Shish Tawook Grilled Chicken Skewers
Shish tawook is the Lebanese grill standard: 600 g of chicken breast cubed and soaked in a yogurt, lemon and garlic marinade, then threaded onto skewers and grilled hard until the edges char while the inside stays juicy. The grill asks only 4 to 5 minutes per side; the patience the dish really needs goes to the fridge, where the marinade works for 2 hours, or up to 8 for deeper flavour. Four servings, ready with rice, flatbread and a sharp garlic sauce.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 160 min
- Additional time
- 120 min
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
What you’ll need — tap to tick off as you go
- 600 g
- 150 g
- 2 tbsp
- 2 tbsp
- 1 tbsp
- 3 cloves
- 1 tsp
- 1 tsp
- ½ tsp
- 1 tsp
- ½ tsp
Process
Timers built in · swap anything · ask as you cook
Whisk the 150 g yogurt, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp tomato paste and 3 minced garlic cloves in a large bowl until the paste dissolves and the mixture is smooth. Stir in 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp cumin, 0.5 tsp ground allspice, 1 tsp salt and 0.5 tsp black pepper. Lumps of yogurt leave dry patches on the chicken, so keep whisking until the marinade is an even coral colour.
Pat the 600 g of 2.5 cm chicken cubes dry with paper towels, add them to the marinade and toss until every piece is coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 8 hours for deeper flavour; past 8 hours the lemon and yogurt begin breaking down the surface and the meat turns mushy on the grill.
Soak the 8 wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes before grilling, weighting them down so they stay submerged. Metal skewers need no soaking, but oil them lightly. Unsoaked wooden skewers burn through at the exposed ends and drop the chicken onto the coals.
Heat a grill, barbecue or ridged grill pan over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, then brush the grates with olive oil. A drop of water flicked onto the surface should sizzle and vanish; if it sits there, the grill is not ready and the chicken will stick and steam.
Thread the chicken onto the skewers, leaving a small gap of a few millimetres between cubes, and discard the used marinade. Do not press the cubes tight together: packed cubes steam each other, and the gaps are what let the heat wrap around every face for even char.
Grill the skewers for 4 to 5 minutes per side, turning occasionally, until the edges are charred in patches and the thickest cube reads 74°C on a thermometer, the USDA FSIS minimum for poultry. Without a thermometer, cut one cube open: the centre should be opaque white with clear juices, never pink.
Move the skewers to a clean plate and rest them for 3 minutes, loosely covered, so the juices settle back into the meat. Then slide the chicken off the skewers, or serve them on the skewer with flatbread, garlic sauce and lemon wedges.
Why this recipe works
Yogurt marinades behave differently from vinegar or straight citrus ones: the lactic acid in yogurt is gentle on meat proteins, so the chicken can sit in it for hours, gaining seasoning and holding on to water, without the mushy surface a lemon-heavy soak leaves behind. Salt is the part of the marinade that actually travels, seasoning the cubes past the surface and helping them stay juicy at high heat. Tomato paste and paprika give the outside sugars and colour that char sweetly rather than burn, while equal 2.5 cm cubes and small gaps between them let the heat reach every face evenly. Then 74°C and a 3 minute rest finish the job.
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl and a whisk
- 8 wooden skewers, or metal ones that need no soaking
- Grill, barbecue or a ridged grill pan
- Tongs
- Instant-read thermometer
- Paper towels for drying the chicken
Kitchen notes
Kitchen notes
- Grate the garlic on a fine grater rather than mincing it. The juice disappears into the yogurt and seasons every cube, while minced fragments sit on the surface and burn into bitter specks.
- Keep a clean spoonful of marinade back before the chicken goes in, or mix a fresh bowl, if you want to spoon a little over the skewers at the table. Marinade that has touched raw chicken should never come back to the plate unboiled.
- Hold your hand about 12 cm above the grate: at medium-high it should feel hot for only 2 to 3 seconds. That window gives you charring without scorching the yogurt before the middle cooks.
- Thread the skewers up to 12 hours ahead and keep them covered in the fridge; bring the tray out about 15 minutes before grilling so the chicken starts warm and cooks evenly.
- Slide a piece of flatbread under the chicken as you pull it off the skewer. It catches the juices and becomes part of the wrap.
Common mistakes
- Dry, tough chicken: it went past 74°C, or it marinated beyond 8 hours, where the acid starts breaking the surface down so the meat ends up mushy on the grill and dry on the plate. Pull the skewers the moment the thermometer reads 74°C and keep the marinade inside its window.
- Chicken that steams instead of charring: the cubes were wet going on, packed tight on the skewer, or crowded on the grill. Dry the cubes before marinating, leave the small gaps, and give each skewer its own space over the heat.
- Skewers that catch fire: they were never soaked, so the bare ends burned through and dropped the chicken. Soak the wooden ones for the full 30 minutes, or switch to metal.
- Uneven cooking, some cubes chalky and some still pink at the centre: they were cut to different sizes. Cut the 600 g into even 2.5 cm cubes and keep the pieces uniform so they finish together.
- Bland, flat skewers: the marinade got 20 minutes instead of 2 hours, or it was not whisked smooth and left unseasoned patches on the chicken. The full marinating time is what carries the garlic and spices into the meat.
Serving suggestions
- Serve the skewers hot off the grill, 2 per person, with warm flatbread or rice pilaf and a bowl of garlic sauce.
- A tomato and cucumber salad, or fattoush, cuts through the richness of the yogurt marinade.
- Squeeze lemon over the chicken at the table and scatter chopped parsley; the acid wakes up the char.
- Keep the drinks cold and simple: iced tea with mint, sparkling water with lemon, or a salted yogurt drink.
Variations
- Mixed skewers: alternate the chicken cubes with onion petals and squares of green pepper. They char alongside the meat and give each skewer a built-in vegetable side, so thread them loosely to keep cooking even.
- Wrap version: slide grilled cubes into warm flatbread with garlic sauce, pickles and grilled tomato, then press the folded wrap in a dry pan for 2 to 3 minutes until crisp.
- Extra heat: stir 1 tsp Aleppo pepper or 0.5 tsp cayenne into the marinade with the paprika; yogurt carries the heat evenly and the char sweetens it.
Refrigerator
- RefrigeratorCool the skewers or loose cubes within 2 hours, then refrigerate them in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- ReheatingReheat in a 180°C oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or in a covered skillet over medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes, until the chicken reads 74°C; USDA FSIS guidance for leftovers is to reheat to 74°C throughout. Skip the microwave, which turns grilled chicken rubbery.
- FreezingCool completely, wrap the skewers or loose cubes tightly in foil, then bag and freeze for up to 2 months; thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating. The char softens, so plan on wraps or rice bowls rather than eating them dry off the skewer.
- Make aheadThe marinade is the best make-ahead step: 2 to 8 hours in the fridge does the real work, and threaded skewers hold covered for up to 12 hours. Grill just before serving, because the char and the texture do not survive a wait.
Updated:
How this recipe was developed
- Serious Eats, The Science of Yogurt Marinades (lactic acid is the gentlest acid in a marinade; yogurt marinades can run longer and leave poultry juicier, while citric and acetic acids break the surface down faster)
- ABC News (Australia), Lebanese-style grilled chicken skewers (shish tawook): yogurt, tomato paste, garlic and lemon marinade for at least 2 hours, wooden skewers soaked 30 minutes, grilled 10 to 12 minutes turning
- USDA FSIS safe minimum internal temperature chart (poultry 74°C, including ground poultry and reheated leftovers)
- USDA FSIS leftovers and food safety guidance (refrigerate within 2 hours; 3 to 4 days in the fridge)
Editorial references are kept internally for verification. This page makes no claim of external certification or professional testing.
Gallery
FAQ
The questions we get asked most
Why did my shish tawook turn out dry and tough?
Usually overcooked, or marinated far past 8 hours: the acid in the lemon and yogurt breaks down the surface, and the meat then dries out on the grill. Cook to 74°C, about 4 to 5 minutes per side, stay inside the marinating window, and let the skewers rest for 3 minutes so the juices settle.
Can I use chicken thighs instead of breast?
Yes. Boneless skinless thighs, the same 600 g, are juicier and more forgiving of the grill; cut them into 3 cm cubes and cook for 5 to 6 minutes per side, still checking for 74°C. They take the full 8 hour marinade better than breast meat.
Can I make shish tawook ahead of time?
The marinade is the best make-ahead step: it needs 2 to 8 hours in the fridge, so start it in the morning. You can also thread the skewers up to 12 hours ahead and keep them covered in the fridge; grill just before serving for the freshest char.
How do I know when the skewers are fully cooked?
The thickest cube should read 74°C, the USDA FSIS minimum for poultry, on an instant-read thermometer. Without one, cut into the largest piece: the centre should be opaque white with clear juices, and the meat firm rather than squishy, with char marks on the outside.
Can I use frozen chicken for this recipe?
Yes, once it is completely thawed in the fridge overnight. Frozen or partly frozen cubes do not absorb the marinade evenly and release water on the grill, which steams the surface instead of charring it; pat the thawed cubes dry before they go into the bowl.
Why is my yogurt marinade thick or clumpy?
Full-fat yogurt can be thick, which is fine, but whisk it with the lemon juice and olive oil until smooth before the spices go in. Greek yogurt usually needs 1 tbsp of water to loosen it, because a lumpy marinade leaves dry, unseasoned patches.
Is shish tawook gluten-free?
As written, yes: chicken, yogurt, lemon, oil, tomato paste and spices contain no gluten. The flatbread you serve with it does, so check the label or use a gluten-free wrap if that matters to you.
Ask KitchenMind about this recipe
Tell it what’s different tonight — it works within the actual recipe.
