Doner Kebab

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I stole this recipe for Doner Kebab from carlsbadcravings.com. This delicious recipe starts with a marinade for chicken made with Greek yogurt, olive oil, tomato paste, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar and lots of spices. After the chicken marinates, multiple pieces are stacked on a skewer. Then the chicken pieces are grilled and the cooked chicken is sliced off the skewers. Next the chicken is served on pita bread with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber and a homemade garlic yogurt sauce.

Did you know? Doner kebab is a Turkish kebab recipe. Seasoned meat is cooked on a rotisserie and shaved when serving with pita or flatbread, lettuce, tomato, onion and a variety of sauces.³ (see more trivia in the Trivia tab)

The ingredients for the marinade are: ½ cup plain Greek yogurt, ¼ cup olive oil, 2 tbsp tomato paste, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 2 tsp each: ground cumin, smoked paprika, ground coriander and 1 ½ tsp each: garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, salt, dried oregano ½ tsp each: ground cinnamon, cayenne pepper, pepper

Whisk all the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl.

Then add chicken and stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate 8-24 hours. Next make the yogurt sauce, whisk together 1 cup Greek yogurt, 2 minced cloves garlic, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley, 1 tbsp finely chopped mint, ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp each: cumin, ground coriander, pepper in a medium bowl.

Cover and chill until ready to serve. Slice tomatoes and chop cucumbers.

Then thread multiple pieces of chicken onto a skewer, repeat with all chicken. Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Once hot, add kebabs and grill for 4-5 minutes without moving. Flip the kebabs and cook on other side 4-5 minutes.

Remove from grill and let sit 5 minutes before carving. Stand the skewers upright on a cutting board and thinly slice the chicken off the skewer.

Add the flatbread or pita to the grill to warm up. Spread a layer of yogurt sauce on bread and top with sliced chicken.

Then add shredded lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and more chicken.

Add more sauce if desired.

If you liked this recipe for Doner Kebab you can also try Grilled Greek Chicken Pitas, Appetizer Shrimp Kebobs, Sweet Teriyaki Chicken Kebobs, Steak and Mushroom Skewers or Greek Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki.

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Doner Kebab

This delicious recipe starts with a marinade for chicken made with Greek yogurt, olive oil, tomato paste, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar and lots of spices. After the chicken marinates, multiple pieces are stacked on a skewer. Then the chicken pieces are grilled and the cooked chicken is sliced off the skewers. Next the chicken is served on pita bread with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber and a homemade garlic yogurt sauce.
Course Entree
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Marinating Time 8 hours
Servings 6 people

Ingredients

Chicken and marinade

  • 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken cut into large pieces
  • ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tsp each: ground cumin smoked paprika, ground coriander
  • 1 ½ tsp each: garlic powder onion powder, chili powder, salt, dried oregano
  • ½ tsp each: ground cinnamon cayenne pepper, pepper

Garlic yogurt sauce

  • 1 cup Greek yogurt
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped mint
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp each: cumin ground coriander, pepper

Assembling Ingredients

  • Lebanese bread / flatbread / pita bread warmed
  • Hummus
  • Romaine or iceberg lettuce
  • Tomatoes
  • Cucumber sliced and quartered
  • Red onion thinly sliced

Instructions

Marinade

  1. Whisk all the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl. Add chicken and stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate 8-24 hours.

Yogurt Sauce

  1. Whisk the sauce ingredients together in a medium bowl. Cover and chill until ready to serve. Make at least 1 hour before serving, preferably when chicken is marinating.

Skewers

  1. Using 2 skewers for each kebab, thread one side of the chicken onto a skewer and then the other side; slide the chicken down to the end. Repeat with another piece, pushing the chicken against each other. Repeat to skewer all meat.

Grill

  1. Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Clean grates and generously grease with oil.
  2. Once hot, add kebabs and grill for 4-5 minutes without moving. Flip the kebabs and cook on other side 4-5 minutes.
  3. Next flip over and COVER grill and reduce heat to 400 F. Continue to cook 5-10 minutes, per side until chicken is 165 F. Remove from grill and let sit 5 minutes before carving.
  4. Add the flatbread to the grill to warm up.

Bake (Use metal skewers if baking!!)

  1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a pan with foil that will allow the skewers to rest on the top of the rim so the chicken hangs in the middle without touching the bottom of the pan.
  2. Bake at 400 F for 30 minutes, and then flip the kebabs over. Spoon the pan juices over the chicken and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes or until the chicken reaches 165 F. Without moving the pan, turn the oven to broil and broil for 3-5 minutes per side for a crispy char. Baste with pan juices. Let rest 5-10 minutes before carving.

Carve

  1. Stand the skewers upright on a cutting board and thinly slice the chicken off the skewer.

Assemble

  1. Spread a layer of hummus on flatbread. Top with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, chicken and garlic yogurt sauce.
  2. Or serve all pieces on a plate with warmed bread on side.