Mediterranean-Style Chicken Skewers with White Sauce

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These chicken skewers are an attempt to reproduce the flavor and texture of the sort of chicken I ordered about once a week from one of DC’s myriad kebab shops. A couple skewers of chicken piled atop rice with a piece of flatbread and a little cup of the inevitable “white sauce” (though I usually also asked for “green sauce” … which may have been an approximation of Zhug) was a standard lunch plate. Depending on the place, and unfortunately the day, the quality ranged from meh to really really good, but that didn’t stop me from going back.

Because it’s the beginning of summer in the midwest, I want to point out that these are great on the grill, and even better over charcoal, but as often as not I’ve made them in the oven or broiler. With some flatbread (homemade or not) and, some sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, and red onion they make a great plate, or even a sandwich.

Mediterranean-Style Chicken Skewers with White Sauce

Recipe by DrewCourse: MainCuisine: MediterraneanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Marinade

2

minutes

Ingredients

• Chicken Skewers

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

• 2 cloves garlic

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1 tsp fresh oregano

• 2 tbsp lemon juice

• 1 tsp paprika

• 1 tsp ground black pepper

• 1 tsp soy sauce

• ½ tsp cumin

• Mediterranean White Sauce

• 4 cloves garlic, crushed

• 1 tsp lemon juice

• 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper

• 1 tsp granulated sugar

• ¼ cup mayonnaise

• ¼ cup Greek-style yogurt

• 1 pinch cayenne pepper

Directions

• Chicken Skewers
• Cut the chicken into 2-inch pieces.
• Mince 2 cloves of garlic and the oregano.
• In a non-reactive bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, soy sauce, black pepper, cumin, and paprika.
• Add in the garlic and lemon juice.
• Add the chicken to the marinade and mix well.
• Cover, and allow to rest in the refrigerator at least 2 hours and up to 8 hours.
• Preheat your grill or broiler. While these will taste best grilled over charcoal, you can prepare them over a gas grill, or even under a hot broiler.
• Thread the chicken onto skewers. If you are using wooden skewers, you may want to soak them for an hour before cooking to keep them from burning.
• Grill the chicken over a high flame for about 8 minutes, or until the chicken pieces reach 165°.
• For Sauce
• Whisk together all ingredients and rest for 30 minutes to allow flavors to meld.

Notes

• Serve with warm pita bread, lettuce, tomato, and sliced red onion.

Be sure to check out my other food project, The Weekly Menu!