Kebab Dinner + Recipes

kebabs

While I have been at my friends’ place in Vancouver, I decided to make them dinner to thank them for hosting me. Wanting to use what they had in the house, the easiest meal I could make was a Middle Eastern inspired kebab dinner. They had chicken, yogurt, spices, cucumbers, and potatoes. All I had to buy were metal skewers which I was able to pick up at the dollar store. 

First, I cut up the chicken into small cubes. I threw the cubes back into a bowl and added some olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and Greek seasoning. If you don’t have a specific Greek seasoning I would add in thyme, basil, oregano, marjoram and dried onion. Some minced garlic and two heaping tablespoons of plain greek yogurt add an extra dimension. Measuring things is not my thing so I sort of throw things in with careless abandon and hope for the best. Then I let it sit in the bowl in the fridge to marinate. Marinating for a while is even better so all these dishes can be made the day/night before.

Chicken Kebab Recipe | www.rtwgirl.com

Then I skewer up the chicken onto metal skewers leaving a good amount of room on the bottom so that I can grab them with a glove or tongs.

Chicken Kebab Recipe | www.rtwgirl.com

Ta da! Chicken kebab!

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Then I made mast o khiar better known to those familiar with Greek food as tzatziki. Using a mandolin, I grated a cucumber. You can also use a cheese grater. Then throw the grated cucumber into a sieve to take out all the excess water. Then you can throw in a tub of Greek yogurt. Mix the cucumber with the yogurt. Then I add a tablespoon of minced garlic, some dried mint leaves, some dried dill and salt it. I let that sit in the fridge also. Taste it to make sure it’s how you like it.

Mast o khiar Tzatziki Recipe | www.rtwgirl.com

mast o khiar

Next I chop up the vegetables that I will grill. Veggies grilled separately from the meat is better because otherwise they get cooked unevenly. I put them in a bowl and threw the same seasonings as the chicken.

Veggie Kebab | www.rtwgirl.com

I let those marinate for a bit as well and then skewered them.

Veggie Kebab | www.rtwgirl.com

Next up is lemon potatoes. I cut up little potatoes into halves so that they cook better. Then I add in a bit of olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, oregano, and garlic. Let them marinate in a bowl as well.

Lemon Potatoes | www.rtwgirl.com

Once they were marinated I threw them into a grill pan. I didn’t want to lose the marinade so I lined the pan with foil.

Lemon Potatoes | www.rtwgirl.com

Making kebab | www.rtwgirl.com

I turned on the barbecue to full blast to heat it up. It had 3 burners so I turned off the 2 sides and left the middle on. I started the potatoes first as they take longer to cook. If I cooked them inside an oven it would take at least 30-45 minutes. This probably took 15. I cooked the kebab and veggies on the side on the indirect heat. Toasted pita was also added to the dish.

When each chicken kebab skewer was done, I threw them quickly on the flame for some grill marks. I plated the food and served to delighted friends. See photo above. I have some kebab leftovers so it looks like chicken pita for lunch tomorrow!

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