Ways to Prepare Chicken Kebab Skewers

 

There has never been a better time to light a fire and cook a few small kebab skewers for a quick and simple lunch because many of us are now preparing for smaller, more private parties.Kebab skewers will be ready in just 15 minutes, saving you from having to wait hours for your spit roast to finish cooking. This makes them the ideal midweek meal or cheeky "working from home" lunchtime dish.

 

Step 1: Get the spit ready:

When grilling on a spit, I prefer to use natural mallee root charcoal. It has no chemicals or accelerants, is simple to light, and adds a wonderful flavor to your food.

With kebab skewers, you only need enough charcoal to cover the area of the spit where you're placing the charcoal, as compared to roasting on a spit where we normally advise 1kg of charcoal for every 1kg of meat. You only need a single layer of charcoal that is about 5-7 cm deep because you will only be cooking for a maximum of 15 minutes.

I spread out the charcoal on the spit's base first to make sure I have enough to cover the quantity of skewers I'm cooking. In a mound once more, I burn it with the Flaming Coals Charcoal Starter wand. 

The charcoal will heat up and be ready to use in 5 minutes if you light it from multiple angles.

 

 

Step 2 (or pre-do before lighting your charcoal): Dice, season and skewer the chicken

Personally, I like skinless, deboned chicken thighs better than chicken breast. Chicken thighs, in my opinion, have a nicer texture and a better flavor. The procedure is exactly the same if you want chicken breast. Slice the chicken into thin, 1cm-thick slices that are no thicker than 3cm (a little thinner is better). In order to make your chicken breasts thinner, you will either need to cut them in half, or if you're using thighs, just cut the thick area in half.

After the chicken has been cut into pieces and diced, place it in a big bowl, cover with olive oil, and stir to combine. Then liberally sprinkle your favorite gyros rub over the top. The Flaming Coals Greek Gyros rub is fantastic! Once it's thoroughly combined, apply additional rub until the chicken is completely covered.

The chicken should next be threaded onto the kebab skewers, but be careful! If you're not careful, the skewers' sharp, pointed end will punch a hole in your hand. I think I've done this more than once (sad face). While it's important to tightly pack the chicken onto the skewer to ensure consistent rotation on the spit, at least 7 cm should be left empty at either end of the skewer. Since the heat from the charcoal will never reach the ends, doing this will ensure an even cook.

 

Step 3: Cooking the skewers

The only thing left to do is place the skewers onto the spit and turn on your motor since your charcoal is already hot and your skewers are ready. 

During this brief cook, I like to baste the skewers at least twice to keep them moist (and add flavor). My go-to basting mixture consists of olive oil, lemon juice, and a dash of salt in a 50/50 ratio. Make sure you have a long-handled pair of tongs or a small coal rake nearby when basting in case the oil drips onto the charcoal and causes a flare-up. Personally, I enjoy a small flare-up to slightly sear the chicken's exterior, but you should never leave the spit unattended in case the fire doesn't go out on its own and you have to manually spread the coals.

It's not difficult to cook little chicken skewers and determine when they are done, but I usually use a fast read thermometer to pierce the chicken and measure its internal temperature because I don't like to take any chances with food (either overcooking or undercooking poultry). Chicken should be kept at a temperature of 75C.

Step 4: Heating your pita bread

I enjoy setting the grill on the spit and heating the pita bread for a minute after removing the chicken skewers from the spit. Do not take your eyes from them because it will burn pretty soon.

 

Step 5: Creating your masterpiece

Traditional souvlakis come with lettuce, tomato, onion, tzatziki, and—if you're in Greece—fried chips. Since I don't like onions very much, I instead diced up lettuce, cherry tomatoes, Lebanese cucumbers, and red peppers. You can include whatever salads you want—or none at all. Just be careful not to overfill the pita bread or you won't be able to roll it up and you'll end up with a big mess. My advice is to keep a roll of paper towels handy.

 

Enjoy!

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by: Rhiannon Peterson