Turkish Chicken Kebabs

Use this chicken kebab recipe from Chef John featuring a spicy yogurt-based marinade for juicy and tender grilled chicken skewers all summer long!

• Preparation Time: 15 mins
• Cooking Time: 12 mins
• Total Time: 27 mins
• Calories: 539 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 cup whole-milk Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, or more to taste
• 1 tablespoon Aleppo red pepper flakes
• 4 long metal skewers
• 1.5 teaspoons ground cumin
• 0.125 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, halved

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate.

Step 2

Whisk yogurt, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, ketchup, red pepper flakes, salt, cumin, black pepper, paprika, and cinnamon together in a large bowl.

Step 3

Place chicken thigh halves into the yogurt marinade and coat them thoroughly on all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate, 2 to 8 hours.

Step 4

Place kebabs on the preheated grill. Do not try to turn them until they begin to unstick from the grill, 3 or 4 minutes. Turn kebabs and grill the other side for 3 to 4 minutes. Continue cooking and turning until chicken is no longer pink in the center, about 6 minutes more. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).

Step 5

Using 2 skewers for each kebab, thread half of the chicken thighs onto each pair of skewers making a fairly thick "log" shape.