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Flavorful Lebanese Shish Tawook Chicken Recipe with Easy Garlic Toum Sauce

Lebanese shish tawook chicken - featured image
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A simple yet impressive Lebanese shish tawook chicken marinated in a tangy yogurt and spice blend, grilled to juicy perfection and served with a creamy, garlicky toum sauce.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 1 cup plain yogurt (full-fat preferred)
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon paprika (smoked paprika preferred)
  • ½ teaspoon ground coriander
  • ½ teaspoon ground allspice
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 whole head garlic (about 12 cloves), peeled
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup neutral oil (sunflower or canola)
  • ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • ¼ cup ice water
  • Optional for serving: pita bread or flatbreads, fresh parsley chopped, sliced cucumbers and tomatoes, pickled turnips or onions

Instructions

  1. Rinse and pat dry the chicken thighs. Cut into 1-inch cubes.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together yogurt, olive oil, minced garlic, lemon juice, tomato paste, cumin, paprika, coriander, allspice, salt, and pepper.
  3. Add chicken cubes to the marinade, mix well to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
  4. Peel garlic cloves and remove green sprouts. In a food processor, pulse garlic with salt until finely minced.
  5. Slowly drizzle in oil in a thin stream while running the processor, alternating with lemon juice and ice water to keep the sauce fluffy and emulsified.
  6. Remove chicken from marinade, let excess drip off. Thread chicken evenly onto skewers.
  7. Preheat grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Grill skewers 4-5 minutes per side until charred and cooked through (internal temp 165°F).
  8. Let chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with garlic toum sauce, pita, and fresh veggies.

Notes

If toum sauce breaks, whisk it into a fresh egg white to re-emulsify. Marinate chicken overnight for best flavor. Use a hot grill and avoid flipping chicken too often to get good char marks. For gluten-free, serve with rice or salad instead of pita. Dairy-free marinade can be made with coconut or almond yogurt and swap toum for garlic-infused tahini sauce.

Nutrition

Keywords: Lebanese chicken, shish tawook, garlic toum sauce, grilled chicken skewers, Middle Eastern recipe, easy chicken marinade, garlic sauce

Find it online: https://tomyumy.com/flavorful-lebanese-shish-tawook-chicken-recipe-with-easy-garlic-toum-sauce/