Lets make this crispy on the outside and juicy in the middle Mediterranean chicken kebab. It's easy peasy with some lemon squeezy!!!
This is one meal choice that you can have any day of the week and at any time you like for lunch or dinner. It is light, easy to make and very tasty.
The secret to keeping the chicken breast I used for this Mediterranean Chicken Kebab juicy in the middle is to trap the moisture from the marinade inside the chicken whilst cooking it.
I prefer chicken breast which is not as good as the chicken legs and thighs when it comes to handling heat when it's being baked or grilled, it usually gets dry, but if you prefer you can use the dark chicken meat to make this Mediterranean Chicken Kebab, it's your personal preference.
And because the chicken breast gets dry when being grilled, instead of grilling it, I pan fry it in a very hot pan for thirty seconds on each side just to make it crispy, then cover it with more marinade, foil paper and bake it in the oven.
The result is crispy on the outside and juicy in the middle Mediterranean Chicken Kebab. Of course we're all different and you can tailor-make this to suit your preferred taste, making it more juicy or crispier on the outside.
Watch how to make the Mediterranean Chicken Kebab
For this recipe, I used chicken, red, yellow and green bell peppers, red onions and cherry tomatoes, but you can use any vegetables you like including mushrooms, courgettes, aubergines or anything else you'd like to try.
For the marinade, I used Greek style yoghurt, paprika, garlic powder, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, turmeric, olive oil, salt and pepper.
Mix it all very well until all the spices are combined with the yoghurt and olive oil and the marinade becomes like a smooth paste.
After the chicken is mixed with the marinade, cover with cling film and refrigerate for one to two hours. You can also, keep it in the fridge over night to let the marinade do it's magic the day before you make the kebabs.
After removing the marinated chicken from the fridge, I add the juice of half a lemon and a tablespoon of sweet paprika on top and mix it well to add a tangy taste and some colour to the marinade.
If you use bamboo skewers, you can soak them in water for 20 minutes so they don't become dry or burn. Even though I am not grilling the kebabs, it's always a good practice to keep the skewers wet before cooking the kebabs.
At the same time, you can preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius which is just under 400 degrees Fahrenheit, and use the time to cut the bell peppers, and onions into bite size chunks.
You can place the peppers, onions and cherry tomatoes in any order you like before and after the chicken pieces to have a variety of colours and combinations that will make them look different and more appetising.
Once you skewer all the chicken and vegetables, heat up a frying pan on medium/high heat and sizzle the chicken kebabs for 30 seconds on each side or until they become crispy.
Then place a sheet of waxed paper on your oven tray, place the kebabs on the sheet and brush them with more marinade. Cover with foil paper and place in the oven for 15 minutes for very juicy kebabs or add a few more minutes ( 2 – 3 ) to have them less juicy.
Once the kebabs are completely cooked, you can remove them from the oven and serve with pitta bread or tortillas and salad or anything else you prefer like rice, mash potatoes or chips. Give this Mediterranean Chicken Kebab a try and I'm sure you will love it.
