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    Home » Recipes » Main Dish

    Shish Tawook Lebanese Chicken Kabobs

    By Mariam・Published: Sep 10, 2021・Updated: Jul 27, 2022・Post may have affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Lebanese grilled chicken kabobs, shish tawook, is a delicacy that graces every Sunday lunch table across my homeland. Imagine this: chicken breast cubes marinated in a combination of aromatic spices, skewered and grilled to perfection, served alongside homemade toum garlic sauce.

    grilled chicken shish tawook skewers in a bowl

    If you're ready to spice up your week with one delicious grilled chicken kabob recipe, let it be this one. More great grill recipes are beef shish kabobs, kafta, lamb chops, and grilled chicken thighs.

    The Secret To Shish Tawook

    The secret to the best shish tawook is the marinade. The combination of garlic, citrus, olive oil, and yogurt gives you the juiciest, most delicious Lebanese chicken shish tawook. What's even better is that the marinade is super easy to make.

    Ingredient Notes

    ingredients needed to make chicken shish tawook
    Chicken shish tawook marinade ingredients
    • Chicken breast cubes: Use fresh chicken breasts for this chicken kabob recipe, preferably organic and not previously frozen.
    • Yogurt: Use plain unsweetened yogurt, either full-fat or fat-free (it doesn't matter).
    • Olive oil: Any type of extra virgin olive oil works for this recipe.
    • Lemon juice: I recommend using fresh lemon juice.
    • Ketchup: I love adding a tablespoon because I feel it gives the chicken a bit more flavor and color when grilling.
    • Garlic: Mash or press the garlic into a garlic paste.
    • A mix of Lebanese spices: These include allspice, seven spices, white pepper and a hint of cinnamon.

    How to Make Chicken Shish Tawook

    Bring all of the ingredients together. Peel and mash the garlic using a mortar and pestle or garlic press.

    Cube the chicken breast into similar-sized chunks. Place the chicken chunks in an oven baking dish or bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the chicken breast chunks.

    adding dry spices to chunks of chicken breast

    Add the garlic, lemon juice, yogurt, ketchup, olive oil, and salt.

    Hint: I like to add my marinade ingredients to the chicken one by one and I spread them a little to make sure all the cubes are flavored.

    adding the mashed garlic and dry spices to the chicken breast chunks
    adding the wet ingredients to the chicken breast chunks

    Mix the chicken shish tawook very well so that every chicken cube is well covered. Marinate the chicken overnight or at a minimum of 2 hours in the fridge.

    Hint: The yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, and ketchup tenderize the chicken and add an incredible flavor.

    Skewer the chicken while the grill is getting prepared.

    marinating chicken breast cubes in a baking dish
    chicken shish tawook on skewers

    Grill the chicken shish tawook skewers for about 8 to 10 minutes, or 4 to 5 minutes on each side.

    grilling lebanese chicken shish tawook

    Tips and Tricks

    • Use fresh chicken. This chicken kabob recipe is best using fresh, organic, free-range chicken breast.
    • The longer you marinate, the juicier the chicken: I like to marinate the Lebanese chicken shish tawook overnight and feel that's the perfect amount of time for them to tenderize and be ready for grilling. That said, we're all in a rush sometimes, so if you're short on time you can marinate them for a minimum of 2 hours.
    • Save some of the marinade and brush it on the shish tawook skewers while you're grilling them for an added layer of flavor.
    • Don't overgrill: This is very important, because grilling the cubes for too long results in dry chicken.

    Substitutions and Variations

    • Oven baked shish tawook: Follow the same marinade steps for this recipe however bake the chicken skewers instead of grilling them. If you make this variation make sure to double the marinade ingredients so that the chicken doesn't dry out in the oven.
    • Grilled Lebanese chicken veggie shish tawook: Add chopped onions, bell pepper chunks or even mushrooms to the chicken skewers to give them a colorful twist.
    • Change up the shish tawook marinade: Add in a little bit of lemon zest to the shish tawook marinade. I sometimes play around with the spices when marinating the chicken. A dash of paprika, some oregano, or thyme will also work.

    Equipment

    Use a chef's knife and cutting board to cut the chicken breast into chicken kabob chunks. Mash the garlic cloves with a mortar and pestle, or with a garlic press. Squeeze the lemons with a hand lemon squeezer or citrus juicer. Wooden grilling skewers or metal skewers are needed to skewer the chicken kabobs. Grill the kabobs using a gas grill or a charcoal grill.

    Storage

    Store chicken tawook in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. If the chicken is not previously frozen, you can marinate the chicken and store the chunks of chicken in a freezer-friendly storage bag in the freezer. Just defrost the chicken cubes and skewer the meat when ready to eat.

    Recipes To Serve With Chicken Kabobs

    Whatever you do, never serve these shish tawook skewers without a side of delicious toum garlic sauce. I love to serve these with some hot pita bread and a side of tabbouleh and Lebanese street fries. Grilled Lebanese shish tawook can also be served with a side of yogurt or yogurt drink (laban ayran).

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    📋 Recipe

    grilled chicken shish tawook skewers in a bowl

    Shish Tawook Lebanese Chicken Kabobs

    Author: Mariam
    Course: Main Dish
    Cuisine: Lebanese
    Prep: 10 minutes mins
    Cook: 10 minutes mins
    Total: 20 minutes mins
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Rate Email
    Servings 6
    Lebanese chicken shish tawook is a marinated chicken kabob skewer that is grilled to perfection and served with toum garlic sauce.

    Ingredients
     
    US Customary - Metric

    Chicken Kabobs

    • 3 lbs chicken breast cubes

    Shish Tawook Marinade

    • 1½ cups yogurt
    • ¼ cup olive oil
    • 3-4 garlic cloves minced
    • juice of 2 large lemons
    • 2 large tablespoons ketchup
    • 1 tablespoon pomegrante molasses optional
    • 1 teaspoon allspice
    • dash Lebanese 7 spices
    • dash white pepper
    • 1 teaspoon salt

    Instructions

    • Cube the chicken. Mix the marinade ingredients. Marinate for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight.
    • Place the cubes of chicken on grilling skewers.
    • Grill the chicken shish tawook for 8 to 10 minutes rotating halfway through (about 4 to 5 minutes per side).
    • Once the chicken is cooked through, remove it off of the heat and serve immediately.

    Notes

    • Serve hot alongside toum garlic sauce, pita bread, and homemade french fries.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1 /6 portion | Calories: 371 kcal | Carbohydrates: 6 g | Protein: 53 g | Fat: 20 g | Saturated Fat: 3 g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 17 g | Trans Fat: 0 g | Cholesterol: 98 mg | Sodium: 160 mg | Fiber: 0 g | Sugar: 1 g

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    About Mariam

    I am Mariam Nabbout, a writer and content creator. I’ve spent years dedicating research, digital, and filmmaking skills to come up with content that's just as meaningful as it is inspiring. A few of my obsessions include good branding, films, photography, design, art, and of course, food.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      5 from 3 votes (1 rating without comment)

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Sandi Danowski

      June 13, 2023 at 5:53 pm

      5 stars
      So yummy and tender. I also cooked the marinade after removing the chicken pieces for a tasty dipping sauce!

      Reply
      • Lily

        June 13, 2023 at 6:09 pm

        Thanks for the comment Sandi! Oh that marinade trick is a good idea

        Reply
    2. Lillian

      December 19, 2021 at 6:13 pm

      5 stars
      My favorite chicken kabob recipe ever. Make sure you make these with a side of toum garlic sauce and homemade French fries.

      Reply
      • Lily

        December 19, 2021 at 6:16 pm

        And a side of fresh pita bread!

        Reply

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