Chicken Seekh kabab | Chicken Seekh kabab recipe

Last updated on March 4th, 2021 at 05:55 pm

Chicken Seekh kabab – Juicy minced meat with a very few, easily available ingredients gives way to this extra delicious Seekh kebabs. With a hint of lemon these kebabs, served with mint chutney, are the simplest yet tastiest starters.

Hey guys!

We’ve been going out and about, attending a function or another, the past few weeks. Whenever my in-laws aren’t here in India, we are the designated proxies to family events. Although we do have fun at such family gatherings, it is still tiresome. To one of the parties, we left A at my parents’ place for an entire evening!

This may come as a surprise to you, I’ve never been away from her for more than 5 hours ( I know I’ve already whined about this). And those hours happened only once, that being said the reason why it has happened rarely is I don’t wanna leave her behind. It’s been almost three years since I had a good night’s out. I am not a party person, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t love to spend an evening at a nice restaurant. Instead of running behind A and worrying about the teeny quantity, she’s eaten, all the while managing my hungry stomach.

Anyway, this downtime was so worth it. We also went to a quaint little burger place and had the most amazing burger in a long time. Sure there are lotta burgers these days, but once you’ve been to Shake Shack, your mind keeps wandering back to it, wanting it. But this burger wasn’t like Shake Shack’s but it was not bad. The patty was so juicy and succulent; my husband and I suddenly remembered the Seekh kebab we make at home. It had been quite a while; I made them today and I thought you guys will love it!

Chicken seekh kabab:

Oddly enough, I don’t recall the first time I had kebabs. In theory, I should have been blown away and noted down the date. But no, that didn’t happen! I truly don’t know how, especially when I love kebabs. However, I do remember tasting Seekh kebabs for the first time. My husband (Sanju) and I had gone to Mumbai to visit his cousins in Mumbai. And his cousin, a foodie, took us to this popular restaurant called Bademiya. Loved their Seekh kebab, which was the reason I kept trying to make delicious chicken seekh kabab at home. Eventually, I found it!

Out of the influences brought in by the Persians, the Turkish and the entire Middle East, kebabs are one of a kind.

History has it that their soldiers put meat on their swords and grilled it on an open fire.

Later as years passed, they’d begun using skewers. Skewering evenly distributes the meat on the heat and as the rod heats up, it also cooks the meat from the inside out.

Now for the most amusing part, the marination. There’s a lot of yay-nay when it comes to marination. According to LAtimes, it is a waste of time. And many others claim that it’s just a myth and it doesn’t actually add flavor or tenderize meat. I disagree. I’ve seen a noticeable difference when meat is marinated in yogurt/lime/papaya or a combination of these. Marinating adds flavor and the meat tends to be juicy from the inside out.

Although, seekh kebab doesn’t involve any marination. Since the meat is broken down while mincing, the meat easily absorbs the flavors. That’s one other reason which sets Seekh kebabs and koftas apart from other kebabs with chunks of meat.

See also: How to make Cheese Corn Balls |The most easiest vegetarian appetizer recipe

How to make these kebabs:

The making of these chicken seekh kabab is really simple. You really just have to process the meat, add the herbs and spices, and cook them on a flat grill or pan. Now the only process that’s gonna take more of your time is deboning the chicken.

Ground chicken meat:

If you can find or prefer ground meat, go ahead and use it. Ground meat is also available frozen in some places. Skip to mixing it all up, down below.

Minced chicken:

If your butcher is willing to mince chicken, ask him for boneless chicken pieces be minced. You can also ask for fat to be minced in. This will essentially give tiny bits of meat and there are chances of tiny bones. Clean this minced chicken and look for bones; if any, remove them. However, you’ll have to process it further at home in a food processor. Essentially we need an almost smooth mix. Once you’re done processing it, skip to the mixing part below.

Frozen boneless chicken:

Should you prefer to use cleaned and frozen chicken, pick chicken thighs. Chicken thighs are the juiciest part and it goes well for kebabs in general. Frozen chicken might have little fat on it, I suggest you use it with the fat. This adds to the texture of the kebabs by making it juicier.

Thaw the frozen chicken thighs by leaving it in room temperature or in a bowl of water. Once thawed, cut into small cubes and transfer it to a food processor. Pulse it till you can no longer see any visible cubes. The fat may sometimes get in the way of the food processor blades. If you notice any change in the sound of the processor, stop and mix the chicken manually or untangle it is necessary. Skip to the mixing part below.

If you’re using fresh chicken:

I just use fresh chicken because it is easily available in my place than the aforementioned options. This is a more cumbersome process. Ask your butcher for boneless chicken and with more of thigh pieces. But, obviously, you’ll get some bones and other parts mixed in with the thighs.

Wash and drain the chicken. Remove bones manually with a paring knife. Do not throw away the fat. Cut the chicken into small cubes. Add it to the food processor with the fat and pulse it till smooth.

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Flavoring:

Peel and wash 100g of onions, 4 small green chillies, 2-inch piece of ginger and 4 cloves of garlic. Chop onions into fine ring cubes. Mince the green chillies, you can choose to remove the seeds. Chop the ginger and garlic as well. Alternatively, you can also use ginger garlic paste; a teaspoon should do.

To the ground chicken meat, add the chopped onions, green chillies, ginger, and garlic. Add 1/2 teaspoon of garam masala, 1/2 teaspoon of chilli powder or paprika powder. Also some salt of 1/2 teaspoon.

Additionally, add some finely chopped coriander leaves (approximately 20g) and juice of 1 lemon (approximately 20g).

Mix everything using a spatula or hands. Let it rest for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, soak some bamboo skewers in water for half an hour. If you have steel or iron skewers, wash, dry and oil them up.

Heat a flat skillet or a grill pan and pour some oil (about 1/2 inch). Take a ball of the chicken mix in your hand and place the skewer on it. Gently cup and press chicken Seekh kabab mix around the skewer. Repeat till all of the chicken is covered around the skewers.

Gently place the skewered chicken Seekh kabab meat in the oil and cook in medium flame till it is browned underneath. Turn it around so the top part gets cooked. Remove from pan once it’s completely cooked through. It takes around 5 minutes.

Serve these delicious Chicken Seekh kabab hot with yogurt-mint chutney, sliced onions and lemon wedges!

Recipe Courtesy: I noted down this recipe long back from a YouTube clip of Pakistani origin. It was so long ago that I didn’t bother to bookmark the link.

Notes:

• If using bamboo skewers, soak them overnight or for at least 1 hour.
• I use a simple garam masala made with cloves, cinnamon, and cardamom. The taste of the chicken seekh kabab will differ based on the garam masala. Use your favorite blend of garam masala for this Seekh kebab.
• Alternatively, you can cook these skewered kebabs on an open grill. Baste with oil whenever necessary.
• The chicken mixture might begin to fall off the skewers if you lift it holding only the ends of the skewer. To avoid this, place your hand underneath to move it onto the pan.

Made this? Got doubts? Let me know what you think in the comments below!