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

Dish by Hugh Woodward

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!

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Hugh Woodward

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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.