With a bold yogurt chicken marinade infused with lemon, garlic and warming spices, this authentic Shish Tawook recipe is next level delicious!
Shish Tawook, sometimes spelled shish taouk, is a irresistible dish of grilled chicken skewers, bathed in a garlicky yogurt marinade with citrus and warming spices like cinnamon, allspice, and ginger. It’s fragrant, juicy, a touch spicy, and absolutely delicious!
Originally this dish was a part of Ottoman Cuisine. (In Turkish, şiş (pronounced “shish”) means skewer and “tavuk” means chicken.) Tawook has become a popular dish across the Middle East and Mediterranean, with many variations like Persian joojeh kabob.
If you’ve ever had chicken shawarma, you’ll love this tangier cousin! The Greek yogurt marinade makes the chicken thighs so tender and flavorful. Serve in a pita with whipped garlic sauce, or plated with a bright salad and creamy hummus for an easy, healthy meal.
What is in Shish Tawook?
Here’s what you’ll need to make this Shish Tawook recipe, along with some easy swaps:
- Plain Greek yogurt: Makes the chicken tender and tangy.
- Lemon juice and zest: Adds a great zing. Substitute lime.
- Olive oil: Use a high quality extra virgin variety, which will infuse the chicken with a rich flavor.
- Tomato paste: Adds a deeply savory quality. Swap with roasted red pepper paste, if you’d like.
- Garlic: Substitute green onion, red onion, or shallot.
- Seasoning: Sweet paprika, allspice, dried oregano, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger, cayenne pepper, salt. (For a milder option, swap the cayenne pepper with Aleppo pepper.) Stock up on these Mediterranean spices and more at our shop!
- Chicken: I used boneless skinless chicken thighs, but you can swap with other cuts and adjust the cook time accordingly.
How to Make Shish Tawook
This recipe is fairly hands-off, but try to budget at least 4 hours to marinate the chicken. It will make a huge difference for the flavor! Here are the steps:
- Make the spiced yogurt marinade. To a large mixing bowl, add 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt,1/4 cup lemon juice, the zest of 1 lemon, 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, And 8 minced garlic cloves. Season with 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon allspice, 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano, and 1/2 teaspoon each cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger, and cayenne pepper.
- Marinate the chicken. Pat 2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken thighs dry, then cut into large pieces for skewering. Season all over with salt. Add the chicken to the marinade and toss to coat, making sure all the chicken pieces are well covered in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 4 to 8 hours.
- Get ready to grill. Heat a gas grill to medium and lightly oil the grates. Thread the chicken pieces through skewers. Fold larger pieces so they fit better through the skewers–they also look better this way and are more manageable on the grill.
- Grill the chicken. Arrange the chicken skewers on the heated grill in one layer. Cover and cook for about 15 to 20 minutes, turning every 5 to 7 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Enjoy!
What to Serve with Shish Tawook
Here’s what I would serve with this shish tawook recipe–it’s a kebab party, after all!
- A fresh salads (or two): My go-to Mediterranean salad or fattoush.
- Sauces: I always go with cooling tzatziki, but my Lebanese friends say whipped toum is a must!
- To make it a sandwich: Ditch the skewers and load up a pita with chopped fresh veggies and tahini sauce.
- Make it a bowl: Add a side salad and serve with rice and/or hummus.
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Shish Tawook
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup lemon juice, plus the zest of 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 8 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into large pieces
- Kosher salt
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the yogurt, lemon juice, zest, olive oil, tomato paste, garlic, and spices. Pat the chicken dry and season all over with salt. Add the chicken to the marinade and toss to coat, making sure all the chicken pieces are well covered in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 4 to 8 hours.
- Get ready to grill. Heat a gas grill to medium and lightly oil the grates. Thread the chicken pieces through skewers. Fold larger pieces so they fit better through the skewers–they also look better this way and are more manageable on the grill.
- Grill the chicken. Arrange the chicken skewers on the heated grill in one layer. Cover and cook for about 15 to 20 minutes, turning every 5 to 7 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Shop this recipe: Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients, including the olive oil and spices used in this recipe.
- For best flavor, do allow a few hours of marinating time in the fridge. If you don’t have the time, let your chicken marinate for 30 minutes or so while you prepare the grill.
- Serve tawook with any number of Mediterranean salads and dips. I shared a few ideas in the post including my 3-ingredient Mediterranean salad and sauces like tzatziki and hummus.
Nutrition
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This is a pretty awesome version of Shish Tawook. I marinate the chicken using a vacuum sealer container so it’s done in 15 mins only. I then use metal skewers supported in a lined half sheet baking pan so I can effectively grill the in the oven. Served with home made Hummus, some Turkish pickled vegetables, and Tabbouleh it’s a brilliant midweek dinner. Suzy’s suggestion of using chicken thighs is spot on, such a flavorsome part of the chicken and amazing value, too.
Thank you for sharing, Paul!
I made this recipe the other day, sheet pan style with lots of veggies; 425 degrees for 30-40 minutes. The chicken actually marinated for almost two days because of other commitments. My husband has NEVER complimented my cooking like he did with this chicken dish. Awesome recipe!!
Thank you for sharing, Ellen!
Hello Suzy
I have prepared many of your recipes and they are a hit at my home! Last night I made the Lebanese Meatballs and they were delicious!
However I have a fashion question for you!!! I adored the blue top with multi colors😍😍😍which you wore on the fb video of making Shish Tawook. Do you mind sharing the name of the designer or store in which you purchased it?
Thank you,
Sincerely,
Lesa
Thanks you so much, Lesa! The outfit pictured in this video is actually a dress from Anthropologie.
This looks really good. Wondering if it can be pan fried, still taste as good?
Hi, Melinda. That should work fine… I would use a grill pan, though, if you can.
Delicious! Will definitely make it again. Thank you for the recipe.
I did leave out the salt because of my low sodium diet but it still came out great!
Hi Suzy!! This looks amazing!
I live in a condo so don’t have access to a grill..if I were to use my oven what temperature / time would you suggest? Also if I wanted to use chicken breast instead, would you do anything different since it is much drier than thighs?
Love love love your recipes for novice cooks like myself!!!
Hi, Jamie. I haven’t made these in the oven or with chicken breasts myself, but I think it is possible. I’d recommend checking out my Sheet Pan Chicken recipe for some guidelines when it comes to time/temp. If you give it a go, will you please come back and share you thoughts?
Hi Suzy
I tried w chicken breast in the oven and while the flavour profile was amazing, the texture was off (very dry). Not sure if the combo of yogurt/chicken breast/oven paired well. Most likely it was my own error somewhere!! Will save this recipe for when I have access to a grill
Thanks for all your amazing recipes!
I made this in a 425 degree oven for about 30-40 minutes. Sheet pan style with lots of veggies.
This looks very good. Can you pan fry the chicken?
Hi, Melinda. I think that would work. If you can, I’d recommend using a grill pan or griddle here.
This is always one of my favorite street cart foods. The yogurt marinade makes the chicken so tender and moist. Delicious recipe!
Thanks, Gina!
This sounds delicious! However, I do not have a grill. Can I make this indoors? If so, please tell me how. Thanks!
Hi, Beth. You could try cooking them on the stovetop with a grill pan or griddle.
This is absolutely delicious! I love that it’s such a crowd pleaser for the whole family
The flavors in this dish are on point! And, I love how easy it is to make. Those spices really make it taste authentic!
Glad you enjoyed it, Jenn!
This was a really huge hit at my house! I loved how tasty it is! Delish!
We loved it. So much great flavor. I love almost anything with cinnamon and nutmeg.
Thanks, Beth!
hi, let’s start as of last night, i didn’t have the time to marinade completely, so i thought! well, i’ll cut the garlic, and mix it with remainder of the spices, i put into a container, covered, put in fridge. Then i put the Yogurt, and lemon jc. Yes, mixed them together, put into the fridge, and then the chicken pieces, cut, and into the fridge, everything separate, i waited today, and put the marinade, and everything together, at 10 a.m., marinaded them for 8 hrs. and cooked,
Bottom Line, you can really do it in 2 step process, as i wanted the chicken to marinade for 8 hrs. at least!!!
Outcome ! delicious, thank you suzie!!! so much, this will be in my recipe box under bookmarks! i’ve subscribed to your link now for over 1 1/2 months, and love it, keep up the great work!!! and pleasure you bring us!!!! P.S. had to grill them in the oven at 350degrees, Pouring rain out! turn out great at 350 for 20 min. ;o)
Oh, thank you so much, Lise! And thanks for sharing your process here!
Delicious! Because I didn’t want to use skewers (recently moved, couldn’t remember where they were…) I originally planned to use both thighs and breasts, leaving them whole. Luckily my husband found the skewers so I cut the meat into pieces before marinating. There was more surface area of the chicken to absorb the flavorful marinade and, wow, what an awesome flavor!
Wonderful! Thanks for sharing, Victoria!
Could you use this recipe and grill the chicken thighs whole instead of skewers?
Hi, Barbara! I’m sure that would work just fine. I’d love your personal feedback if you give it a try!
Delicious! That marinade tenderizes the chicken so well and the chicken is wonderfully juicy. Another one of Suzy’s recipes that’s going on my Labor Day menu!