Shish Taouk or Chicken Kebab Sandwich

Shish Taouk, or Turkish Chicken Kebab is one of the most popular types of kebabs around the world.  This is largely due to popularity and availability of chicken in most western countries opposed to lamb,  traditional meat for kebabs.

I personally enjoy all variations of kebabs, doners, shawarmas, gyros and so on but deiced to make chicken kebabs because you can get all the ingredient from a supermarket and cook them easily at home or on a grill.

First you want to create the marinade by combining  2 tablespoon of oil, 3 tablespoon of yogurt (I used Greek), juice from half of a lemon,  2 minced cloves of garlic, tablespoon of paprika,  1/2 teaspoon of thyme and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Now set this aside and cut a chicken breast or two halves if split (about 1 pound) into 1/2 to 1 inch cubes.  Put the cubes into the marinade  and marinate for at least an hour or up to four hours in a fridge.
As the chicken is marinating you want to create a sauce to go with your kebab.  My favorite type of sauce for a Shish Taouk is a simple tzaztziki style sauce.  Now you can either buy a prepared sauce, use your favorite recipe or use my simple recipe.

In my recipe I simply combine 12 oz of Greek yogurt minus the 3 tablespoon used for the marinade (12 oz is usually two container of Greek yogurt),  1/4 cup of shredded seedless cucumber (I shred it with the skin for extra flavor),  2 teaspoons of lemon,  a teaspoon of olive oil, about 1/2 teaspoon of minced garlic, 1/4 teaspoon of fresh mint(optional), salt and pepper to taste.  Of course these ingredients don’t have to be exact and  be adjusted to ones preference.
Once the chicken is almost ready it’s time to preheat a grill, or a broiler and chop of some vegetables.  This time around I decided to just use lettuce, tomato and onion but you can use whatever topping you want.
The cooking time for these kebabs will differ based on many factor, but if you’re  broiling them it shouldn’t take more than 4 to 6 minute per side. This is probably the trickiest part as you want your meat to be cooked properly but still be soft and juicy. Just remember to  make sure the meat inside is not pink and you’re good to go.

When you have all of your ingredients it’s time to assemble the sandwich. If you’re using a pita like me heat it up on  grill or in a broiler for a minute and cut it in half(so you have two sandwiches from one pita).  When assembling the sandwich I first put some veggies inside fallowed by some chicken and a little bit of sauce, and then  repeat the sequence again.

Ingredients:
1 pound chicken breast cut into cubes

Marinade:
3 tablespoons of yogurt (Greek works)
2 tablespoon of oil
juice from half of a lemon
2 minced cloves of garlic
tablespoon of paprika
1/2 teaspoon of thyme and
1/2 teaspoon of salt

Quick Directions
1. Prepare the marinade by combing all of the ingredients and marinate the chicken in a fridge for 1 to 4 hours
2.Preheat a grill or a broiler
3. Prepare sauce and toppings
4. Cook the chicken for about 4 to 6 minute per side in a broiler or as needed
5. Assemble the sandwich and enjoy.