Spiced Chilli & Coriander Chicken (Kebab)

by Georgina Hayden from Greekish: Everyday recipes with Greek roots (Bloomsbury)  

Photography: Laura Edwards

This recipe is simple, perfectly spiced and if you like chicken, you’ll love it.

Makes 4 skewers

Ingredients

500g chicken breast

4 garlic cloves

50g unsalted butter

1 teaspoon ground coriander

½ teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper (or ½ teaspoon dried chilli flakes), Nigel used 1 tsp Chipotle chilli powder.

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

Method

Trim the chicken and cut into even-sized pieces about 2.5cm big.

Peel and finely chop the garlic. Melt the butter and place in a mixing bowl or a non-reactive container with a lid.

Stir in the chopped garlic, ground coriander, ground cumin and Aleppo pepper. Season generously with sea salt and black pepper.  Stir in the olive oil. When the mixture is room temperature, stir in the chicken pieces.  Mix together well and cover or seal.  Pop in the fridge for at least 1 hour – if you can, overnight will make a huge difference.

If you are using bamboo skewers, make sure you soak them in water first for at least 30 minutes, to stop them burning.  Evenly divide the meat between the skewers, making sure they’re not pushed too close together. Then barbecue or cook in a hot griddle pan for about 10-12 minutes until charred and just cooked through (you can test one piece by making sure it isn’t pink in the middle).  Serve straight away.

Nigel served the kebabs on top of coleslaw inside chargrilled pitta bread.

Drinks tasted alongside the dish: