 75 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x
• Diet: Paleo

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Description

Juicy, flavorful chicken thighs marinated in Greek yogurt and spices, grilled to perfection.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 lbs (900g) boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1½-inch (4cm) cubes
• ½ cup (120g) full-fat Greek yogurt
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 5 cloves garlic, finely grated
• 1½ teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon sweet or smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (adjust to taste)
• 1½ teaspoons salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste (optional)
• 1 large red onion, cut into 1-inch squares
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch squares (optional)
• 1 zucchini, cut into ½-inch rounds (optional)
• Metal skewers or wooden skewers soaked in cold water for 30 minutes
• 1 cup (240g) full-fat Greek yogurt for tzatziki
• ½ English cucumber, grated and squeezed dry
• 2 cloves garlic, finely grated
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon fresh dill or mint, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• Salt to taste

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Instructions

1. Make the tzatziki first. Grate the cucumber, squeeze out excess liquid, and combine with yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, dill, olive oil, and salt. Refrigerate.
2. Combine yogurt, olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, grated garlic, oregano, paprika, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, salt, black pepper, and tomato paste in a bowl. Whisk until smooth.
3. Marinate the chicken cubes in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour, preferably overnight.
4. Prepare the skewers by threading chicken alternately with onion and bell pepper. Do not wipe off marinade.
5. Preheat the grill to 400°F–450°F (200°C–230°C).
6. Grill the skewers without touching them for the first 4 minutes, then turn and cook for another 8–11 minutes until charred and cooked through.
7. Rest the skewers for 3–5 minutes before serving with tzatziki, warm pita, and fresh vegetables.

Notes

These kebabs are excellent at room temperature and can be made ahead. The tzatziki improves overnight.

• Prep Time: 60 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Category: Main Course
• Method: Grilling
• Cuisine: Mediterranean

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 2 skewers
• Calories: 350
• Sugar: 5g
• Sodium: 600mg
• Fat: 18g
• Saturated Fat: 5g
• Unsaturated Fat: 10g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 10g
• Fiber: 2g
• Protein: 36g
• Cholesterol: 75mg