Middle Eastern Marinade for Chicken Kebabs

Name: Middle Eastern Marinade for Chicken Kebabs
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 1462 min
Ingredients: 1 lemon juice of; 4 garlic cloves ((minced)); 1 tsp cumin powder; 1 tsp coriander powder; 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 tsp salt; ½ tsp black pepper; 3 lb chicken thighs ((boneless & skinless)); 2 tbsp butter ((melted))

By Lee Jackson ↣ Published on: January 29, 2021

Last Updated: April 7th, 2024↣2 Comments↣

My Middle Eastern marinade for Chicken Kebabs is a failsafe way to elevate any meat, but especially chicken. A warming fragrance coats the juicy chicken and when charred over hot coals elevates the kebabs to new heights.

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A platter of Middle Eastern Chicken Kebabs

Marinating meat is a long-practiced method of preparing food. None more than throughout the Middle East. For thousands of years, cooks and chefs have been perfecting their own marinade recipes and there are thousands of versions available. My recipe is super simple, and my go-to recipe when I want maximum flavour, with minimum effort.

Like any marination process, time is key to getting the best flavour. This does require some forward planning, but seriously - all you need to do is... nothing. If you have the forethought, this quick marinade can be applied to chicken (or any other meat) in the morning, or last thing at night and then left to create all the magic all on its own in the fridge.

It's worth the wait for sure, the results are aromatic, earthy and the chicken juicy and tender. This is ALL thanks to the marinade and time.

What meat to use for chicken kebabs

You can use any cut of chicken for kebabs, but I much prefer thighs over the breast - thighs stay juicier longer and they char beautifully on flat skewers under a hot grill or on a hot bbq. You can, of course, use breasts, but be careful to not let them dry out. The decision is yours.

You'll see from the recipe below, that these ingredients are few, but each brings a wonderful Middle Eastern taste and aroma to the finished dish. The coriander and cumin bring an earthy, fragrant spice to the dish the garlic a depth of flavour and the lemon a certain tartness. Lemon also helps tenderise the meat too, which creates a juicier finish when you cook.

Chicken marinating in a large bowl for Middle Eastern Kebabs

Stuff You'll Need and How to Make...

You'll see from my recipe below, that these ingredients are few, but each brings a wonderful Middle Eastern taste and aroma to the finished dish. Here's what you'll need.

Chicken Thighs - I prefer tigh meat as it stays juicier during the grilling. That said, you can use breast meat too, just keep an eye on it a little more during cooking as it can easily dry out. I cut the chicken into large chunks.
Marinade ingredients: Lemon juice, crushed garlic, cumin, coriander, olive oil, salt and pepper. It's a quick and easy marinade that brings the best out of the chicken.
Melted butter - I baste the meat with a pastry brush during cooking as it helps add more flavour and keep the meat juicy and tender. You can substitute with a little oil too, or just leave out this stage.

Making the kebabs is easy, just combine the chicken with the marinade in a sealable bag and leave in the fridge for as long as you can wait for the flavour to permeate the meat. I like to wait overnight but 3-4 hours will do just fine.

Once marinated, thread the chicken pieces onto skewers. I love my flat metal skewers, but wooden skewers are fine too. If you're using wooden ones, then be sure to soak them in water for an hour to help avoid them disintegrating on the grill during cooking.

Then it's just a case of cooking the chicken over the hot bbq grill for abou 12 minutes, turning regularly. Baste the meat with a little melted butter during cooking to keep the meat nice and juicy. Rest them for a couple of minutes before serving.

Chicken skewers on a platter marinating in Middle Eastern spices.

Ready to get cooking?

Kebabs are great to serve as the main dish or part of a larger spread - I love them with a buttery Turkish pilav or a crunchy Lebanese Fattoush salad - I'll always have a small bowl of Yoghurt & garlic sauce to accompany and a whole pile of flatbreads. You should also try the delights of Georgian Greek Ajika on these kebabs - a burst of herbal intensity! It's one of my favourite dishes in the whole world, and you'll see just how easy it is to make at home. Enjoy!

More Middle Eastern recipes

If you enjoyed your kebabs, I'm sure you'll love some more of my favourite Middle Eastern recipes.

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