Shish Tawook — Marinated Grilled Chicken Skewers

Middle Eastern Non Fasting Published April 21, 2026

Non-Fasting Recipe: This dish contains meat, dairy, or eggs and is intended for feast days and non-fasting periods.

The great chicken kebab of the Levant — yogurt-marinated chicken cubes, softly tangy from lemon,
grilled over coals until juicy and charred at the edges. Shish tawook is home cooking, street food,
and celebration food. The yogurt marinade is the key: it tenderises as well as flavours.

FASTING LEVEL: Non-Fasting (chicken, yogurt)

SERVINGS: 6
TIME: 30 minutes active (plus 4-24 hours marinating)

INGREDIENTS:
For the marinade:
- 1.5 kg boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 3 cm cubes
- 300 g thick Greek yogurt
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- Juice of 2 lemons
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons Aleppo pepper
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper

For serving:
- Warm pita
- Garlic sauce (toum): see note
- Pickled turnips, onions, and green chillies
- Fresh parsley and sumac
- Grilled vegetables (tomato, pepper, onion)

METHOD:
1. Whisk all marinade ingredients in a large bowl. Add chicken, toss to coat thoroughly. Cover and marinate in the fridge at least 4 hours, ideally overnight, up to 24 hours.
2. Soak wooden skewers in water 30 minutes, or use metal.
3. Thread chicken onto skewers — 6-8 pieces each, not crowded. Let excess marinade drip off.
4. Build a hot charcoal fire. Grill skewers 10-12 minutes, turning every 3 minutes, until deeply charred and cooked through (internal 74C / 165F).
5. Rest 3 minutes. Slide chicken off skewers into a warm pita, or serve the skewers whole on a platter.
6. Serve with toum (garlic sauce), pickles, grilled vegetables, parsley, and sumac.

TOUM (Lebanese garlic sauce): Blend 200 g peeled garlic with 1 teaspoon salt in a food processor. Drizzle in 600 ml neutral oil very slowly (over 5 minutes) while machine runs. Add 3 tablespoons lemon juice gradually. You should have a white, fluffy, intensely garlicky emulsion. Chill before serving.

NOTES:
- Chicken thighs, not breasts. Thighs stay juicy; breasts dry out over coals.
- The yogurt marinade is the signature. Lemon juice alone would toughen the meat; yogurt's lactic acid is gentler.
- Toum is the soul of shish tawook. It is a major production but makes a huge batch that keeps 2 weeks in the fridge.
- Pair with a lemony tabbouleh and grilled tomatoes for a full feast.

NUTRITION (per serving, approximate):
Calories: 460 | Protein: 44 g | Carbohydrates: 10 g | Fat: 28 g | Fibre: 1 g