Chicken Kebab

With the Oscars going on live I decided not to cook and live off the leftovers from the day before. Somehow, and I am not sure if it is just us, we are not enjoying the presentation that much and are only waiting for the awards and of course Adele ! So to accompany me with the ‘not so impressive’ (sorry to say that!) show I have a recipe that I prepared and clicked a very long time ago for a pot luck. It is an all time favorite for all of us – Kebab, here Chicken Kebab. Usually kebabs or kababs or kebobs are associated with mutton but the chicken version is also equally popular. Cook it on a stove top or in the oven or grill and you have a wonderful dish to greet your guests with. Hope you all like it and have a great time making it.

Hope the Oscars end on a better note than it started with!

Ingredients:

• Chicken, minced – 1 lb (500 gms)
• Onions, very finely chopped – 1 medium
• Ginger paste – 1 tbsp
• Garlic paste – 1 tbsp
• Green chillies, finely chopped or red chilli powder – to taste
• Garam Masala powder – 1 tsp
• Coriander powder – 1 tbsp
• Shan Chicken Seekh Kebab Masala – 3 tbsp (You can only use this masala and skip the above two in which case you may want to use the mentioned amount or more of it if you want it spicy. Or you may use this masala in combination with garam masala and coriander powder in which case adjust the amount. You may also skip it completely. Just remember this is a spicy mix and the amount of other spices and green chillies need to be altered accordingly).
• Lime juice – 1 tbsp
• Cilantro, finely chopped
• Salt – to taste (if using Shan Kebab masala please note that it already contains sufficient salt so adjust accordingly; please refer to notes below)
• Egg – 1
• Bread crumbs – only to be used if required for binding. Can also use whole wheat flour in small quantity if bread crumbs are not available.
• Oil / melted butter – for baking or stove top frying and basting

Method:

1. Wash and drain the minced chicken before hand. If using frozen, thaw it and drain it with a paper towel to get rid of most of the moisture.

2. Mix the chicken with all the other ingredients – chopped onions, ginger garlic paste, green chillies / red chilli powder, Garam Masala powder, Coriander powder, Seekh Kebab Masala, Lime juice, cilantro, salt, egg – and mix well.

3. Refrigerate the mixture for 1/2 an hour to an hour. If in a hurry skip refrigerating though this helps in better marination and makes it firm enough to shape into kebabs.

4. Take out from the fridge and take a small mixture and try to form small balls out of it. If the mixture seems to be “too wet” then add bread crumbs to tighten it up.

5. Shaping the kebabs:

• On a skewer – Oil your hands and wrap the chicken mixture around the skewer to form kebabs of desired length. If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 30mins before using, that will prevent them from burning.
• On a toothpick – Though not a frequently used technique but you can use toothpicks and wrap the chicken mixture around it to form kebabs. Avoid the coloured toothpicks and soak them in water before putting them on the grill or oven.
• With hands – Take a small amount of the mixture and using your hands shape it into an oval or cylindrical shaped kebab as shown in the picture.

6. Cooking the kebabs: Do not forget to baste them with oil (and lime juice if desired) so that they do not dry up. Do not over-cook them which might lead to the kebabs turning very dry.

• On a grill – Cook the kebabs on the both the sides till done. Baste with oil / melted butter on each side when you flip them.
• In the oven – Preheat oven to 400 F and bake them on both the sides till they are cooked. This should take 15 – 20 mins (10 mins approx. on each side) depending on the oven size. Baste them with oil / melted butter on both the sides when you flip them.
• On the stove top – Alternatively you can also cook them on stove top. Heat a skillet and spray some oil on medium flame. Place the kebabs and cook them well turning around for even cooking. Keep spraying oil or drizzling melted butter on each side as they get cooked.

7. Once cooked , serve them hot immediately and garnish them with some lime juice if you want to.

Note: How to check for salt:

It is very difficult to check for salt and spices in the uncooked chicken so this technique might come in handy. Take a very small portion (say a pinch) of the chicken mixture and cook it on stove top for a couple of minutes, then taste it to check for salt and other spices. Adjust accordingly.