The Batch Lady: Cooking on a Budget by Suzanne Mulholland (HQ, HarperCollins). Image credit Haarala Hamilton.
Quick and Easy Sharing Shish Kebab
This is a brilliant meal to serve in the middle of the table and let everyone dig in
I love this kind of informal feasting, where everyone is leaning over each other and passing things around - it immediately makes any meal feel relaxed and fun.
Serves
4
Preparation Time
10 minutes
Cooking Time
12–14 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 3 tsp frozen chopped garlic
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 100g natural yoghurt
- 1 tsp salt
- 8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
- Freshly ground black pepper
- To serve
- Flatbreads
- Chilli sauce
- Shredded lettuce
- Natural yoghurt
Method
Put the tomato purée, smoked paprika, frozen garlic, oregano, lemon juice and natural yoghurt in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. Add the salt and a generous grinding of pepper and mix again.
If you’re serving now:
Preheat the grill to medium and line a grill pan with foil. Add the chicken to the bowl and use your hands to give everything a mix and ensure the chicken is well coated. Thread the chicken thighs onto two large skewers so that each skewer runs parallel to the other through all the pieces of chicken (if you are using wooden skewers, it’s a good idea to soak them in cold water for half an hour or so before using). Try and position the skewers to the outer edges of the chicken, rather than closely together in the middle. Lay the skewered chicken on the prepared grill pan and cook under the grill for 12–14 minutes on each side, until juicy, golden brown and cooked all the way through. Remove the skewers from the chicken and carve the kebab into slices, then place in the middle of the table with your chosen accompaniments and let everyone dig in!
If you’re making ahead to freeze:
Transfer the marinade to a large, labelled freezer bag along with the chicken, then give the bag a squeeze to ensure that the chicken is well coated in the marinade. Freeze flat for up to three months. Then remove the bag from the freezer and leave to defrost in the fridge, ideally overnight. Once defrosted, thread the chicken onto skewers, cook and serve as described above.
To reduce the cost further and cut down the amount of meat used in this dish, reduce the amount of chicken to four thighs and intersperse the chicken with thickly sliced peppers on the skewer.
