Shawarma Chicken Kofta Kebabs. Perfect to top any salad, rice bowl, or stuff in a pita! Super flavorful and easy to put together, this is a family favorite in our house. Serve it with tahini sauce or a garlic yogurt sauce and you're golden!
3tbspshawarma spice mix, store bought is also good here
3tbspchopped cilantro
2 1/2 tbspchopped parsley
1 1/2tbspschmaltz, store bought is perfectly fine
1tspkosher salt, I use Diamond Crystal
fresh black pepper
canola oil
Instructions
FOR THE SHAWARMA SPICE MIX
Mix all the spices together. Store any extra in an airtight container.
FOR THE SHAWARMA CHICKEN KOFTA KEBABS
Using the large holes of a box grater, grate the onion. Lay the grated onion on a kitchen towel (or paper towel) and squeeze as much liquid out as possible.
In a large bowl, combine the grated onion, ground chicken, shawarma spice mix, cilantro, parsley, schmaltz, and season with salt and pepper. Vigorously mix (this is best done by hand) so that the mixture is pasty and sticky.
This can be cooked right away but will taste even better if you let it sit in the fridge for an hour. This can also be done a day ahead.
Portion the mixture into 8 equal sized balls. If skewering, mold the mixture onto each skewer and pack tightly around it. You can also form the long (thick hot dog shaped) kebabs without a skewer.
Brush the kebabs with a little canola oil.
Heat a grill or grill pan over medium heat and sear kebabs for about 3 minutes per side until cooked through.
Serve over rice, salad, or in a pita with lots of good tahini sauce or garlic yogurt sauce.
Notes
Ground chicken can generally be a bit loose so it's important to squeeze out that water from the grated onion so that the kebabs hold together. If you find that it STILL is too loose and wont hold together, add 1 tsp of matzo meal or flour.I love making this mixture a day ahead of time for maximum flavor. You can also make this mixture and freeze it for a very quick weeknight meal!I served mine with Sumac onions (sliced red onions, chopped parsley, sumac, olive oil, and sprinkle of salt).