Chicken Doner Kebab (Tavuk Döner)

Chicken döner (tavuk döner) is one of the most loved street foods in Turkey. And we are so excited to share the homemade version of it with you today. Read on to learn how to make it with a few simple ingredients that you already have in your pantry. 

Once the tender smoky chicken meat is carved, you can serve the slices in sandwiches or wraps (dürüm) and as little plates with several accompaniments.

If you are into doner kebab, you might want to see our classic doner kebab recipe with ground beef. It is so tasty and can be made with ground lamb too.

Why You Will Love This Recipe

This homemade tavuk döner is always a hit in our family. We can never eat enough of it. So we are thrilled to share this recipe with you. You will LOVE these chicken doner kebabs and they will become one of your go-to meals. Here is why:

• It is really easy to make. Marinate the chicken, place the meat on skewers giving it a tiny döner shape, bake or grill and serve in wraps or on a plate. That's it. 
• The chicken meat is perfectly soft and juicy thanks to the yogurt marinade. 
• It is full of flavors. As the chicken sits in the marinade, it wonderfully absorbs all the flavors coming from the spices. You will end up with a chicken döner that tastes as good as the ones you eat at kebab shops.
• It is a crowd pleaser and great for special occasions. Prepare a platter with sliced chicken doner, rice, salad, pickles and French fries so that everyone can assemble their own wraps, sandwiches or plates.
• The leftovers taste great too. Keep the carved chicken slices in an airtight container. Reheat them in a pan with a little oil and use them in wraps, sandwiches or on salads.

What Are Chicken Döner Kebabs?

Chicken Doner kebabs are one of the most popular Turkish kebabs that are cooked in a unique way. The meat is stacked and cooked on a rotating vertical spit in front of a rotisserie. As the meat slowly cooks, it is sliced off into very thin strips and served on plates, in wraps or sandwiches.

You often see two huge doners at kebab shops. One is made with beef or lamb meat called et döner and the other is made with chicken called tavuk döner. You make your choice of doner meat, bread and toppings. And your doner kebab is prepared in front of you. 

So can we make doner kebab with chicken at home? Yes, we definitely can! 

First, we will make a chicken doner kebab marinade with yogurt, oil, lemon juice, and a couple of spices. This marinade will help add more Turkish flavors to the chicken whilst tenderizing it.

Once the meat is tenderized, you can stack the chicken thighs on two skewers to create the kebab.

Even though we won't be cooking them vertically, the technique we use when roasting them in the oven mimics the same results you would get on the vertical rotisserie. And we've even included a guide that will show you how to make these on a grill.

Once cooked, all that’s left to do is carve the meat and serve it however you’d like.

What Part Of Chicken Is Best For Doner?

Chicken thighs are the best cuts to use when making döner kebab. Don’t use chicken breast. 

Thighs are classified as dark meat on chicken and are richer, juicier, and far more tender than other cuts. Also, it is easier to thread large pieces of chicken thighs on skewers. 

About The Marinade For Chicken

The secret of juicy and flavorful chicken doner is the marinade you can easily prepare with a few ingredients. It not only transfers the doner flavors to the chicken but also tenderizes it. We need the following ingredients to make a simple marinade that can be used in several other chicken recipes too.

• Yoghurt: We use whole milk Greek yogurt. Any plain yogurt works well.
• Olive oil: It is to help soften the chicken. 
• Lemon juice: The acid it contains works together with yogurt to tenderize the chicken. It also gives a nice refreshing flavor. You can use vinegar as a substitute if you want.
• Tomato paste: It gives a nice color and umami flavor to the chicken.
• Garlic powder: It is not overpowering in this recipe. If you want, you can use freshly minced garlic cloves instead.
• Spices: We use ground cumin, paprika (use smoked paprika if you like its flavor more), salt and black pepper. You can make your own additions if you want. Some additional spices could be oregano, coriander, Aleppo pepper, chilli flakes and just a pinch of cinnamon.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Making a delicious doner kebab with chicken is simple and satisfying! With just a few simple steps, you'll be able to create a mouthwatering meal.

1. Make the marinade: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all of the marinade ingredients. Make sure they are mixed well so the flavors are uniformly distributed.
2. Coat the chicken with the marinade: Add the chicken thighs to the marinade. Toss them around and ensure they are covered very well.
3. Let the chicken marinate: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it inside the fridge. Leave the thighs to marinate for at least 3 hours. But we recommend leaving them overnight if you can.
4. Once your chicken is marinated, there are two ways you can cook this homemade chicken doner kebab. One is in the oven, and the other is on the grill. Both gives you a juicy chicken with caramelized edges. The grill will produce a smokier flavor. 

If you don't have an oven, grill, or skewers, there is a third way to cook it: On the stove top. But it won't give that charred texture. It will still be tasty though.

Find all the cooking methods below:

In The Oven:

In this recipe, we will be cooking our doner in the oven. We find it really easy and straightforward.

1. Prepare the equipment: Preheat your oven to 400ºF (200ºC). Line a large roasting pan or tray with a piece of foil. This will catch the drippings from the skewers. If you are using bamboo skewers, soak them in water for about 30 minutes. Metal skewers don't need to be soaked.
2. Thread the chicken: Remove the chicken from the fridge. When threading the chicken, you are using two skewers per piece. So, one skewer goes in on one end and the other on the opposite. Keep threading chicken onto the same stack, packing them against each other, but not super tightly. When the first set of skewers is full, make another set.
3. Bake the chicken döner skewers: Place the ends on the skewers on the top rim of the lined baking pan. The chicken shouldn’t touch the bottom of the pan. Leave the skewers to bake for 30 minutes or until they get a delicious golden color.
4. Turn the skewers and continue baking them: After 30 minutes, remove the chicken from the oven. Flip the chicken doner kebabs and baste them with some of the pan drippings. Place them back inside the oven, and leave them to bake for another 25 minutes.

5. Let the chicken rest: Once the chicken doner kebab meat is completely cooked (test this using a meat thermometer), remove them from the oven. Baste them again with some of the juices and leave them to rest for 5 minutes before carving.
6. Carve the doner chicken kebab: Hold the kebabs upright. Then, using an extremely sharp knife, slice the meat off the chicken as thinly as possible.

On The Grill:

Making chicken doner on the grill is easy!

1. Preheat the grill to medium-high, about 400ºF (200ºC).
2. Place the doner kebab skewers on the grates. Then, close the grill and leave them to cook for 15 minutes or until they are charred well. Flip them over when they are ready and can be removed easily. Continue cooking them for another 15 minutes.
3. Let the chicken rest before carving.

On The Stove Top:

1. Heat a little (about 1 tablespoon) oil in a large cast iron skillet over high heat.
2. Place the chicken in a single layer and cook it for 5-7 minutes. Flip it over, reduce the heat to medium and cook this side for 7 minute or until it is cooked. 
3. The duration might be longer depending on the thickness of the chicken. Use a meat thermometer if you want to check it. The inner temperature should be 165 ºF / 74 ºC.
4. Let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing. 

Tips

• Use chicken thighs for the best result. You won't get that tasty result with chicken breasts.
• Cut the chicken thighs in half before or after marinating. It is easier to thread on skewers this way. Plus they cook more evenly.
• Don't skip marinating chicken. This is the most important step to get tender and juicy chicken. We recommend marinating it at least 5 hours. Overnight is the best.
• If you use bamboo skewers, soak them in water for 20-30 minutes and then use.
• Be very careful when threading the chicken on skewers not to pierce yourself.
• Don't make the chicken stack on the skewers too tight. Leave a little room between each.
• Spoon the juices that have dripped in the baking pan over the chicken when you flip them over.
• Use a meat thermometer if you want to check it. It should have an internal temperature of 165 ºF / 74 ºC.
• Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before carving.

Serving Suggestions

You can serve döner in three ways: In wraps, sandwiches or over rice on a plate.

To make the wraps, as we say dürüm in Turkish, use flatbreads like lavash, tortilla or any flatbread you can find. Add some finely chopped lettuce, red cabbage, onions, tomatoes, and cucumbers first. Then, top these with your thinly sliced chicken doner kebab meat. Roll it up and serve it immediately.

To make the sandwiches, use doner bread, aka Turkish pita bread. You can also use regular traditional pide bread or any bread with a "pocket". Fill the bread with veggies (finley chopped lettuce, onions, red cabbage, tomatoes and cucumbers) and sliced chicken döner.

To make chicken over rice on a plate (pilav üstü döner as we say in Turkish), it is better to prepare the sides ahead of time. Put some rice pilav, potato chips, simple coban salad, chopped lettuce, onions with sumac and pickles. You can also add some Turkish flatbreads on the side. 

If you are eating kebabs in Turkey, you might also see acili ezme, haydari and cacik on the table. You might also want to see our list of best side dishes for kebabs.

Traditionally, in Turkey, tavuk döner is not served with any sauces. But it has spread to the world through Germany and they have their own twist on Turkish doner. Berlin doner kebab is served with a garlicky yogurt sauce.

As for the drink to pair with Turkish kebabs like döner, our preference is always a glass of cold ayran, which is an unsweetened, tangy and refreshing yogurt drink. It is a staple at kebab shops in Turkey but you can easily make it at home too. Check out our ayran recipe to see how.

Make It German Style

To give these chicken doner kebabs a German twist, serve them with a yogurt sauce. 

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together Greek yogurt, finely grated garlic, salt and lemon juice. Drizzle it over your doner kebab when serving in wraps or sandwiches. Alternatively, put it in a small bowl and serve it on the side when serving doner on a plate.

In addition to yogurt sauce, you can also serve it with hummus or chilli sauce like sriracha. They go especially great in wraps and sandwiches. Spread the sauce you prefer on the bread of your choice, top it with salad and chicken döner and roll up tightly and serve.

Storage

To store in the fridge, let the chicken pieces cool completely and store them inside an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Don't store the veggies or salad and carved chicken in the same container. Put them in separate containers.

When ready to eat, reheat chicken in the microwave at 30 second intervals or in a pan on the stove top with a little oil. Then serve it wraps, sandwiches or over rice.

To freeze the cooked chicken doner, let the carved chicken pieces cool completely. Put them in resealable freezer bags and keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.

To freeze the chicken in the marinade, cover it well and keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you are ready to cook, thaw the chicken in the refrigerator overnight. 

How To Use The Leftovers

You can serve the chicken doner leftovers in several ways. 

• As a topping on your salads: You can add some doner pieces on a bowl of wheat salad, buckwheat salad or black-eyed pea salad.
• As a topping on pilafs: Add some carved chicken on bulgur pilav or iç pilav (rice with raisins and nuts).
• As a topping on your pizza. It would be a great addition to make a protein-rich homemade pizza.

FAQs

More Kebab Recipes

• Doner Kebab Recipe With Beef
• Adana Kebap
• Kofta Kebab
• Iskender Kebap
• Patlican Kebab
• Lamb Shish Kebab

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