Chicken Thighs + Spices + Greek Yogurt = The Juiciest Kebabs You'll Ever Make

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If you are tired of plain old chicken kebabs with bland chicken and burnt vegetables, here is your solution. This Turkish chicken kebabs recipe, from developer A.J. Forget, is simple to throw together, easy to grill, and comes out juicy and delicious. All you have to do in order to whip up a batch of fragrant Turkish-style chicken kebabs is season, spice, and marinate some chicken thighs, then skewer the meat and toss it on the grill. Can it really be that simple to make an excellent kebab? We're here to assure you that yes, it is just that easy.

The trick to tender and juicy chicken kebabs comes in the marinade. First you season the chicken, covering the meat with salt and spices. Then the yogurt and lemon juice join the fray, tenderizing with a light acidity and locking in the moisture. After a quick trip to the grill, dinner is served.

You might've noticed that all we've got here is the meat — that's for good reason. One of the biggest mistakes that people make when grilling kebabs is mixing ingredients on a single skewer that have different cooking times. If you want to complete the meal, toss a couple skewers of vegetables on to roast at the same time. Keeping the vegetables separate from your chicken will ensure everything is cooked to perfection.

For this recipe you will need chicken thighs, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, pepper, coriander, cinnamon, and clove, as well as tomato paste, lemon juice, and Greek yogurt. Once you have these ingredients together, you are ready to begin cooking.

Place the cubed chicken in a large mixing bowl and mix in the salt, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, pepper, coriander, cloves, and cinnamon.

Add the tomato paste, lemon juice, and Greek yogurt, and stir until well-combined.

Transfer the chicken to a sealable container and place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 4 hours, and up to a day.

Start the grill and bring it to medium-high heat.

While the grill is heating, thread the chicken onto skewers.

Grill the chicken for 5 to 6 minutes on each side, or until lightly charred and cooked through.

Remove the chicken from the grill and allow it to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

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We opted to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs in this recipe for a few reasons. For starters, chicken thighs are one of the very best cuts to grill. The bit of fat and the darker meat result in a juicy, meaty finished product. But you actually have a lot of protein options available to you with this recipe. Both Turkish spices and the kebab cooking method are quite versatile, you just might need to tinker with things like seasoning and cooking time a touch depending on what protein you land on.

Chicken breast is the most obvious substitution for chicken thighs in this recipe. It is another cut of boneless, skinless meat, and the only real differences lie in fat content and flavor, and these separations are pretty small. If lean protein is your top priority, feel free to sub in chicken breast. It should cook up just about the same.

If you want to get a bit more creative with your substitutions, this recipe is plenty flexible. Cubes of lamb or beef would also be delicious coated in this spice-infused yogurt marinade. You'll have to adjust the timing a touch on the grill, depending on how well-done you like your red meat, but they certainly won't disappoint. 

The oven and the grill can seem like opposite ends of the spectrum. But, in reality, the functionality of the two devices are not so different. Both methods rely on the application of dry, radiant heat, and in many recipes the two cooking methods are interchangeable. The broiler is one of the best ways to "grill" if you don't have a grill. Likewise, if you don't have an oven, you can actually bake a cake on your grill.

Making chicken kebabs in the oven can be done one of two ways: You can either pop them under the broiler and try to mimic the direct heat of a grill, or you can simply bake them. Both methods work just fine, though if you are looking for the closest analog — that'll give you the same little bits of char — opt for the broiler. Under a medium-high broiler, the chicken should cook just about the same as it does on the grill. If you opt to simply bake the kebabs, preheat the oven to 350 F and bake for around 25 minutes.

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