In Montreal, we often refer to chicken shawarma as chicken shish taouk (or shish tawook) and there is some confusion between the two. In Turkish, “shish” means skewer and “taouk” refers to grilled or roasted meat. On the other hand, shawarma is an Arabic term that refers to the method of cooking meat on a vertical roaster. So basically, in Montreal, what most people refer to as chicken shish taouk is really shawarma. But for this recipe here, I think it’s okay to call it Shish Taouk!!!
Montreal is lucky to have an amazing Mediterranean supermarket called Adonis. One of their most popular items is chicken in a white shish taouk marinade. It is absolutely delicious and I’ve tried quite a few recipes in order to be able to make it at home but never really found the perfect one….until this one came along! I found it in the Flavours of Aleppo cookbook and it is truly special, just as good as the Adonis chicken, if not better!
These Shish Taouk Chicken Kebabs are my favorite chicken recipe for the BBQ. It’s a crowd pleaser and my go-to recipe when I have to feed a big group of people. We’ll serve these with a few merguez sausages, some grilled pittas, Lebanese vermicelli rice and a Fattoush Salad with Feta. The chicken bursts with flavors in this garlicky lemon mayonnaise/yogurt marinade. The addition of mayonnaise might be a little bit surprising but it helps to keep the meat moist and juicy.
- 700 g (1½ lb) skinless boneless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup plain greek yogurt
- 1½ tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 tsp. garlic, mashed to paste
- 1 tsp. salt
- Pepper to taste
- In a medium bowl, mix the mayonnaise, yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper.
- Add the chicken and toss to coat.
- Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 6 hours or better, allow to marinate overnight in the refrigerator.
- Thread chicken onto skewers; grill, turning, until chicken is cooked through and slightly charred, about 10-12 minutes.
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