This grilled Shish Tawook uses tender chicken thighs that are marinated in yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, paprika and cayenne pepper and then grilled to create a juicy, flavorful meal. Pair this with a Mediterranean Eggplant Salad, rice, pita bread and a big dollop of yogurt.
SHISH TAWOOK
Grilling season is still going strong and today’s Shish Tawook is the perfect way to continue celebrating summer. Just because the kids are going back to school doesn’t mean summer has to end, right? We can hold onto those last days of golden sunlight, warm air and backyard BBQs!
In our house, we actually grill year round, even when there is snow on the ground. Crazy? Maybe. But so worth it. Today’s Shish Tawook Recipe is best grilled but can easily be cooked a variety of other ways from baked or braised in the oven, fried or fricasseed.
The most important part of today’s shish tawook chicken recipe is the marinade that helps pack in all of the flavor. The marinade keeps the chicken tender and juicy when grilled — just the way it should be. The base of the marinade is plain or Greek yogurt and lemon juice and then mixes in rich, warm spices creating a great punch of flavor for the chicken. And don’t forget the best part of grilled chicken thighs — the crispy skin!
Growing up in a Lebanese family we often ate Shish Tawook along with tabbouleh, pita bread, lemon potatoes, laban {yogurt} and of course a side of garlic yogurt sauce or plain yogurt to drizzle on the chicken. Typically it is a grilled kebab eaten with rice or lentils, hummus, a fresh salad or on a pita.
If kebabs are more your thing you can easily chop up the chicken thighs into pieces and skewer them for your grill. You will see this type of dish in many Mediterranean restaurants but with variations. That is one thing I love about the Mediterranean diet is the variety you see. Each region of the Mediterranean has its own twist on the classic recipes.
WHAT INGREDIENTS ARE IN THIS GRILLED CHICKEN?
CHICKEN THIGHS: The main ingredient in this recipe is the chicken. I used chicken thighs because I find that they stay juicy on the grill. Feel free to use your favorite cut of chicken.
GREEK OR PLAIN YOGURT: The yogurt is a big part of the marinade for the chicken. It helps hold in the flavors and juices. You can use plain or Greek yogurt.
SPICES: This recipe uses a combination of cayenne pepper, paprika, thyme, cumin and allspice. These spices work nicely together to create the warm flavors.
TOMATO PASTE: The tomato paste adds a nice punch of flavor to the marinade. Don’t skip this ingredient!
LEMON JUICE: The lemon juice adds sweetness and some acid to the recipe. Make sure to add this in!
For today’s recipe, I used Just BARE Chicken Thighs . If you have been hanging around A Cedar Spoon for any length of time you know I love Just BARE Chicken – their mission and commitment to providing natural, no-antibiotic chicken makes me happy.
Chicken thighs are versatile and can be baked or braised in the oven, grilled, fried or fricasseed. The best part of today’s recipe is it really is just a delicious marinade that can be used on your chicken thighs and then you can choose the way you prepare the chicken – maybe grilling isn’t your thing? You should try baking your chicken thighs. Do you like that extra crispy skin? Heat up the skillet.
Shish Taouk Chicken Thighs with Mediterranean Eggplant Salad are a twist on traditional shish taouk grilled chicken kebabs. Instead of using chicken breasts for kebabs, this recipe uses tender chicken thighs that are marinated in yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, paprika and cayenne pepper and then grilled to create a juicy, flavorful meal. Pair this with the Mediterranean Eggplant Salad, rice, pita bread and a big dollop of yogurt. For the eggplant if you want to roast it follow these instructions: Preheat oven to 475°F. Cut eggplants into cubes and spread evenly on two baking sheets. Drizzle olive oil, salt, pepper and za'atar. Roast for 15 minutes, turn the eggplant over and roast for 10-15 more minutes, until the eggplant is soft. Cool and add to the Mediterranean Eggplant Salad.Shish Taouk Chicken Thighs with Garlic Yogurt Sauce
Ingredients
For the Shish Taouk:
For the Mediterranean Eggplant Salad:
Instructions
For the ShishTaouk:
For the Mediterranean Eggplant Salad:
Notes
Marion says
August 19, 2017 at 5:11 pmI love a balsamic marinade, but I’m so looking forward to trying this recipe. Love chicken thighs!!
Kristy says
August 20, 2017 at 1:22 pmThis looks sooooo good! My favorite way to marinade chicken is to use it for chicken tikka masala: I mix garlic, salt, ginger, turmeric, garam masala, coriander, and cumin to “paste” chicken breasts, and then cover with yogurt and chill for a few hours. Add that to the grill and it’s so great with a traditional tikka masala sauce! Thanks for sharing another way to use eggplant too… I always get so many in my CSA share and rarely know what to do with all of them. The salad looks so nice and refreshing.
Brittany Koelmel says
August 21, 2017 at 7:14 pmI love making bulgogi style marinade for the chicken and grilling it! Sooooo juicy and flavorful.
Cindy says
August 24, 2017 at 8:04 amCould you bake the chicken in the oven?
Julia says
August 24, 2017 at 1:32 pmYes! You can easily bake this in the oven-you want it to reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. I would probably bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes then check them and bake longer if they aren’t cooked through. If you want the crispy skin you can broil the chicken for the last couple of minutes. Enjoy and let me know how they turn out!
Judy Auer says
June 3, 2019 at 1:49 pmDo you use bone in skin on chicken thighs or the boneless skinless version?
Julia says
June 3, 2019 at 7:53 pmI believe they were boneless but you can use either- just cook to 165 degrees.