Grill/Barbecue

Persian Grilled Chicken Kabobs

Name: Persian Grilled Chicken Kabobs
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Persian
Ingredients: 1/4 teaspoon ground saffron; 3 ice cubes; 1 cup plain Greek yogurt; 1 yellow onion, cut into thick slices; 1/3 cup olive oil; 1 lemon, juiced; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2–inch pieces

by: Shadi Hasanzadenemati

June 20, 2019

2 Ratings

Photo by James Ransom

Test Kitchen-Approved

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Author Notes

Joojeh kabab is a classic grilled chicken kabob recipe from Iran. Chicken pieces are smothered in a delicious saffron marinade and have such bright flavor thanks to lemon. —Shadi Hasanzadenemati

Prep time 15 minutes
Cook time 25 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients

¹/₄ teaspoon ground saffron
3 ice cubes
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 yellow onion, cut into thick slices
¹/₃ cup olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2–inch pieces

In This Recipe

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Directions

Sprinkle ground saffron on the ice cubes in a small bowl and let it sit on the counter until the ice melts. This will be your bloomed saffron.
In a large bowl, mix the Greek yogurt, onion, olive oil, lemon juice, bloomed saffron, and salt.
Add the chicken pieces to the yogurt and saffron mixture and stir well to mix. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to 24 hours.
Once ready to grill, take the bowl out of the fridge and place it on the counter. Let it sit for about 30 minutes to come to room temperature.
Meanwhile, heat the gas or charcoal grill.
Thread the chicken pieces onto skewers (make sure to separate the onions) and grill for abut 6 to 7 minutes on each side until they are golden brown on the outside and white and juicy on the inside. (You can turn the skewers a few times to make sure they're nicely grilled and golden on all sides.) Check one piece of the saffron chicken kebab by cutting it with a knife; if it's white and juicy on the inside, it's ready.
Serve with fresh lavash or pita bread and some shirazi salad on the side.

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Shadi Hasanzadenemati
selimr
trvlnsandy
Mark Flesher

Shadi HasanzadeNemati is a food writer and recipe developer at Unicorns in the Kitchen. She loves a good tahdig and her favorite spice is saffron.

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6 Reviews

selimr July 15, 2020

I made rice since I didn't have any pita, and I grilled onions and cherry tomatoes as well, and everything was really delicious. The marinade is absolutely fantastic.

trvlnsandy August 13, 2019

what do you do with the onion? I see 'one yellow onion' in the list of ingredients, and a note to separate the onions, but don't see any on the skewers or directions on how to prepare it - slices, chunks, does it go on the grill? Welcome new citizen!

Mark F. August 13, 2019

STEP 2: In a large bowl, mix the Greek yogurt, onion, olive oil, lemon juice, bloomed saffron, and salt.

trvlnsandy August 13, 2019

yes -but do you chop it, slice it, put it in whole, and then, does it get grilled? What? Georgian version, onions are grilled by some, not the others. When she says 'separate the onions', I could take it separate the slices, or leave them behind in the bowl. So, I would ask again - how is the onion prepared?

Author Comment

Shadi H. August 14, 2019

Hi, thank you for your comment. I have edited the recipe for more clarity. The onion needs to be cut into thick slices and then separated and discarded when you're ready to grill the chicken. Hope you enjoy this recipe.

trvlnsandy August 14, 2019

thank you. It's what I expected, but I've had so many versions of kabobs - wanted to know for sure how yours were done. Trying them tomorrow night.