Tart London: How to make Turkish-style chicken kebabs

Jemima Jones and Lucy Carr-Ellison bring home the flavours of Istanbul with spiced chicken kebabs
Lucy Carr-Ellison26 July 2018

Istanbul is immense.

Spread across two continents, it has to be one of the coolest, buzziest cities in the world, with more than 14 million people. At times it feels intimidating because it is so hectic — but then that is also what makes Istanbul so exciting. The theatre of it all, with the bustling spice bazaar and the towering mosques, the call to prayer that erupts across the city and contrasts with the beeps and electric whirrs of modern life in a place that feels steeped in history, tragedy and beauty. It is impossible not to be carried away by the nostalgic romanticism for the Ottoman Empire of the past.

Jemima recently took off to Istanbul with two girlfriends and her sister for the weekend. Being four particularly foodie ladies, the itinerary was naturally filled with amazing eateries. They made sure to eat all the different fare the city has to offer, wending their way through a world both ancient and enchanting, from insanely flavoursome meze of slow-cooked fennel with tangy feta to manti, a kind of Turkish ravioli, served with garlicky yoghurt and sumac — not to mention the mind-blowing multi-course breakfasts of sweet tomatoes with labneh, shakshuka and tasty home-made breads and cheeses.

Our favourite thing though was the kebabs: outstanding spiced lamb mince manipulated around skewers and cooked over coals with flatbreads and pickled chillies. So the moment we got home, we lit the Big Green Egg and got busy creating this dish. We’ve chosen to use chicken to keep it a little lighter for the summer, but it should give you a good taste of Istanbul.

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Turkish-style chicken kebabs (makes 3)

Ingredients:

For the kebabs

4 chicken thighs, bones removed

2 tsp cumin seeds

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 shallot, finely chopped

2 green chillies, deseeded and finely chopped

1 tbsp saffron liquid (pinch of ground saffron infused with

hot water)

1 free-range egg

2 tbsp flour

Zest of 2 lemons

Small bunch coriander, finely chopped

For the dressing

2 tbsp tahini

1 tbsp yoghurt

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tbsp honey

1 tsp ground cumin

1 small red onion, sliced

100ml cider vinegar

Olive oil

2 lemons

1 bulb of baby fennel, finely sliced

Handful of cherry tomatoes, chopped

1 tsp nigella seeds

Large handful of rocket

Flatbreads

Large pinch of coriander leaves

Large pinch of dill

1 red chilli, chopped

Method:

Pulse the chicken thighs in a blender until they’re coarsely chopped. Add to a bowl with the remaining kebab ingredients. Mix well. Leave to cool and firm in the fridge. Mix the dressing ingredients together and season to taste. Immerse the onion in the vinegar for 20-30 minutes to make a quick pickle.

Fill a bowl with cold water. Take a handful of the cold chicken mixture, mould it around a skewer then dip your hand into the water and shape the meat into a long kebab. Repeat with the remaining mixture then place in the fridge. Heat the grill until smoking. Arrange the skewers, turning every few minutes until fully cooked. Drizzle over some olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice and roughly chop into pieces. Mix the salad ingredients together and drizzle with more oil and lemon juice. Quickly flash your flatbreads over the heat. To serve, pile the salad on to the bread followed by kebab pieces, a drizzle of dressing, slices of drained onion and a scattering of herbs and chillies.

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