Chicken Kebab Skewers

I love grilled skewers and it is no surprise that the rest of the world does as well!
From Indonesian Satay to Japanese Yakitori, grilled chicken is found almost everywhere in the world.
In this recipe, we shall explore the Iraqi version of a chicken kebab!

I will make sure that this dish is a kosher version – as we all know there are also amazing Greek and Turkish chicken skewers however, however they are combined with yogurt marinade!

Ingredients:

Chicken breast or thighs (The breast has less fat but the meat is less juicy than the thighs)
Skewers
Lemon
1 large red paprika
1 large yellow paprika
2 large onion
3 – 5 Garlic cloves
Sea salt
Black pepper
White pepper
Cumin powder
Cayenne / Chili powder
Curcuma powder
Paprika powder
Cinnamon powder
Olive oil
Parsley

Marinate the chicken:

First of all, we are going to make the marinade for the chicken –  pour a teaspoon of each of the following spices; Cumin, Curcuma,, Paprika, Black pepper, and Salt into a bowl –  then, add into the bowl a pinch of Cayenne pepper, a pinch of cinnamon, and finely chopped garlic, onion, and some parsley.
Pour a healthy amount of olive oil and lemon juice into the bowl, mix well all the ingredients, and set aside.
Now we are going to cut the chicken into bite-size chunks – then we should rinse the chicken under running water and make sure to remove the pieces of bone if one finds any.
Hereafter, make certain that the chicken chunks are dry, and put them into the bowl of the marinade mix while massaging the marinade mix into the chicken chunks.
Cover the bowl and put it in the fridge, let it marinate for at least 2 hours, or overnight!

Skewer the meat:

First of all, be sure to soak your skewers in water for at least 2 hours, if they are made out of wood or bamboo
otherwise they will burn when you put them on the grill grate.
Cut the onion and paprikas into bite-size pieces – then thread the chicken chunks and vegetables onto the soaked skewers.
Make sure to place a piece of onion and pepper between each piece of chicken.

Grilling the chicken:

The best way to grill the chicken is to use a barbeque! Heat the barbeque, and make sure that the charcoal is nicely burning.
Then place the chicken skewers on the grill grate and grill and rotate every couple of minutes until all edges are golden brown and have a nice char to them.
A good way to check if the chicken is fully cooked is to press it with your finger (please do not burn your finger!) and if it feels too soft it means the meat is still raw, but if it bounces back, it means the meat is ready to eat!
Serve with some lemon wedges! also nice to top with some parsley.
One can eat the Chicken Kebab in a pita bread with some spicy sauce, tahina, and an Israeli salad.