CHICKEN KABOBS (SHISH TAOUK)
A few weeks ago AU and I joined a bunch of our friends at a Lebanese restaurant, Sitti, in downtown Raleigh to celebrate a BIG birthday for our mutual recently married friend Chris! The cocktails, the company, and the food were awesome. AU and I about died with this whipped garlic spread that was served with our chicken kabobs. I think we forget how much we actually enjoy Lebanese or Greek food. I always want falafel (fried chickpea patties) with pita and of course hummus. I was lucky enough to hook AU on hummus about a year ago. He probably won’t give me the credit for it, I’m always first to suggest new things and most definitely last to be acknowledged by him when he ends up loving it. The way the cookie crumbles ;).
Ever since that delicious dinner of multiple warmed pitas, hummus, falafel, chicken kabobs, and of course that garlic whip, AU and I have been craving those same delicious flavors. We finally got to recreate them in our own kitchen. We left out the garlic whip, I made a quick tzatziki instead, and we also didn’t have falafel. [I have the Trader Joe’s falafel in my freezer that I am just dying to try out]. Definitely saving it for another night. Then we purchased red pepper hummus to top it all off.
I would have to say what we did make was pretty fantastic. I made the most flavorful marinade for our chicken kabobs and I skewered on some baby tomatoes and some thick cut pieces of yellow sweet onion to finish off the metal skewers. When it comes to kabobs I have this mentality that they just have to be grilled. So AU braved the cold for us, he really is the sweetest thing. And let me just tell you, it was so worth it (while I stood in the warm kitchen).
The meat charred up slightly and the tomatoes were ready to pop after all the heat! The chicken was so tender and full of flavor. I marinaded the chicken for 1 1/2 hours. The original recipe says you can marinade for at least 2 hours to most 8 hours. Since the marinade is made from mostly liquids; yogurt, tomato paste, and lemon juice, the chicken can become “over marinaded”. Just marinade for no more than 8 hours and you will be fine!
We also substituted naan for our pitas and it was absolutely perfect! I love naan bread. We found a huge packet of naan bread at Costco and it was so worth it, I froze it immediately and we just defrost pieces as we need them. I love to bake the naan bread until it is soft and hot (just like I would with a pita).
I also halved the recipe for AU and I for just one night but I would make the actual recipe any other night for a little bit of chicken leftover. Who can resist soft naan bread covered with tzatziki, hummus, and fire grilled chicken kabobs. It was so heavenly as I sit here thinking and typing about it. I am basically salivating. I can’t get over how (FYI GROSS WORD:) “moist” it was (I couldn’t think of a better word). Juicy just isn’t enough to explain the texture of the marinated chicken.
I think if I made this again I would add more vegetables to the kabobs. The fire roasted char and flavors that burst from the grilled veggies are just to die for!
If you’re looking for an easy meal for the week night this one should be at the top of the list. Not only for its flavor and tenderness but also for the excitement of eating a completely different meal at home.
Amber Knight
You and Mom would love this meal!
Mark
Another delicious sounding meal – ingredients waiting at home. And humorous!