Turkish Chicken Kebabs

I discovered Turkish food a year or so ago, thanks to a little restaurant in Ada, Michigan called Zeytin. Not surprisingly, Turkish cuisine shares some of the characteristics of both Greek and Lebanese cuisine, two of my favorites. It incorporates many of the same flavors and textures: lots of garlic and parsley and olive oil; the fresh, nutty flavor of tahini (ground sesame seeds the consistency of natural peanut butter); the coolness of yogurt juxtaposed against the spiciness of roasted meat; freshly baked bread or rice to complement. It’s pretty divine.

What makes these kebabs particularly Turkish is the seasoning mixture: a combination of sweet and savory spices, punctuated by the addition of dried mint and oregano.

I served these to my cooking club back in December, for our “On a Stick” meal. They went fast, and got rave reviews.

Now, when I want something with Middle Eastern flavor, I turn to these as my standby. I serve them with a tahini yogurt sauce and fresh pita bread – and of course, the chunks of chicken can easily be slid into a split pita and served as a sandwich – a great way to use up any leftovers, in fact.

A special thanks to Blissgirl Michelle Lenger, who took the excellent photo here. If I ever get myself a Nikon D-series camera, I might have half a chance of taking food shots that look as good at hers. In the meantime, I should hire her to do all my pics.

Turkish Chicken Kebabs with Tahini Yogurt Sauce


For the kebabs:
4 boneless chicken breast halves, skin removed, cut into 1″ chunks
1/2 cup grated onion (to do this in a flash, chop using your food processor’s main blade)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons cold-pressed olive oil
1 tablespoon Turkish Seasoning (see recipe, below)

In a large bowl, whisk together the onion, lemon juice, olive oil, and seasoning. Toss the chicken pieces in the mixture until coated well. Let stand for an hour or two at room temperature to marinate.

Preheat the broiler and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.

Thread the chicken pieces onto metal or wooden kebab skewers, and place on the baking sheet. Broil until cooked through and aromatic, 5-6 minutes per side. Remove from broiler and allow to cool slightly before serving tahini yogurt sauce and rice or pita bread.


For the Tahini Yogurt Sauce:
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon Turkish Seasoning
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 cup plain Greek-style yogurt (if you can’t find Greek yogurt, strain a cup of regular plain yogurt through a coffee filter placed in a mesh sieve)
1/4 cup sesame tahini
Salt to taste

Mix all ingredients well and let stand 5-10 minutes before serving so that the flavors marry.

Turkish Seasoning:
1-1/2 tablespoons dried mint (if you can’t find dried mint, parsley will do)
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1-1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1-1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper