Turkish Chicken Kebabs (Tavuk Şiş)

What Are Turkish Chicken Kebabs?

These are also known as tavuk şiş kebab (chicken shish kebab). They are one of the most popular foods in Turkey and you can easily find them at kebab restaurants.

Just as we do in our chicken doner recipe, chicken pieces are marinated for that amazing soft and juicy result, then threaded on skewers either plain or with some vegetables like tomatoes and green peppers. They are cooked on the grill and then served with several side dishes.

You will feel in heaven at these restaurants when you see Turkish chicken shish kebabs, Ramazan pidesi (Turkish pita), red onion salad with sumac, roasted red onions, lettuce salad, Turkish hummus and Turkish style baba ganoush without tahini are all served together.

Marinade the Chicken!

We have to tell you that this Turkish chicken marinade has a key role in this recipe so that you get soft and juicy chicken. So what goes in this amazing marinade? Here are what we need:

• Yogurt: We use full-fat Greek style yogurt or plain natural yogurt work. We tried this marinade with milk instead of yogurt before, but after trying it with yogurt, we think yogurt gives even a better result.
• Olive oil: This is another ingredient that helps the chicken become tender. Use light cooking olive oil.
• Tomato paste: It adds an amazing richness and color to Turkish chicken kebabs. We use our homemade tomato paste, but you can use store-bought. And if you can find Turkish pepper paste (biber salcasi) too, combine them together for even a richer taste.
• Spices: We use Turkish spices like red pepper flakes (also known as pul biber or Aleppo pepper), oregano, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper. You can add sumac, mint, cinnamon and cayenne pepper too if you want your tavuk şiş (chicken skewers) spicier. Alternatively, just use 1-2 tablespoons of our Turkish spice blend.
• Garlic: We always use freshly grated garlic.
• Optional Add-Ins: You can add 2 more flavors in the marinade if you want: Onion and garlic. You can grate an onion and 2-3 garlic cloves in a bowl, strain them using a fine mesh strainer and add the juice in the marinade.

The marinade for this baked chicken shish recipe plays a key role in creating its perfect flavor and tender texture. You can absolutely use it for grilled chicken kebabs too, or even for making Turkish chicken wings.

You will need a few hours to let the chopped chicken cubes sit in the marinade so that they can soak in the marinade properly and you can get the most of the flavor.

What Part Of Chicken Should You Use?

We love to use boneless and skinless chicken thighs or chicken breast for this chicken shish kebab recipe. Just cut them into bite-sized pieces.

If you have leftover chicken parts from a whole chicken, just remove the meat from the bones and dice them. Place the diced chicken in the marinade and keep it in the refrigerator overnight or at least for 1 hour.

How To Make Turkish Chicken Kebabs In Oven

We have five easy steps for this recipe: Preparing the chicken, making the marinade and marinating the chicken, threading them on the skewers and baking.

• First, start with preparing the chicken for skewers. Chop the chicken in pieces (1 ½ inch) and put them in a deep dish. 
• Second, make the chicken shiss kebab marinade. In a bowl, whisk together yogurt, olive oil, tomato paste, grated garlic and spices.
• Then, in a large bowl, combine the marinade with the diced chicken. Give it a good stir. Make sure all the chicken pieces are covered with the marinade. You need to refrigerate it for at least 1 hour, but 4 hours would be even better. Your chicken will absorb the marinade flavors better and will be softer and tastier.
• Next, thread the chicken on your skewers. If you are using metal skewers, you’re good but if they are wooden, remember to soak them for half an hour. Then thread the chicken pieces on skewers. Place them on the edges of the baking pan. (See how we do it in the pictures). Alternatively, you can place a cooling rack brushed with oil on a baking sheet to give it a grill effect.
• Finally, bake your shish kebabs. You will need 30 minutes of baking time. First bake in the oven for 20 minutes, then flip them over and bake for another 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked.

Our Tips

• Chicken thighs (bones removed) are the best type of chicken to make skewers. They give the softest and juiciest result.
• Marinating chicken overnight will give you the best result. But if you don’t have that much time, marinate at least 1 hour.
• If you are using wooden skewers, remember to soak them in water for an hour. This is very important. 
• You can place the chicken skewers on a parchment paper lined baking paper. But if you want to give a grill effect, you have two options: 1)Put a cooling rack brushed with oil on a baking sheet and place the skewers on it. 2)Use a baking pan and place the skewers on the edges so that they don’t touch the bottom of the pan. This is what we do in this recipe. Please see the pictures in the post content above.
• You can add tomatoes and green peppers in the pan so that they bake at the same time.
• Flip the chicken skewers over after baking them for 20 minutes. Then bake for another 20 minutes.
• If you are after a dairy-free marinade, use a plant-based yogurt or leave the yogurt out. You will still have soft chicken kebabs.

FAQs

More Chicken Recipes

• Roasted Chicken Pieces
• Turkish Chicken Breasts
• Turkish Chicken Legs
• Stuffed Chicken
• Cast Iron Chicken Breast
• Crispy Chicken Wings with Baking Powder
• How To Cut Chicken Wings
• Turkish Chicken and Potatoes (our go-to weeknight dinner)

More Turkish Recipes

• Patlican Kebabi
• Çoban Kavurma
• Kuzu Guvec (Lamb Stew)
• Dana Guvec (Beef Stew)
• Lamb Doner Kebab

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