These lemony chicken kebabs with chilli, mint and oreganum really hit my cravings for Greek flavours.
I decided to make tzatziki too, because its so easy, so much cheaper and better than any shop bought variety. I also make it exactly how I like it – low in fat, mild in garlic and heavy on the cucumber with a citrus zing and a hit of chilli.
Simply lip-smackingly delicious.
Trying tzatziki – it’s worth it!
In the past I have enjoyed making tzatziki with zucchini, it tends to be drier and tastes amazing, but I love a more traditional cucumber version too.
I used a low fat yoghurt to make the tzatziki to watch my calorie intake. Ideally a thick, full fat Greek yoghurt is the best. I like a high ratio of cucumber to yoghurt, but if you like your tzatzki creamy, simply increase the quantity of yoghurt.
It needs a fair bit of salt, so keep tasting and adjusting until you are happy with it.
As far as the garlic goes, I’m not a big fan of raw garlic, it is very abrasive for me, so I only use half to one small clove. If you like it very pungent, just add more.
Chicken kebab recipe
4 skinless free-range chicken breasts
Marinade:
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lightly packed mint leaves
2T roughly chopped fresh oregano
1 red chilli, de-seeded and chopped
2 – 3 cloves garlic
zest of a lemon
juice of half a lemon (reserve the other half for spritzing the kebabs after they are grilled)
Tzatzki:
1 English cucumber, grated
1 cup / 250 g yoghurt (greek or low fat+
1/2 – 2 garlic cloves, crushed
pinch of dried chilli flakes / cayenne pepper (optional)
1 T finely chopped mint
2t finely chopped fresh oregano, or 1 t dried
zest of half a lemon
juice of 1/4 of a lemon
sea salt and pepper
All you need to do is:
Slightly flatten the chicken breast with the palm of your hand and then cut into 3 strips down the length of the breast. Cut these strips in half.
Thread the chicken strips onto a skewer until you have the size you want. I got 4 large kebabs out of these
Tip: If you are using wooden skewers and making this for your braai, pre-soak them in water, as this prevents them catching on the fire.
Place all your marinade ingredients into a food processor or liquidiser and whizz up until you have a thick sauce.
Pour this over the chicken kebabs ensuring they are well coated, cover and refrigerate for an hour, the day or even over night. Ideally you want to make the marinade in advance and let them wallow in that for as long as possible to absorb the flavour.
And for the tzatziki:
Place the grated cucumber in a muslin cloth or clean tea towel and ring out as much of the liquid as you can. Hang this over a colander over a bowl to catch the liquid which makes a refreshing drink.
Keep on ringing it until it is fairly dry. Mix this with all the other ingredients and adjust the seasoning to taste.
A spritz of lemon livens it up, and a pinch of chilli adds a burst of heat.
Get to the grill:
Grill your kebabs on all sides turning as you go, and until they are cooked through. The kebabs can be cooked on a braai, but if you are in a hurry a gas grill or griddle pan works just as well.
Serve with fresh mint, chopped chilli and lemon wedges to further spritz over after cooking.
Favourite ways to enjoy this meal:
My all-time best way to eat chicken kebabs – or any Greek flavored meat – is in a toasty warm pita bread, slathered with tzaziki and filled to the brim with crunchy fresh salad.
Check out drizzleanddip on our blogs. Follow Sam on Twitter on @drizzleanddip and @food24.