Shish Taouk

Shish Taouk: Step by Step

Tap a step to highlight it, or turn on Cook Mode for large type and step-by-step focus.

1. Whisk all the marinade ingredients together and fold the chicken through. Cover and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.

   Mark done

2. For the toum, pound the garlic and salt to a completely smooth paste in a mortar, or blitz in a narrow jug.

   Mark done

3. Add the oil a few drops at a time, working constantly, alternating with a little lemon juice and iced water. Once it takes, add the oil in a slow thin stream. It should end up thick, white and fluffy.

   Mark done

4. Thread the chicken onto skewers, leaving a small gap between pieces so the heat gets round them.

   Mark done

5. Get a charcoal grill or griddle very hot. Cook 4 minutes on the first side without moving them.

   Mark done

6. Turn and cook 4 to 5 minutes more, until charred in patches and 74°C / 165°F at the centre.

   Mark done Start 4 min timer

7. Rest 3 minutes on a warm plate, loosely covered.

   Mark done

8. Warm the flatbreads (optional) over the same grill for 20 seconds a side.

   Mark done

9. Serve the skewers with toum, pickled turnips and a sharp tomato and parsley salad.

   Mark done

Related guides: Prep, cook and total time · Ingredient substitutions.

Something wrong or unclear in this recipe? Report a problem with this recipe.

What Can Go Wrong

1. Thighs, not breast. Breast dries out before it chars.
2. A small gap between cubes on the skewer, or the sides steam.
3. For toum, add the oil painfully slowly at the start. It breaks if you rush.

Changing the Recipe

• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.
• Fresh herbs work in place of the dried oregano at roughly three times the quantity — a teaspoon of dried is about a tablespoon of fresh, chopped.

A Little Background

Yoghurt marinades tenderise gently because their acid is mild and their calcium activates enzymes in the meat — unlike a lemon-only marinade, which turns the surface chalky if left overnight. The tomato purée is there for colour more than flavour: it is what gives shish taouk its characteristic orange edge under the grill.

What to Serve It With

Toum and pickled turnips · Flatbread and fattoush · An arak with ice and water

Storing Leftovers

Marinated chicken keeps 2 days raw. Toum keeps 3 weeks refrigerated in a sealed jar.

Questions People Ask

Nutrition per Serving

Per serving, an approximate calculation from the ingredient list. Treat it as a rough guide: an ingredient listed without an amount is not counted, so the figures run low. How the figures are worked out.

Gluten-free when served without the flatbreads.

Your notes on this recipe

Cooked this? Keep a note for next time

Your own rating out of 5

5 stars★ 4 stars★ 3 stars★ 2 stars★ 1 star★

Your note

Save note

Private to you: notes and ratings are saved in this browser only, are never sent anywhere, and other readers cannot see them.