Shish Tawook Recipe
This Shish Tawook recipe is a popular Middle Eastern grilled chicken skewer dish. The chicken is marinated in a yogurt-based marinade with garlic, lemon, and delicious seasonings, which gives us tender and juicy chicken pieces that are grilled to perfection!
Although it’s a Middle Eastern recipe, it’s made using pantry-staple ingredients and is super easy to make! The yogurt tenderizes the chicken and imparts flavor, while the lemon juice and garlic take it to the next level!
In my post, you’ll find everything you need to make the best Middle Eastern shish tawook you’ve ever had! I’ve also mentioned a secret technique that will make sure you get juicy, moist chicken every single time.
What is Shish Tawook?
Shish Tawook is a delicious grilled chicken skewer dish popular in the Middle East. The name originated from Turkey, Shish or Şiş in Turkish means skewers, while Tawook or Tavuk means chicken. It features juicy chicken marinated in yogurt, lemon juice, and garlic, among other delicious spices and ingredients.
Why You’ll Love Shish Tawook
- Delicious Flavor: Shish tawook is marinated in a blend of yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, and spices, resulting in a mouthwatering, tangy, and savory taste.
- Juicy and Tender: The yogurt marinade tenderizes the chicken, ensuring that each bite is succulent and moist.
- Healthy Option: Grilled chicken is a lean source of protein, making shish tawook a nutritious choice for those looking to maintain a healthy diet.
- Versatility: You serve it in various ways – wrapped in pita bread, on a bed of rice, with a salad, or alongside grilled vegetables – catering to different preferences and meal types.
- Easy to Make: The recipe is straightforward, involving simple ingredients and a relatively quick preparation process, making it accessible for home cooks.
- Family-Friendly: Its mild yet flavorful profile appeals to both adults and children, making it a family favorite.
Shish Tawook and Onion Salad Ingredients
For the Shish Tawook:
Chicken: This recipe calls for either chicken breasts or chicken thighs. We’ll cut them into equal-size pieces so that they cook evenly.
Garlic: Garlic adds a delicious flavor to the chicken and pairs beautifully with the yogurt-based marinade.
Yogurt: This is the base of your Shish Tawook marinade. I recommend using plain yogurt instead of Greek yogurt since it is too thick and the chicken will end up having black patches faster before cooking thoroughly.
Spices and seasonings: We’ll use salt and pepper, along with paprika, coriander powder, and red chili powder!
Tomato paste: This adds a beautiful subtle flavor to the chicken and an appetizing red color. I highly recommend not skipping it!
Lemon juice: Lemon juice will add the perfect level of tang to your chicken, taking it to the next level.
Olive oil: Adding olive oil helps infuse the flavors deep into the chicken and coat it better with the marinade.
Red and green bell peppers (optional): You can add red and green bell pepper cubes to the skewers for some added veggies, flavor, and color!
For the Onion Salad:
Onion: One medium onion chopped into thin slices.
Sumac: Sumac will add the perfect level of tang to your salad that pairs beautifully with Shish Tawook.
Salt and pepper: A little salt and pepper will season the salad to the right level and bring out the flavor of the sumac and onions.
Chopped herbs: I recommend adding chopped parsley or mint leaves.
How to Make Shish Tawook Step by Step
Making these delicious grilled chicken skewers is incredibly easy, you’d be surprised!
The Chicken Marinade
Step 1
Start by taking a large bowl and adding the garlic, yogurt, spices, lemon juice, and tomato paste. Mix well until well combined.
Step 2
Add the olive oil and whisk until combined as well.
Step 3
Now pat the chicken dry and then add it to the marinade. Mix the ingredients well for a minute and then cover properly and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, although it is best to leave it overnight.
How To Make Shish Tawook
Time to place the chicken into the skewers and grill it! If you are using wooden skewers, soak them in warm water for an hour before using them, which will prevent them from burning.
Step 4
First, thread two bell pepper cubes onto the skewers, then the chicken cubes, and lastly, thread two more bell peppers, as shown in the video.
Step 5
You can grill the Shish Tawook outdoors on a grill or, as shown in the video, heat a flat grill pan and then place the Shish Tawook on it.
Step 6
Keep the heat high to seal the juices in the chicken. Depending on the stove’s temperature, flip the skewers every two minutes.
Step 7 (Secret tip)
When done, cover the Shish Tawook with aluminum foil for 7 minutes. This will allow the chicken to rest and continue cooking from the inside.
How to Make Onion Salad for Shish Tawook
Mix all the onion salad ingredients together with your hand, trying to separate the onion layers, and you’re done!
Frequently Asked Questions
Using a yogurt-based marinade will effectively tenderize the chicken while simultaneously adding flavor. The lactic acid in yogurt will help break down the proteins in the chicken so that it is not only tender but also juicy.
The longer the chicken is marinated, the stronger and better the flavor. For the best flavor and results, I recommend marinating the chicken for at least 4 hours or overnight!
If you’re using bamboo or wood skewers, soak them in water for at least 30 minutes.
The easiest and most accurate way to know if your Shish Tawook is ready is to use an internal thermometer. Your chicken is ready when it reaches a temperature of 165F or 74C. Alternatively, you can try one piece of chicken and check if it’s done.
Serving Shish Tawook
In the Middle East, shish tawook is normally part of a mixed grill platter, so you’ll see it with beef skewers, lamb ribs, and other grilled items.
Another way to serve Shish Tawook is in a pita-bread-based sandwich! Remove the chicken from the skewers and pop it into a pita bread pocket. Add some chopped veggies, a drizzle of tahini sauce, and a homemade garlic sauce for a delicious meal.
Expert Tips
- It’s best to use chicken thighs for Shish Tawook but if marinated properly even the breast pieces will be juicy.
- If you want to use the oven, place the skewers under the broiler and flip them every few minutes.
- Cover the Shish Tawook with aluminum foil for 7 minutes to keep it juicy and enhance its flavor.
- You cannot store the onion salad since the flavor will change, so make the salad only when you are about to serve the Shish Tawook.
- The chicken is ready when the internal temperature reaches 165F. Or you can try one cube of chicken and check if it’s done.
- Use plain yogurt for this recipe, and better not to use Greek yogurt since it is too thick and chicken will have black patches faster before cooking thoroughly.
- If you want to make your Shish Tawook slightly spicier, you can add ½ tsp of cayenne pepper to the marinade. But do note that this is not part of the authentic recipe and that cayenne pepper can get really spicy so add it with caution!
- Soak your bamboo skewers for at least 30 minutes to an hour or preferably overnight to prevent them from burning while you grill your chicken.
How to Store Shish Tawook
Shish Tawook is best served fresh off the grill after resting it for 7 minutes. But in case you have some leftovers, you can place them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Just reheat the skewers before serving and they’ll taste incredible.
On the other hand, the onion salad should be made fresh and served right away since the flavor will start changing if stored for longer than a few hours.
Other Recipes You’ll Love
- Chicken Skewers.
- Pita Bread.
- Falafel Recipe.
- Musakhan Recipe.
- Chicken Shawarma Recipe.
- Chicken Teriyaki Skewers.
⭐PLEASE REVIEW AND RATE
If you have tried my Shish Tawook recipe and liked it, please give it a 5-star rating and leave a comment below with your experience!
Shish Tawook Recipe
Ingredients
FOR THE SHISH TAWOOK
- 750 gm chicken breast or thighs cut into large cubes
- 5 garlic cloves minced around 1 tablespoon
- ¾ cup plain yogurt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 + 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon tomato paste
- 3 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¼ cup olive oil
OPTIONAL
- Red and green bell pepper cut in cubes.
THE ONION SALAD
- 1 medium onion cut into thin slices.
- 2 teaspoon sumac
- ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoon chopped parsley or mint leaves
Instructions
MAKING THE SHISH TAWOOK
- In a large bowl, add the garlic, the yogurt, the spices, lemon juice, and the tomato paste. Mix well until well combined.
- Add the olive oil and whisk until combined.
- Pat the chicken dry and then add it to the marinade. Mix the ingredients well for a minute and then cover properly and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, although it is best to leave it overnight.
- If you are using wooden skewers, soak them in warm water for an hour before using them, which will prevent them from burning.
- Thread two bell pepper cubes first and then thread the chicken cubes onto the skewers, lastly thread two more bell peppers as shown in the video.
- You can grill the shish tawook outdoors on a grill or as shown in the video, heat a flat pan and then place the shish tawook on the pan. Keep the heat high to seal the juices in the chicken. Flip the skewers every two minutes depending on how high your stove is.
- When done, cover the shish tawook for 7 minutes with aluminum foil, this will allow the chicken to rest and continue cooking from the inside.
- Serve with salad and Pita bread or with rice.
TO MAKE THE ONION SALAD
- Mix all the ingredients together with your hand trying to separate the onion layers.
Video
Notes
- It’s best to use chicken thighs for shish tawook but if marinated properly even the breast pieces will be juicy.
- If you want to use the oven, then place the skewers under the broiler and flip them every few minutes.
- Cover the shish tawook with aluminum foil for 7 minutes to keep it juicy and enhance its flavor.
- You can not store the onion salad since the flavor will change, so make the salad only when you are about to serve the shish tawook.
- The chicken is ready when the internal temperature reaches 165F. Or you can try one cube of chicken and check if it’s done.
- Use plain yogurt for this recipe, and better not to use Greek yogurt since it is too thick and chicken will have black patches faster before cooking thoroughly.
