These Grilled Chicken Skewers marinated in a Turkish spice mix and yogurt are every bit as juicy and flavorful as they look. Serve them with a glass of my homemade Turkish Ayran.

These Turkish Grilled Chicken Skewers are marinated in a vibrant garlic, lemon, tomato and yogurt marinade that’s not too overpowering, yet flavorful. The seasoned chicken is thread onto wood skewers together with lemon slices for an extra tang and sprinkled with sumac spice when cooked. Served these Grilled Chicken Skewers with my refreshing Ayran – a mint-parsley yogurt drink!

Why this recipe for Turkish Grilled Chicken Skewers works: 

I love a really speedy meal like these Turkish Grilled Chicken Skewers.  The beauty of these fabulously easy and ever so yummy chicken skewers is in the marinade. And the best thing is that you don’t need to marinate the chicken for hours—just 10 minutes while you heat up your bbq or oven. That’s all the time the meat needs to load up on those lovely Turkish  flavors!

How to make Turkish Grilled Chicken Skewers: 

This simple mixture of garlic, lemon, tomatoes, spices, herbs and yogurt used to marinade these Turkish style chicken skewers is whipped up in a food processor in a flash.

In a food processor, pulse together the garlic, tomatoes, lemon juice, spices, fresh herbs, olive oil and yogurt until smooth

Toss the chicken in this marinade and thread it onto wooden skewers placing a thin slice of lemon in between each chicken cube.

I usually cut up the chicken into 1-inch cubes and I skewer thin lemon slices between each chicken as I really like the zing it adds to these Grilled Chicken Skewers, but you can go for onions, tomatoes, bell peppers or a mix of that.

These Turkish Grilled Chicken Skewers are cooked on a hot grill for 3 minutes per side with the grill lid closed, and when I can’t bbq for any reason, I sear the chicken pieces for 2 minutes on each side and then slide them into the oven for just 5 minutes more. If that’s not speedy—then what is!

How to make Ayran: 

Let’s talk about this unbelievably good herb yogurt drink, called Ayran. This drink is served chilled with pretty much all the main courses in Turkey! It’s basically cold yogurt buzzed in a blender with ice, salt and some fresh herbs—classically parsley and mint.

I love adding quite a bit more herbs so it’s super tasty and slightly greenish in color. The taste of Ayran is slightly salty and of mint and parsley! So refreshing, and it compliments these Grilled Chicken Skewers beautifully!

Make these speedy Turkish Grilled Chicken Skewers and serve them with my Turkish yogurt drink for the ultimate chicken dinner!

Tips for success: 

• Often, I double and triple the recipe for the marinade and freeze the excess in a small ziplock for a really really busy day. I just take the marinade out of the freezer, defrost it and toss it with the chicken cubes, and just like that it’s ready to be cooked.
• Wooden skewers must be pre-soaked in water for at least 1 hour before using.
• Instead of lemon slices, you can go for onions, tomatoes, bell peppers or a mix of that. I stick to the lemon because it boosts the lemon flavor and I love that!

For more Turkish recipes, make sure to try my Turkish pizza Lahmacun recipe.

4.83 from 17 votes

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Turkish Style Grilled Chicken Skewers

These Grilled Chicken Skewers marinated in a Turkish spice mix and yogurt are every bit as juicy and flavorful as they look. Serve them with a glass of my homemade Turkish Ayran. 

Course Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine Turkish

Keyword chicken skewers with yogurt marinade, grilled chicken skewers, Turkish chicken skewers

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes

Total Time 22 minutes

Servings 4

Calories 442 kcal

Author Mahy

Ingredients

For the skewers:

• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1 inch cubes
• 5 cloves garlic
• 2 roma tomatoes
• 1 lemon juiced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 cup total of fresh parsley and cilantro leaves (or either one)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup yogurt (full, low fat or fat free)
• 2 lemons , thinly sliced for skewering
• 2 tablespoons sumac spice for sprinkling

For the yogurt drink Ayran:

• 2 cups yogurt (full, low or fat free)
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 1/2 cup ice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup total of mint and parsley leaves

Instructions

For the skewers:

1. Preheat a bbq on medium-high heat or preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a food processor, pulse together the garlic, tomatoes, lemon juice, spices, fresh herbs, olive oil and yogurt until smooth.
3. Toss the chicken in this marinade and skewer it on wooden skewers placing a thin slice of lemon in between each chicken cube.
4. Cook the chicken on the bbq for 3-5 minutes (depending on the thickness of your chicken cubes) on each side with the lid closed at all times.

5. Once the chicken is ready, sprinkle it with a generous amount of sumac spice and serve with a yogurt drink on the side.

For the drink:

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and slightly foamy. Save cold right away.

Recipe Notes

• Often, I double and triple the recipe for the marinade and freeze the excess in a small ziplock for a really really busy day. I just take the marinade out of the freezer, defrost it and toss it with the chicken cubes, and just like that it’s ready to be cooked.
• Wooden skewers must be pre-soaked in water for at least 1 hour before using.
• Instead of lemon slices, you can go for onions, tomatoes, bell peppers or a mix of that. I stick to the lemon because it boosts the lemon flavor and I love that!

Nutrition Facts

Turkish Style Grilled Chicken Skewers

Amount Per Serving (1 skewer)

Calories 442 Calories from Fat 153

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 17g 26%

Saturated Fat 5g 25%

Cholesterol 163mg 54%

Sodium 766mg 32%

Potassium 1253mg 36%

Total Carbohydrates 17g 6%

Dietary Fiber 3g 12%

Sugars 9g

Protein 54g 108%

Vitamin A 9.3%

Vitamin C 62.6%

Calcium 22.2%

Iron 9.5%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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