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Lebanese · Levantine

Shish tawook

Non-vegetarian

شيش طاووق · shish tawook

Cubes of chicken breast marinated in yogurt, lemon, garlic and tomato paste, threaded on skewers and grilled until juicy and lightly charred.

Shish tawook is a Lebanese grilled dish, ready in about 32 minutes and made with chicken breast, yogurt and garlic. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

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Chicken shish kebab
Photo: Garrett Ziegler / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-4.0
Prep
20 min
Cook
12 min
Total
32 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
329

Plus 2–12 hours marinating.

Ingredients

4 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Whisk the yogurt (opens in a new tab), lemon juice (opens in a new tab), garlic (opens in a new tab), tomato paste (opens in a new tab), oil, paprika (opens in a new tab), thyme (opens in a new tab), salt and pepper (opens in a new tab). Add the chicken, coat well and marinate in the fridge for 2–12 hours.

    • 10 min

    Food safety: Keep raw chicken refrigerated while it marinates.

    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Soak wooden skewers (opens in a new tab) for 30 minutes if using. Thread the chicken onto skewers, alternating with pepper (opens in a new tab) if you like, without packing it too tightly.

    Food cooking over a grill
    How it looks · Photo: Malte Luk on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Grill over high heat, turning every few minutes, until charred in spots and cooked through.

    Food safety: Chicken must reach 74 °C in the centre.

  4. Step 4

    Warm the pita on the grill for a few seconds each side, slide the chicken off the skewers (opens in a new tab) and serve wrapped in the bread or alongside it.

    • 2 min
    • medium heat

About this dish

Origin
Not attributed to one place · Commonly attributedThe name comes from Turkish tavuk şiş ('chicken skewer'); it is a staple of Lebanese and wider Levantine grills.Also popular in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Türkiye
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Grills & kebabs · Main courses
Cooking method
Grilled, Marinated / cured
Taste
garlicky, tangy, smoky, mild
Diet
No nut ingredients · Low-carb · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · High-protein · Calorie-conscious
Without the optional extras: Whole-food focused, No gluten ingredientsWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead · Child-friendly
Cook more with
Chicken breast · Yogurt · Garlic · Lemon juice · Tomato paste · Paprika
Techniques
Grilling · Charcoal grilling · Marinating · Curing

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom yogurt
  • Contains, can be adapted: Wheatfrom pita bread
  • Contains, can be adapted: Glutenfrom pita bread
  • May contain: Sesamefrom pita bread

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

329 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 232 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 50%
  • Carbohydrate 6%
  • Fat 44%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy329 kcal142 kcal
Protein40.8 g17.6 g
Carbohydrate4.7 g2 g
Net carbohydrate4 g1.7 g
Sugars2.1 g0.9 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre0.6 g0.3 g
Fat15.7 g6.7 g
Saturated fat2.9 g1.3 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol131 mg56 mg
Sodium677 mg292 mg
Salt equivalent1.7 g0.7 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
711 mg
Calcium
56 mg
Iron
1.4 mg
Magnesium
57 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
40 µg
Vitamin C
7 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0.5 µg
Folate (DFE)
21 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: green bell pepper, pita bread.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Don't marinate for more than about 12 hours — the acid makes the breast meat mushy.

Common mistakes

  • Packing the cubes tightly on the skewer — the sides stay raw while the outside overcooks.

Serve with

  • With toum (garlic sauce), pickled turnips, chips or rice, and warm bread.

Storage

  • Keeps 3 days in the fridge.

Reheating

  • Reheat briefly in a hot pan; avoid overcooking.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 4

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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