Skewers of cooked chicken skewers on a tray

Syrian Shish Tawook is easily one of the best grilled chicken recipes to come out of the Middle East. Cubes of chicken marinated in a tomato & red pepper marinade, seasoned with mooreish spices, then grilled to a light char. It’s the kind of recipe you never get bored of and takes very little effort to make.

Shish Tawook can be traced back to both Syria and Lebanon, but its popularity has granted it universal appeal across the Middle East. These are the same chicken skewers I grew up eating it in Egypt, that’s how widespread they are. I consider this version from Aleppo in northern Syria to be the most flavorful thanks to a special ingredient. Here’s why this authentic Syrian Shish Tawook is my favourite recipe to make every summer.

Why This Recipe Works

The marinade is made with Yogurt which contains naturally occurring enzymes that help to soften meat. On chicken breast this results in tender and juicy cubes, that even when grilled do not dry out.
Red pepper paste serves as the key flavouring for this chicken giving it a deep umami and savoury flavor. It has a similar depth of flavor to tomato paste but with a more paprika like flavor. In its place you can use tomato paste and paprika.
Combining fresh lemon juice, white vinegar, tomato paste and red pepper paste gives the marinade an acid forward flavor that mellows as it cooks and the natural sugars in them caramelise.
The skewers are cooked over white-hot coals instead of flames to prevent burning while still achieving charred edges and smoky flavor. You can also achieve a similar level

Recipe Video

Ingredient Overview

The marinade builds on yogurt as its base because the enzymes inside actively break down proteins and soften the texture of chicken breast. Use plain full-fat yogurt for the richest coating. The longer the marinade is left on the chicken, the greater the tenderizing effect.

Red pepper paste is worth seeking out at Middle Eastern markets or online. Think of it like tomato paste, but with the flavor of paprika. It has a strong savory profile that adds depth without being spicy, though spicy versions of this exist as well. If you can’t find it, substitute with tomato paste mixed with paprika in the proportions given in the ingredient list. This specialty ingredient from Turkey and Syria is traditionally made by sun drying paprika peppers into a thick paste. It can also be made by roasting red peppers in the oven and dehydrating the blended mix.

Greek or Turkish oregano has a more pungent, herby flavor than the Italian varieties commonly sold at stores. If you can only find standard oregano, use it, but the authentic versions deliver a noticeably different character that is traditional in Levantine cooking. Ground coriander, cardamom, and ginger form the warm spice backbone of the marinade. These spices are common in Middle Eastern kitchens and work together to create a fragrant, slightly sweet undertone.

Chicken breast is the traditional choice for shish tawook, the big grilled chunks have a super satisfying texture, and the marinade keeps them from drying out. You can use thighs if you prefer darker meat, but the yogurt marinade is specifically designed to compensate for the leanness of breast meat.

Process walkthrough

Making the marinade

Freshly squeeze some lemons, then in a blender combine with the garlic, yogurt, olive oil, white vinegar, tomato paste, and red pepper paste. Add the seasonings: salt, white pepper, paprika, oregano, ground coriander, ginger, and cardamom, then blend on high. Blend the mixture very thoroughly until well emulsified and the texture is almost smooth. Properly emulsifying this marinade ensures it sticks to the chicken and equally distributes the spices.

Prepare the Chicken

Slice the chicken breasts into 1-inch-wide strips, then cut those strips crosswise into roughly 1-inch cubes. You want them nice and meaty in size.

Add the chicken cubes to a large bowl and pour over all of the marinade. Mix together until the chicken has a thick and generous coating. Rest the chicken to marinate for a minimum of 1 hour, or anywhere up to 12 hours.

Assemble the Skewers

Before assembling the skewers, fire up your grill or oven. If you’re using wooden skewers, soak them in room temperature water for around half an hour so they don’t burn. Take a few red and yellow peppers and cut out the cores, then slice into big chunks about 1 inch in size. Cut a few onions in half, then into two or three sections. Break the sections apart into chunks around 2 to 3 layers each.

Thread the skewers starting with a piece of onion, then a piece of pepper, then a couple pieces of chicken. Don’t compress the chicken together, the pieces can touch but shouldn’t be squished. Repeat this pattern two more times, then cap off the skewer with onion and pepper. While skewering try to keep similar sized pieces together and always skewer through the centre of a chicken piece or vegetable so it doesn’t fall off on the grill.

A tray filled with skewers of Chicken Shish Taouk

Grill

Place the skewers across the grill over white hot coals, not over flames. Cook for about 10-12 minutes total depending on the size of the chicken pieces, rotating every 2 minutes and shuffling around to avoid hot spots. Allow the chicken to lightly char, then when it measures 72 degrees Celsius (about 160F) internally remove from the grill and serve.

To release the chicken from the skewer, use some tongs or a piece of pitta bread to hold the chunks and slide them off. Cooked chicken can be kept warm in a covered pot or casserole dish while you batch cook, though it’s always best to serve straight off the grill. Serve with pitta bread alongside some Toum (garlic sauce) and chopped lettuce.