Turkey · Türkiye

Tavuk Şiş (Turkish Chicken Skewers)

Even chicken-thigh cubes marinate with yogurt, tomato and pepper pastes before controlled grilling to a moist, safely cooked centre.

Yogurt-marinated chicken thighs grilled juicy and lightly charred Kebab
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Platter of juicy grilled tavuk şiş with flatbread
Representative thick cubes reach 74°C before a five-minute rest.
Prep 30 minutes
Marinate 4 hours
Cook 18 minutes
Rest 5 minutes
Ingredients ↓
Overview

How to Make Juicy Tavuk Şiş

Tavuk şiş succeeds when every chicken cube is moist at the centre and lightly charred at the edges. Boneless thigh provides more forgiving fat than breast, while yogurt, olive oil, tomato paste, pepper paste and garlic create a thin protective marinade. This is not a heavily sauced dish; after grilling, the coating should read as a golden-red surface rather than a burnt crust.

Cut the thighs into even four-centimetre pieces, removing loose flaps that would burn. Four hours in the marinade seasons and tenderises without turning the surface pasty; twelve hours is the sensible upper limit. Keep the bowl refrigerated throughout. Thread chicken snugly enough to share heat but not compressed into a solid block, and place peppers on separate skewers so they can be removed when tender rather than dictating poultry doneness.

Use medium-hot clean coals and turn every few minutes. Yogurt and pastes can blacken over flames, so move the skewers temporarily to a cooler zone whenever dripping fat flares. Check more than one of the thickest pieces with an instant-read thermometer and cook to 74°C. Colour alone is unreliable because the marinade browns before the chicken centre is necessarily safe.

Rest for five minutes on a clean platter, then serve with separately grilled peppers, rice pilaf, flatbread or salad. Discard every drop of marinade that touched raw chicken and keep cooked food away from raw utensils. The reward is a skewer that releases easily, carries small dark grill marks and remains juicy after resting rather than shedding watery pink juices or drying into fibres.

Practical

Practical

  • Control marinate coldFor Tavuk Şiş (Turkish Chicken Skewers), Whisk marinade, coat even chicken cubes and refrigerate 4 hours, not longer than 12. The checkpoint is each cube has a thin even coating with no dry corners. If it is absent, correct this stage's heat, moisture or handling before proceeding; later cooking cannot reliably repair an incomplete foundation.
  • Control grillFor Tavuk Şiş (Turkish Chicken Skewers), Grill over medium-hot clean coals, turning every few minutes and moving away from flare-ups. The checkpoint is edges char lightly while marinade remains golden-red, not black. If it is absent, correct this stage's heat, moisture or handling before proceeding; later cooking cannot reliably repair an incomplete foundation.
  • Control rest and serveFor Tavuk Şiş (Turkish Chicken Skewers), Rest 5 minutes on a clean platter and serve with separately grilled peppers and rice. The checkpoint is chicken remains moist after resting and vegetables are tender-crisp. If it is absent, correct this stage's heat, moisture or handling before proceeding; later cooking cannot reliably repair an incomplete foundation.
Ingredients

Ingredients

For the recipe

  • 1.8 kg boneless skinless chicken thighs, 4 cm cubes
  • 250 g plain yogurt
  • 90 ml olive oil
  • 40 g tomato paste
  • 30 g mild red pepper paste
  • 18 g garlic, crushed
  • 35 ml fresh lemon juice
  • 18 g fine salt
  • 5 g sweet paprika
  • 3 g dried oregano
  • 3 g black pepper
  • 4 red peppers, large pieces
  • 8 long green peppers
  • 1.6 kg cooked rice pilaf for serving
Directions

Directions

Marinate cold

  1. Marinate cold 1.Whisk marinade, coat even chicken cubes and refrigerate 4 hours, not longer than 12.

    Each cube has a thin even coating with no dry corners.

  2. Marinate cold 2.Thread chicken snugly on its own skewers and vegetables separately.

    Skewers are not compressed into a solid block.

Grill

  1. Grill 1.Grill over medium-hot clean coals, turning every few minutes and moving away from flare-ups.

    Edges char lightly while marinade remains golden-red, not black.

  2. Grill 2.Cook representative thick cubes to 74°C.

    Centres reach 74°C and juices are clear.

Rest and serve

  1. Rest and serve 1.Rest 5 minutes on a clean platter and serve with separately grilled peppers and rice.

    Chicken remains moist after resting and vegetables are tender-crisp.
Practical

Practical

Measure before starting

For Tavuk Şiş (Turkish Chicken Skewers), weigh 1.8 kg boneless skinless chicken thighs, 4 cm cubes, 250 g plain yogurt, 90 ml olive oil, and 40 g tomato paste before beginning, then arrange the remaining 10 measured components by stage. This prevents the marinate cold phase from being interrupted and keeps salt, liquid and declared allergens visible before the dish is assembled.

Plan service and storage together

Choose the serving time for Tavuk Şiş (Turkish Chicken Skewers) before the final stage and have the correct storage container ready. Refrigerate cooked chicken for up to 3 days and rice separately, reheating both to 74°C. Freeze raw chicken in marinade up to 2 months; thaw in the refrigerator before threading. This preserves the texture described by the final readiness cue and moves the dish directly to service, controlled holding or prompt cooling.

Control points

Control points

  • Each cube has a thin even coating with no dry corners does not happen. During marinate cold for Tavuk Şiş (Turkish Chicken Skewers), compare the food with the stated cue before advancing. Adjust the immediate heat, moisture or handling; elapsed time alone does not confirm this recipe's texture or even cooking.
  • Edges char lightly while marinade remains golden-red, not black does not happen. During grill for Tavuk Şiş (Turkish Chicken Skewers), compare the food with the stated cue before advancing. Adjust the immediate heat, moisture or handling; elapsed time alone does not confirm this recipe's texture or even cooking.
  • Chicken remains moist after resting and vegetables are tender-crisp does not happen. During rest and serve for Tavuk Şiş (Turkish Chicken Skewers), compare the food with the stated cue before advancing. Adjust the immediate heat, moisture or handling; elapsed time alone does not confirm this recipe's texture or even cooking.
  • Tavuk Şiş (Turkish Chicken Skewers) changes texture while waiting. Bring service closer to the final rest and serve stage and use the storage method written for Tavuk Şiş (Turkish Chicken Skewers). Avoid trapping steam around a crisp component or exposing a moist component to dry heat; the target at service remains chicken remains moist after resting and vegetables are tender-crisp.
Nutrition

Nutrition

  • Calories650 kcal
  • Protein47 g
  • Carbohydrates55 g
  • Fat27 g
  • Saturated fat7 g
  • Fiber3 g
  • Sugars7 g
  • Sodium930 mg

1 of 8 servings — Approximate values use the full measured recipe and may change with brands, trimming, oil absorption, optional components and actual portion size.

Allergens · Food safety

Allergens · Food safety

Allergens: Milk

Food safety: Marinate only under refrigeration and discard used marinade. Keep raw chicken tools separate and cook representative cubes to 74°C. Refrigerate within 2 hours and reheat leftovers to 74°C.

Storage: Refrigerate cooked chicken for up to 3 days and rice separately, reheating both to 74°C. Freeze raw chicken in marinade up to 2 months; thaw in the refrigerator before threading.

FAQ

FAQ

Can I prepare part of this recipe ahead?

Yes, but stop at a natural stage boundary rather than halfway through active cooking. Complete the preparation or resting phase, keep perishable components at 4°C or below and resume with equipment fully ready. For the finished dish, follow this limit: Refrigerate cooked chicken for up to 3 days and rice separately, reheating both to 74°C. Freeze raw chicken in marinade up to 2 months; thaw in the refrigerator before threading.

How do I know it is ready without trusting the clock?

Use the physical signs in the Directions. Early in the process, look for each cube has a thin even coating with no dry corners; at the end, confirm chicken remains moist after resting and vegetables are tender-crisp. Time is only an estimate because pan material, ingredient temperature, size and heat output vary from one kitchen to another.

Can I double Tavuk Şiş (Turkish Chicken Skewers)?

Yes, but preserve the original thickness and airflow through marinate cold, grill, and rest and serve. Use a second pan or repeat heat-sensitive batches; the same final cue still decides readiness: chicken remains moist after resting and vegetables are tender-crisp.

Which allergens must I declare for Tavuk Şiş (Turkish Chicken Skewers)?

For Tavuk Şiş (Turkish Chicken Skewers), declare milk. Verify every packaged ingredient and the working kitchen for cross-contact, and identify optional breads, garnishes and serving sauces separately.

Use colour for flavour and temperature for safety

Use colour for flavour and temperature for safety

Even thigh pieces, refrigerated marinating, separate vegetable skewers and a verified 74°C centre deliver juicy chicken with controlled char.

Begin with each cube has a thin even coating with no dry corners; finish only when chicken remains moist after resting and vegetables are tender-crisp. Those two observations are more dependable than appearance in a styled photograph or the clock alone.

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