This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Shish Tawook is a beloved authentic Lebanese kebab dish of grilled chicken, in a yogurt-based marinade with lemon, garlic, and spices. These Middle Eastern chicken skewers are so tender and huge in flavor!
Oh, how the Lebanese love their grills! This juicy, highly seasoned Lebanese chicken recipe is a traditional Lebanese food favorite.
What is Shish Tawook?
“Shish Tawook”, pronounced TAH-wook, means chicken skewers or chicken kebabs, and they’re always grilled.
This is one of many versions of shish kebabs to enjoy. I consider this one of the most delicious ways to cook skinless, boneless chicken breasts that are just as juicy as you find from the pros in Middle Eastern restaurants. Lean, healthy chicken gets the royal treatment in a simple but lush marinade.
My shish tawook recipe comes together easily, too: dice the chicken, whisk the marinade, combine, and let those chill and marinate. Skewer the marinated chicken, grill for about 15 minutes, and you’ve arrived!ย
Notes about the Ingredients
The list of ingredients for shish tawook may seem long, but these are mostly spices that give the marinade, and in turn the chicken, its incredibly wonderful flavor.
Yogurt functions as a tenderizer for the chicken because of the lactic acid in yogurt.
Fresh lemon juice. Together with the yogurt, a key, bright flavor maker.
Garlic, lots of it, impart tons of savory flavor here.
Tomato paste. For a hit of color and more of the acidic flavors like lemon and yogurt. Paste from a tube rather than a can is a great way to use just a couple of tablespoons.ย Powdered tomato pasteย is also very handy.
Spices: a combination of warm spices give shish tawook the flavor it is known for, including paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cinnamon, allspice, oregano, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Together these form the Middle Eastern flavors we love so much.
Boneless skinless chicken breasts aren’t known for being the easiest to get moist, tender flavor, but the marinade here makes them so tender and juicy. You can substitute boneless skinless chicken thighs, but because they are thinner and less uniform, the kebabs may not be quite as uniform looking as with breast meat.
Use a littleย neutral oilย (such as canola or avocado oil) to coat the grill grates. Don’t skip this as it makes such a difference to prevent the chicken from sticking when turning the skewers.
Tips for success
The many spices in the Shish Tawook marinade make for the “wow” flavor factor that this grilled chicken is known for. Use plain, whole milk, unsweetened yogurt. Labneh or plain Greek Yogurt is thicker, so if you use either of these, just add more lemon juice and olive oil to the marinade to loosen it.
When cutting the chicken, make sure the cubes are similar in size to ensure even cooking.ย You don’t want them too small or too large, but do adjust cooking time based on the size of the pieces.
Thread the marinatedย chicken piecesย on the skewers just before grilling. The marinade will coat the chicken cubes rather heavily. Wipe away some of that marinade as you pull the chicken from the bowl to skewer it. And: don’t crowd the chicken! Be sure each cube rests next to the last one but don’t push them tightly together. This ensures the chicken can cook all the way through.
How to serve Shish Tawook
Serve Kebabs, or grilled skewers, off the skewer. Anything that is cooked on a skewer is much easier to serve and eat when it is already removed from the cooking instrument, the skewer.
This is a popular dish in restaurants that often includes a side of french fries. I don’t say no to that!
These skewers are great with all kinds of salads and sauces. Here are a few favorites:
Toum Lebanese Garlic Sauce is a natural with any grilled chicken like this. Must-have condiment!!
Tahini Sauce is very easy to make and adds a lot of moistness and flavor wherever it goes.
Serve the chicken over a bed of Lebanese Vermicelli Rice.
As long as the grill is fired up, get a slew of veggies and make a Grilled Vegetable Platter to go with your meal.
A crunchy, bright Fattoush Salad pairs great with anything grilled.
Make my Homemade Pita Bread Recipe and serve this lusciousness with pocket bread, a favorite! A great way to remove the chicken from the skewer is with a piece of pita, flatbread, or other piece of sturdy bread. Be sure the skewers are cool enough to handle or use a hot pad to grab the skewer. Wrap the bread around the meat at the handle end of the skewer and push all of the meat off the pointed end onto a board or platter.
P.S. This pita bread, now laden with juicy chicken flavor, tastes divine!ย
FAQs
The marinade for these two kebab recipes is different. Shish tawook marinade includes yogurt, shawarma does not. Shawarma is traditionally a grilled then sliced chicken, beef, or lamb dish. Shish tawook is pieces of yogurt-marinated chicken.
Shish tawook is indeed a kebab. Tawook means chicken, so shish tawook is chicken kebab.
The word “shish” means skewer, and the word “tawook” means chicken. Chicken skewer!
Metal skewers are my favorite, so I keep shorter, 10- to 12-inch metal skewers on hand. Wooden skewers such as bamboo skewers are fine, just be sure to soak them in water for about 30 minutes before threading the chicken on them so they don’t burn on the grill.
Chicken is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165ยฐF. Use a meat thermometer and insert it halfway into the chicken in several places.
This shish tawook recipe tastes best hot off the grill, but because the chicken must marinade, do that in advance. Marinate the chicken in the bowl for the marinade or transfer it to an airtight container.
Chicken Shish Tawook Recipe
Ingredients
- ยผ cup plain whole milk yogurt or laban
- ยผ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, about 2 lemons
- ยผ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 8 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ยฝ teaspoon cinnamon
- ยฝ teaspoon allspice
- ยฝ teaspoon ground oregano
- ยผ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- Several grinds black pepper
- 2 pounds skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1ยฝ-inch pieces
- Neutral oil, such as canola or safflower, or oil spray, to coat the grill grates
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk all of the ingredients except the chicken and neutral oil.
- Add the cubed chicken to the marinade, mixing well to coat the pieces fully. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours and up to one day.
- Thread the marinated chicken on metal or soaked bamboo skewers.
- Heat the grill to medium high. Coat the grates generously with oil just before adding the chicken.
- Place the skewered chicken on the grill and cook for 10-20 minutes (depending on the size of your chicken cubes) or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165ยฐF. Turn the skewers once midway through cooking. Look for a golden brown color with some charring.
- Remove the skewers and allow them to rest for a few minutes. Push the chicken from the skewers using a piece of pita bread or a large fork. Serve immediately.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
More Lebanese recipes for kebabs
Kafta Kebabs are a mixture of ground lamb or beef with lots of spices, so flavorful.
My Grilled Chicken Shawarma recipe is the ultimate! The marinated grilled chicken is pushed off the skewer and sliced to help create that shawarma-style chicken.
Lamb Skewers are just simply divine with quality lamb meat as the star of the show.
Grilled Shrimp is a natural for kebab-style cooking on the grill, and so flavorful.
With many kebab dinners, we love to include Lebanese stuffed grape leaves.
This recipe is absolutely fantastic. My husband, raved and raved and raved about it and how juicy the chicken was. Very easy and delicious. We made it last summer and now itโs a keeper for forever. In fact, making it again for this memorial Day weekend.
What a great review Gloria!! Thanks so much! I’ll make this weekend too.
Making for Sunday family brunch with rice, tabouli, kifta and spanakopita. Iโm so excited! Love your recipes and family stories. Thank you! Margie
Wow Margie, what a meal!!! Thanks so much for sharing and your great review too!! Enjoy it all with your gang.
Absolutely awesome. Shukran jazilan, ya ukhti.
Shukran!!! So much!
Dear Maureen, Wow! This was fantastic! I make my own Shwarma spices (which I used) and I used chicken thighs. I marinated overnight! I used your mother’s rice recipe which is different than ours due to the the cinnamon sticks and green onions (I did not add the mushrooms). OMG!! So good I lost my mind. The most fun I have had on your website was reading your family description on meat pies. It is the same in my family! I laughed and cried reading the story of your father spitting the cooked lamb pies. I can tell the difference as well. Your site is a joy! Thank you for all of your work and your joyful presentations. From one Lebanese Maureen to another Lebanese Maureen, Thank You! Sincerely Yours, Maureen
Maureen!! This is just wonderful. Thanks so much for your note and sharing (and great review!!)!
This is possibly the best marinated chicken recipe ever!! I cannot get over the flavors and how moist the chicken is. Have made it with both breasts and boneless thighs and it never disappoints. Served it with the momโs special Lebanese rice and a fattoush salad for the perfect meal.
What a great review Jennifer, and a delicious menu!!! Thank you!
This is perfect
Thanks so much Dee, we love it too!
Made this tonight , big hit. Flavor was great. Thanks for sharing your recipe
Pat
So glad to hear it Pat, thank you!! We made Shish Tawook this weekend and it was just delectable!
I donโt have an outside grill. Can you recommend another method to cook the chicken?
Hi Beth, oh yes thank you for asking–you can bake the chicken at 375 degrees to 160ยฐF, then broil briefly to get a little char going on the edges.
Only had time for a 2 hours of marinating and it still came out amazing. Did this with chicken thighs. Juicy, tender and flavorful. Canโt wait to try again with a longer marinating time.
SO so good, this dish and it’s amazing how little time it takes to get all of that flavor. Thank you Mike!
looks great, will try this & grape leaves recipe
Oh good, both so delicious and fun to make!
Your recipe has the best flavor and tenderness I’ve ever made and I’ve made many over the past decades. Because there were only two of us, we had leftovers which were divine but the recipe, as written, is terrific for a party. Thanks so much.
Thank you for the high compliment! very delicious!
Maureen,
I love your recipes and cookbook.My mother-in-law was a great Lebanese cook, and I always used her cookbook for the last 55 years we have been married. Now I use your recipes and love the taste, spices and techniques on your site and love your cookbook. I made your spinach fataya and with a little practice they are great. Love your web site and directions.
Thank you,
Parrt
Pat this is so wonderful, thank you for your note. I bet your fatayer are just so good, one of my all-time favorites. I’m honored you’re using my recipes! Thank you!
Can you broil them in the oven?
Sure Kathleen, use medium heat and keep an eye on them to cook through but not overcook, and to char a little!
Making tawook for our memorial day annual picnic..7 lbs of chx. Marinade smells and tastes wonderful..and I found and cleaned up uncle George (Shalhoup’s) homemade metal skewers ..with wooden..tree branch handles…wonderful memories..tom abbott
Wow, that’s a lot of chicken and sounds just like we do here! And those skewers! Thanks Tom.
Could I use already mixed Lebanese spices or schwarma spices instead of mixing all from separate?
Absolutely can use any premade Lebanese spices you like!