Posh Chicken Shish Kebab Recipe

Twisted’s Posh Chicken Shish Kebab recipe is like no other. Our twist on the 4am classic, which we made for Love Island host Maya Jama, is posh and fancy with THREE different marinades

Done in 1.5 hours

Serves 4

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Ingredients

    Chicken
  • 9chicken thighs
  • Base Marinade
  • 600ggreek style yoghurt
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2inches ginger, minced
  • ½ tsp ground cardamom
  • ½ tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 whole lemonlemon juice
  • Green Marinade
  • 2bunches coriander, including stalks
  • 2bunches parsley, leaves only
  • 2bunches mint leaves, leaves only
  • 1green chilli, chopped
  • Red Marinade
  • 2Red chillis, chopped and blitzed with a little water to a paste
  • 3 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp sumac
  • Salad
  • 2mini cucumbers finely diced
  • ¼ fennel bulb, finely chopped
  • 2tomatoes, seeded, finely chopped
  • ½ red onion, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp chopped mint
  • 2 tsp date molasses
  • ¼ tsp sumac
  • 1 whole lemonlemon juice
  • pinchSalt to taste
  • Rice
  • 2white onions, thinly sliced in half moons
  • 2 tbsp coriander stalks, finely chopped
  • 4 whole cloves
  • 6cardamom pods
  • 1cinnamon stick
  • 450gbasmati rice, rinsed well, soaked in tepid water for 1 hour, then drained well
  • 550gchicken stock
  • pinchSalt, to taste
  • 50gpistachios, roughly chopped
  • 50gblanched almonds, roughly chopped
  • 4dates, finely chopped
  • 75gunsalted butter
  • pinchsaffron, soaked in some warm milk
  • Other bits
  • 2khobez breads, toasted and brushed with butter
  • halfRed onion rings, macerated in lemon juice
  • bunchChopped herbs
  • 12Pomegranate seeds

You don't have to drink eight pints, four vodka redbulls and two sambucas for shish kebabs to taste delish. They need a little TLC, some love care and attention and three different marinades to take them up to then next level. So that's what we did! This posh chicken shish kebab recipe, wonderfully prepared by Chef Hugh for TV and Radio presenter Maya Jama, is a five star version of the high street classic.

Method

  • Trim the thighs and cut into 3cm chunks.
  • Whisk together the ingredients for the base marinade and divide into three bowls.
  • Add the ingredients for each marinade into each bowl and divide the chicken pieces into each bowl. Cover and place in the fridge, preferably overnight.
  • For the rice base, fry the sliced onions and coriander stalks in the butter with the whole spices and a good pinch of salt for 20-30 minutes, until caramelised.
  • Meanwhile, add all the ingredients for the salad into a large bowl and set aside.
  • Add the rice to the onion base and gently coat everything in the onions and butter. Turn the heat up a bit, and when you hear the rice sizzling in the base of the pot, pour in the chicken stock and tuck all rice grains beneath the water. Taste for salt, then cover with greaseproof paper and a tight-fitting lid. Boil for 3 1/2 minutes on high, then reduce to very low and cook for a further 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and stand for 10 minutes with the lid on. Remove lid and rest for 5 minutes.
  • Thread the chicken, using alternate colours, onto two wide kebab skewers. If you have a charcoal grill, grill them over a medium/low heat until slightly charred and cooked through.
  • Place the two grilled and buttered breads next to each other and top with a large strip of rice.
  • Place the cooked chicken on top and the salad on the side, then pour tahini sauce down the other side.
  • Top with your favourite kebab accoutrements - herbs, pomegranate seeds, red onion pieces.
  • Serve!
  • What do you think of the recipe?

    Hugh Woodward

    Hugh Woodward

    Hugh's culinary life began aged 14 when he cooked spaghetti hoop burritos to impress girls. Since then his colourful career has taken him to performing in Skegness, making cheese in Peckham, running a wine bar on Columbia Road and reluctantly working in a (briefly) Michelin Starred restaurant. He likes fish, things cooked on charcoal, cheap dinners and London's rich cultural tapestry of food shops. When he's not cooking or eating he can be found mudlarking by the river Thames, buying bits in flea markets and hanging out with his cat Keith.

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