Grilled kebabs that are juicy and savory with deep browning and charring are pretty much everyone’s desired result. So to start, use boneless, skinless chicken thighs, which have a rich flavor and collagen that can break down to keep the meat juicy.
It may not please you, but leave the fat on the chicken to encourage small flare-ups, which contribute to creating char and grill flavor. Cut the chicken into 1-inch pieces and toss them in a thick, flavorful mixture of tomato paste*, salt, sugar, fish sauce, garlic, and oil.
After letting the chicken marinate for at least an hour (up to 12 hours), thread onto skewers and cook over a moderately hot grill. The fat on the chicken encourages small flare-ups that create lots of char and grill flavor. Rotate the skewers a quarter-turn every couple of minutes to ensure even cooking and browning.
These bite-size morsels are tailor-made for sliding off the skewer onto warm flatbread or scooping up with rice and vegetables. We paired ours with a rice pilaf dish and a side salad.
*For a little kick, the tomato paste was cut in half and and two tablespoons of gochujang was added. Our chicken chunks marinated for 6 1/2 hours before threading them onto metal skewers.
TIP: Chose boneless, skinless thighs for the kebabs. They are more flavorful and fattier than breasts and, more important, can be cooked to a higher temperature, which allows them to thoroughly brown without drying out. That’s because thighs contain collagen, which, when heated, breaks down and becomes able to hold water and thus keeps the meat juicier.
Go-To Grilled Chicken Kebabs
Ingredients
- ¼ cup tomato paste, OR 2 Tbsp. each of tomato paste and gochujang for a little kick
- 3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
- 2 Tbsp. fish sauce
- 3 garlic cloves, minced to paste
- 1½ tsp. sugar
- 1¼ tsp. kosher salt
- ½ tsp. pepper
- 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, untrimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 4 (12-inch) metal skewers
Directions
- Whisk tomato paste, oil, fish sauce, garlic, sugar, salt, and pepper in medium bowl until smooth. Add chicken and, using your hands or silicone spatula, mix until chicken is evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 12 hours.
- FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter three-quarters filled with charcoal briquettes (4½ quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.
- FOR A GAS GRILL: Turn all burners to high; cover; and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave primary burner on high and turn off other burner(s).
- While grill heats, thread chicken onto skewers, rolling or folding pieces as necessary to form 1-inch pieces and alternating leaner pieces with fattier pieces (fold any excess fat onto skewers as needed to keep it from hanging loose).
- Clean and oil cooking grate. Place kebabs directly over coals (over primary burner if using gas) and cook (covered if using gas) until grilled side is well browned and slightly charred, 2 to 2½ minutes. Turn one-quarter turn. Continue to cook and turn until all sides are browned and charred and meat registers 175 degrees, about 12 minutes in total, rearranging skewers halfway through cooking so those farthest from heat source are now closer and vice versa. (If large flare-ups occur, slide kebabs to cool side of grill until fire dies down.) Remove kebabs from grill and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve.
Two Other Options
FOR HARISSA, ALEPPO PEPPER, AND MINT MARINADE: Reduce tomato paste to 2 tablespoons. Add 2 tablespoons harissa, 2 teaspoons ground dried Aleppo pepper, and 2 teaspoons dried mint to marinade in step 1.
FOR RED CURRY PASTE AND LIME MARINADE: Reduce tomato paste to 2 tablespoons. Add 2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste and 2 teaspoons grated lime zest to marinade in step 1. Serve kebabs with lime wedges.
Adapted from a recipe by Annie Petito for Cook’s Illustrated
Accounting for Taste 