Aromatic Chicken kebab with pan-cooked pita
THIS! One of my favourites on the blog. The kebabs are so aromatic and juicy, plus your oven does all the work. Tender, marinated chicken, infused with a blend of aromatic spices and roasted to perfection, served alongside a soft, pillow pita that’s pan-cooked to charred perfection. This dish is a symphony of flavors – the succulent, spiced chicken kebabs, the warm pita, and a refreshing tomato salad.
Ingredients
- 1 kg chicken meat, I use 700 grams thighs and 300 grams breast
- 100 grams strained yogurt
- 30 ml olive oil
- 35 grams tomato paste
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp coriander, ground
- 2 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp sumac
- 1 tsp garlic, dried
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp cardamom, ground
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 Tbsp pomegranate molasses
- ½ lemon, juiced
Pita bread
- 11 grams 3 level tsp dried yeast
- 4 tsp granulated sugar
- 350 ml water
- 330 ml lukewarm milk
- 1000 grams all purpose flour
- 3 tsp salt
For the salad
- 1 large red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 ripe tomatoes, sliced
- 2 cups finely chopped parsley, chopped
- 1 pickled cucumber, chopped
- 60 ml olive oil
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tbsp pomegranate molasses
- 2 tsp sumac
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Prepare the pita dough for rising
- In a mixer bowl, combine the dried yeast, sugar, warm water and milk. Stir gently to dissolve and let it sit for 5–10 minutes, or until it becomes frothy. This activates the yeast.
- Mix flour and salt. Add it to the mixer bowl and knead until a soft dough forms. Let dough rise for 1-2 hours until double in size.
Marinade the chicken
- Cut the chicken in kebab size pieces (about 2 x 3 cm each piece).
- Combine all remaining ingredients in a bowl. Mix with the chicken pieces. Let chicken marinade for 1 hour or overnight.
Bake the chicken
- Thread the chicken pieces on wooden skewers (about 8 skewers). Dab with any left-over marinade. Place on a wire rack over a paper lined baking pan. Bake at 210 C fan, for 25-30 minutes, turning once.
Make the pita while chicken bakes
- Place a dry (preferably non- stick) skillet over medium low heat. Divide risen pita dough into 140 gram pieces. Roll each piece into a 20 cm round. Roll about 4 pieces at a time. Place one pita in heated skillet. Cook about 1-2 minutes per side, depending on how hot your skillet is. Bubbles will form on the pitta and it will begin puffing up. Turn the pita over and cook 1 minute longer. You may need to adjust the temperature of the stove as you go along. Keep it medium-low to give time for the bread to puff-up and cook through. Wrap the pittas in a clean towel to keep warm and soft.
Make the salad
- Put tomatoes, onion, parsley and cucumber in a bowl. Put olive oil, vinegar, molasses, salt and pepper in a jar. Shake jar to combine ingredients. Pour over salad and mix. Garnish with sumac.
- Serve chicken wrapped in pita with salad.