Mediterranean chicken kabobs

Name: Mediterranean chicken kabobs
Prep time: 1450 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 1470 min
Ingredients: 3 1/2 pounds chicken thighs (cut the same size ); 1 1/2 cups plain greek yogurt (); 3 garlic cloves (minced); 1/4 cup fresh dill (chopped); 1 tbsp lemon juice (fresh); 1/2 tsp ginger powder; 1/2 tsp coriander; 1/2 tsp smoked paprika; 1 tsp oregano; 1/2 tsp cumin; 1/2 tsp onion powder; 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes; 1/4 tsp nutmeg; 4 cloves (grinded); 1/4 tsp cinnamon; 2 cups basmati rice; 4 cups water; 4 tsp better than chicken bouillon paste; 2 tsp garlic powder; 1 tsp onion powder; 1 tsp turmeric; 2 tsp oregano; 1/2 tsp salt; 1 tsp pepper (fresh ground); 1 lemon sliced; 1 tbsp fresh dill (chopped)

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Close up of finished Mediterranean chicken kabobs

Marinating the chicken in Greek yogurt.

This chicken with Greek yogurt marinade is to die for! I absolutely adore Mediterranean food! Along with Mexican, its one of my favorites! One day, I had this idea of marinating chicken in Greek yogurt and came up with this Mediterranean chicken kabob recipe. As it turns out, it’s already a thing and for good reason. It’s absolutely delicious! But what makes this recipe better than other recipes? Fresh dill weed! And of course other spices and fresh lemon juice! But the fresh dill tops this recipe off!

Have you ever had chicken with Greek yogurt marinade? It is unbelievably amazing! So lets get started! Remove any fat or small pieces of bone from the chicken thighs and cut cup into even size pieces. About an inch and a half should do.

Dry seasonings for marinade in a small bowl.

Marinade ingredients

Plain Greek yogurt
Garlic cloves
Fresh dill
Lemon juice fresh
Ginger powder
Coriander
Smoked paprika
Oregano
Cumin
Onion powder
Red pepper flakes
Nutmeg
Cloves
Cinnamon

Add all of the dry ingredients to the bowl first and mix together well. Add in the Greek yogurt, garlic cloves, lemon juice and fresh dill, stir until mixture is well combine. Lastly, toss in the chicken and mix until all the chicken is coated and cover. You want to marinade the chicken for at least 4 to 24 hours. The longer it marinades, the better it will taste and it will also get super tender.

Chicken thighs marinating in yogurt sauce.

Cooking the marinated Mediterranean chicken kabobs.

I think the best way to cook these delicious kabobs, is on the grill with lump charcoal. It adds such a great and slightly smoky flavor to the chicken. Of course if you only have a gas grill, this will obviously work as well. So lets get to it! Fire up your grill, while it is getting hot, place the marinated chicken pieces onto wooden or metal skewers. Try not to squish them to close together or you will get an uneven cook. Place these onto the grill right after you start cooking the rice. Your mouth should be drooling right now because you are about to have the best Mediterranean chicken kabobs of your life!

Greek yogurt marinated Mediterranean chicken kabobs on wooded skewers.

Now lets get to cooking these delicious Greek yogurt marinated Mediterranean chicken kabobs! Cook for 12 to 15 minutes or until internal temp reads 165 degrees, turning every 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Cooked Greek yogurt marinated chicken kabobs

Let’s start the Greek flavored rice!

Rinse the basmati rice until the water runs clear. In a large bowl, add in all the spices, 4 cups of water and the better than chicken bouillon paste. Stir until the paste has dissolved. Heat a large non stick skillet over medium high heat. Add the rice to the skillet and stir toasting the rice for just a minute. Add the broth in and stir again. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil. Once at a boil, turn the heat to the lowest heat setting. Cook rice for 15 minutes and turn the heat off. Let the rice sit covered while you cook the chicken. You should have a perfect loose rice when you are ready to serve. Layer the rice onto a plate, top with chicken kabobs. Garnish with fresh dill and a lemon wedge. Want more Mediterranean recipes? check out my Vegan Greek quinoa bowl!

Plated Mediterranean chicken kabobs with rice and a tomato, cucumber, olive and onion salad. Topped with feta, served with naan bread, tzatziki sauce and hummus.

What else can I serve with my Mediterranean chicken kabobs?

I love to serve mine with some fresh tomatoes, red onions, Kalamata olives and English cucumbers. The reason I choose English cucumbers over regular ones, the skin is not as tough on English cucumbers. English cucumbers are also not covered in wax like on regular cucumbers. Also, I personally think they have a better flavor to them. If you want some sauces added with this dish, I made homemade tzatziki sauce and hummus. Then I also served with some pita bread. So what is in tzatziki sauce? It is so simple to make!

1 cup Greek plain yogurt
2 tbsp fresh dill, copped
1/4 cup English cucumber, pealed and diced small
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 ginger powder
1 tsp salt

Mix all those ingredients into a bowl and set aside. You can make this sauce the night before and it will be that much better the next day!

Another thing I love to dip the Mediterranean chicken kabobs in is hummus! I love the classic hummus for this recipe made by Sabra. I also use it to dunk my pita bread into. They have a really great roasted pine nut hummus as well. If you don’t know what hummus is, its a mixture between garbanzo beans (chick peas) and tahini sauce, and of course a mixture of herbs and spices. It is absolutely delicious!

Now, wasn’t that chicken with Greek yogurt marinade absolutely amazing? This recipe is great for a large crowd and will surly have them coming back for more. Enjoy!

Tips

If you want the best flavor out of your chicken, if you have a vacuum sealer, seal the chicken in a bag. When sucking the air out of a vacuum seal bag, it forces the marinade into the chicken. Using this method, marinating the chicken for 10 minutes would be equivalent to an hour of marinating in a bowl.