If you’ve been to NYC you’ve seen the halal food carts that park on just about every street corner and serve up a variety of kabobs, gyros, rice concoctions, and mystery combo meals. You’ve also probably eaten at one of these.
Fact 1: They are surprising delicious.
Fact 2: You do not want to know what you are actually eating.
On a mission to recreate the magic of a halal cart chicken kabob while also kicking it up a notch, I discovered the wonder inherent in yogurt marinade. You have got to try this. The yogurt, seasoned and spiced up, imbues the chicken with flavor, tenderizes the meat, and creates a delicious crust when grilled. Some of the delicious marinade is set aside and used as the base of a sauce that you can top your meat.
Serve as I did on homemade flatbread with grilled vegetables or over rice.
Yogurt-Marinated Chicken Kabobs (Serves 5)
4 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 large red onion
6-8 metal skewers
1 cup whole milk greek yogurt
1/8 cup chopped dill
1 cucumber, cubed (about 1/2″-1/4″ pieces)
MARINADE
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
2 cloves garlic crushed
1.5 cups whole milk greek yogurt
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tbsp Evoo
1.5 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
Cayenne to taste, optional
- Trim excess fat from chicken and cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Slice red onion into large chunks.
- Combine all marinade ingredients in a small bowl.
- Skewer chicken and onion onto skewers. *I do a piece of red onion every 4-5 pieces of chicken*
- Slather in yogurt marinade, reserving about 1/3-1/2 cup. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-3 hours.
- Combine reserved marinade, dill, cucumber, and 1 cup yogurt in a serving bowl. Set aside.
- Allow extra marinade to drip off before grilling chicken skewers for 12-20 min on a hot grill or until cooked through. The edges of the chicken should be blacked and the center moist.
- Serve on homemade or store bought pita with grilled vegetables. Top with the sauce you made earlier.
