Shish Tawook – Lebanese Marinated Chicken

Make this Lebanese favorite at home! Shish Tawook will soon be your go-to chicken recipe thanks to the flavorful garlic, lemon, and yogurt marinade.

At a glance

What stands out: This yogurt and lemon juice based marinade tenderizes the chicken. It’s so flavorful, too!

How long it takes: 30 minutes, plus a few hours to marinate the chicken
Equipment you’ll need: resealable bag or a bowl, skewers, broiler pan or grill
Servings: 4 (8 oz. each)

We get Lebanese carry-out a lot, more than we care to admit, but we’re working on cutting down on restaurant meals to save money and be more conscientious about what we eat.

We can’t even tell you how great it feels to be cooking meals we love. And let’s be honest, most things that you order at a restaurant, you can make at home. They taste better and are better for you (less sodium, for sure!).

We could eat this dinner twice a week. We're addicted, Ben loves shish tawook and so do the kids! Ben says he loves them more than the restaurant version — score!

PS: If you love this shish tawook recipe, you’ll also love this chicken kofta recipe and grilled chicken shawarma drumsticks!

About Shish Tawook

Cubes of protein-rich boneless skinless chicken breast are soaked in a yogurt marinade. You won’t believe how tender and juicy the yogurt makes the chicken! Shish tawook definitely is NOT a boring chicken breast. The shish tawook is so flavorful thanks to lemon, garlic, and spices in the marinade.

The chicken skewers can be broiled in your oven or grilled outside, whichever you prefer.

Serve shish tawook with rice and a green salad. Make a wrap sandwich with pita, topped with tahini garlic sauce and pickled radishes.

We love the grilled chicken on a salad, too, topped with tangy cucumber yogurt tzatziki. Serve the salad with from-scratch hummus and warm pita bread. Shish tawook goes especially well with tabbouleh salad.

Or just eat shish tawook straight off the skewer. That’s what we do.

• Yield: 4 servings
• Prep: 15 minutes
• Cook: 15 minutes
• Total: 4 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
• ½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 2 lemons)
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• ⅓ cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon ground pepper
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon tomato paste

Method

1. In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together marinade ingredients.
2. Place chicken in a large resealable bag. Add marinade to the bag. Seal bag. Rub and move around chicken to coat thoroughly.
3. Place the bag in a glass baking dish or bowl (in case of leakage) and refrigerate and marinate for at least 4 hours.
4. Meanwhile, soak wooden skewers in water, if using.
5. Skewer the chicken onto soaked skewers and place on a broiler pan. Broil on high for 15 to 18 minutes, turning once, or until chicken is browned and cooked through. If you prefer, grill the chicken.
6. Serve with rice and salad, or on a pita with garlic sauce, if desired.

Notes

Nutrition information is somewhat inaccurate since much of the marinade is discarded after using.