Chicken Kofta

Name: Chicken Kofta
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 1/2 pound ground chicken; 4 garlic cloves (minced); 1/2 of a medium sweet onion; 2 tablespoons fresh parsley (finely chopped); 2 tablespoons fresh mint (finely chopped); 3/4 teaspoon salt; 1/8 teaspoon black pepper; 1 teaspoon cumin; 1 teaspoon coriander; 1 teaspoon cinnamon; 1/2 teaspoon allspice; 1/2 teaspoon cloves; 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes {optional}; 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper {optional}; 1/2 teaspoon oregano; 1 egg; 1/4 cup breadcrumbs; 1 cup tahini; 3/4 cup warm water {you might need more depending on the consistency you like}; 4 cloves garlic; 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (or more to taste {1 lemon usually does the trick}); 1/4 tsp salt (or more to taste)

Chicken Kofta is the perfect Mediterranean meal that you can eat on its own, in a pita sandwich, hummus or rice bowls. Ground chicken is mixed with fresh herbs, warm spices, garlic, onion and breadcrumbs to create a delicious kebab. You can easily grill, bake or cook these on a skillet.

Prep15 min
Cook20 min
Total35 min
Makes4 servings
Calories668

Ingredients

4 servings

1 1/2 pound ground chicken
4 garlic cloves (minced)
1/2 of a medium sweet onion
2 tablespoons fresh parsley (finely chopped)
2 tablespoons fresh mint (finely chopped)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes {optional}
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper {optional}
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 egg
1/4 cup breadcrumbs

For the Tahini Sauce:

1 cup tahini
3/4 cup warm water {you might need more depending on the consistency you like}
4 cloves garlic
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (or more to taste {1 lemon usually does the trick})
1/4 tsp salt (or more to taste)

Method

1
If you are using wooden skewers you will want to soak them for an hour before you grill. If you are using metal skewers set about 6-8 aside depending on how big you want to make your kebabs.
2
Preheat the grill on medium-high heat for 10- 15 minutes before you start grilling.
3
In a food processor chop the onion and garlic until finely chopped. Add the ground chicken, parsley, mint, salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, oregano and give it a few pulses.
4
Add the egg and process until the beef starts to become a thick mixture and everything is pretty well mixed together.
5
Add the breadcrumbs and process until everything is combined. Remove the chicken mixture from the food processor and put it into a large mixing bowl. If the mixture is still very wet and hard to form into kebabs add more breadcrumbs. I suggest another 1/4 cup and mix well.
6
Use your hands to form 1 to 1 1/2 inch thick kebabs around the skewers making them as long as you want. Do this using each of the skewers until your chicken mixture is done.
7
Put the kebabs on the grill and grill them over the medium-high heat for about 4-5 minutes on one side, flip and grill another 4 to 5 minutes. Serve the kebabs with your favorite pita, hummus, tabbouleh and a drizzle of the tahini garlic sauce.
8
Put all the ingredients for the Tahini Garlic Sauce in a food processor and process until everything is combined and the sauce is smooth. Add more water to reach the consistency you like.

Notes

These work great in many meals. Try adding them on top of Fattoush or alongside Tabbouleh. Make a pita sandwich out of the chicken along with tomato, a scoop of tabbouleh, hummus and the tahini garlic sauce. Traditional chicken kafta doesn't always use breadcrumbs but I like to add that in to help with the consistency of the meat and make it easier to form into kebabs on the skewers. You can form this mixture into patties instead of kebabs which works nicely. You can use those as a burger or add them over hummus and rice.