A Middle Eastern low fat recipe for marinated chicken breasts, which can be baked in the oven or skewered with mushrooms and barbequed. They taste great with pita bread and some pickled turnips.
I live in the Middle East and I like this recipe as much as I do when I go out! I made it for my whole family as a special Middle Eastern Dinner Night when I went home on vacation and there wasn't one person who disliked it. Even the kids loved it. And we're talking down home southern folks that devoured everything! I added fresh garlic as well, because we love garlic. Served it with hummous, falafels, tabbouleh, fatoosh, pita and fresh veggies.
Read MoreI live in the Middle East and I like this recipe as much as I do when I go out! I made it for my whole family as a special Middle Eastern Dinner Night when I went home on vacation and there wasn't one person who disliked it. Even the kids loved it. And we're talking down home southern folks that devoured everything! I added fresh garlic as well, because we love garlic. Served it with hummous, falafels, tabbouleh, fatoosh, pita and fresh veggies.
this was pretty good. I had 5 thighs and used in lieu of breasts. The stated marinade was perfect for 5 good sized thighs...none wasted but plenty to cover liberally. I skinned the thighs and also omitted oil altogether. I omitted the curry powder and keep it more mideast than Indian. Allspice is a commonly used mideast spice and when I got the marinade together(also crushed in 1 clove garlic) the allspice seemed a bit overpowering so added another tbsp. lowfat yogurt. The thighs were tender after marinating overnight and baked up nicely. Served with jasmin rice. I will make again because of ease of prep and ingredients that I always have plenty of on hand. I think next time I would omit the prepared mustard and use lemon juice instead.
Very tasty! I added the curry and thought the allspice could have been reduced to 1 tsp. Extremely tender after marinating overnight.The dipping sauce was incredible! Very good served with rice or couscous.
Last night I paired this dish along with Near-East brand rice with hummus & flatbread. Wow, what a great treat. Being a metro Detroiter, I’m accustomed to good Lebanese, and this meal didn’t fall short. I omitted the curry power from the marinade, but otherwise followed the directions. The prep was easy the night before. I grilled the chicken on skewers for about 8 minutes per side over a medium low flame. The dipping sauce was nice, but I did add a little extra garlic and puréed. Now if I can only find a recipe for La Shish's garlic sauce this meal would really be complete.
this recipe was a tough one to rate. the chicken alone is just average and surprisingly leans toward bland (the only change i made was to double the curry powder). the secret to this dish is the sauce which pairs perfectly with the chicken. it does for the meat what peanut butter does for jelly. another thing i discovered quite by accident is that the sauce is 10x better if served at room temperature. it's fine straight out of the fridge, but takes on a whole new life when it sheds the chill. at room temp, this sauce is a religious experience.
I was so excited to see a recipe for this - one of my favorite dishes at Middle Eastern restaurants (which there are none of in my hometown). I was a little skeptical that it would be as good as what I'd had in restaurants in big cities, but it was - the garlic sauce is excellent with it. My husband and 2-year-old daughter loved it too. I only marinated it for 5 hours, and it was fine.
Okay, so I'll admit that I totally forgot to marinate this overnight. I didn't get it in the marinade until late in the morning so it didn't sit as long as I would have liked. Even so, this turned out really well and we all really liked it. I think next time I make this, I'll switch the amounts of the allspice and the curry powder. I think maybe that those two ingredients were switched, but I've been wrong before. There really was just too much allspice for us--that really overpowered the rest of the flavors and spices. I'll also be sure to marinate it longer next time. I'll make this again for sure. I served this with Company Couscous and we all really enjoyed the combination.
me and the bf really enjoyed this.. we skewered and grilled them.. only thing done differently was using lemon instead of mustard as one reviewer suggested.. came out awesome.. ty again
This is a great recipe except I would not add cinnamon or allspice again. It overpowers the flavors and I just do not care for cinnamon in a meat dish. I did add lemon juice.
Coming from the middle east living abroad, I must say this is THE best recipe that takes me back home. I didn't have any yoghurt so I used heavy cream instead and it turned out perfect on the BBQ (I did omit the curry powder). As for the dipping sauce (called garlic sauce) I used Mayo, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil. PERFECTO!
Thank you for this fantastic recipe! I can definitely serve this to house guests. Only changes i made was to decrease the all-spice to 1tsp (as one reviewer suggested)and add 1/3 tsp of salt to the marinade. Dont skip out on the dipping sauce. It really does bring the dish to another level. Next time i'm going to try adding a bit of fresh mint to the dip.
OMG...the BEST Shish Tawook EVER. My whole Armenian family LOVED this!! Made it exactly per the recipe and only marinated for 4 hours...EXCELLENT!!!
I just finished my dinner with nine other roomates that I have. This is a good food. Instead of putting the dipping sauce seperately, we mixed it together with the chicken and stirred them up together, it works. Thanks for this good food.
Very yummy, I was surprised! The flavor was much more mellow than I expected, and you can't tell at all that there is ketchup and mustard in it. I didn't have a chance to make the sauce, so I just served with plain yogurt and rice. Might add red pepper next time for some kick. Thank you!
I didn't have time to marinade this for more than 20 minutes and it was still fantastic. Everyone really enjoyed this dish. Thank you for sharing this.
My only substitution was Dijon instead of prepared mustard, and I only used 75% of the volume recommended. I ended up marinating this for 36 hours and broiled the kebabs. The meat just disolved in your mouth - it was excellent! This is a "keeper"
I initially thought the recipe for the chicken was a strange mix - ketchup? allspice? But with the good reviews, I thought I'd give it a try. It was excellent! The chicken was juicy and very flavorful. It was better than most restaurant chicken tawook I've had in the past. The dipping sauce to go with it was a perfect touch, too. I made hummus and rice to go with the meal and sopped it all up with some pita bread. I am definitely making this again. On a side note, this was a last minute dinner idea so the meat didn't get any time to marinate, but it was still super flavorful. I'm sure if I let it marinate overnight like the recipe says that it would be even better!
I just finished making this and my boyfriend flipped. I loved loved loved it. The chicken was so moist and tender, I made exactly like the recipe said. I will make this over and over again. Thank you for the recipe.
The reason I am only giving it 2 stars is that it was bland. I made the recipe exactly the way it was stated. It was good and my husband liked it, but it did not have a kick that I usually like with the tawook. I am going to try the other recipe on this site and then report back. If you search on the internet, there are only a couple of recipes available anywhere!
This was awesome. We loved it. I added a little bit extra yogurt to the marinade (used greek style), and omitted the optional curry powder. I also cut back a little (1t) on the allspice, and added some fresh garlic. It marinated for about 6 hours and was great. I can't wait to make it again! We served it with rice and pita, and had hummus as well. The garlic dipping sauce was a perfect accompaniment. I stirred it into my dish on my plate.
this was excellent! fun & easy, I put in the curry powder and the spices were just right. I used low-fat mayo in the sauce and it tasted fine. served with salad and pita bread, this is our family's latest chicken favorite!
I liked this dish. I followed the directions. I think this is a very good dish if you don't have time to prepare the day of the meal because the only thing you have to do is make the marinade the night before and then just throw it in the oven. The flavor is not too spicy but intense - strong flavor.
Very flavorful dish. I followed the recipe exactly, even adding the optional curry powder and was very happy with the end result. Next time I make this dish I will omit the allspice and cinnamon. The cinnamon was the most prominent flavor. I served mine over rice instead of using the dipping sauce. Great dinner recipe!
I thought this recipe was good. I liked the flavor, but I thought it needed salt. I did not marinate it for long enough, only about 20 minutes, since I did not plan far enough in advance. It was a little tough, but I blame that on the short marinade and not the recipe. Thanks for the recipe. Shish tawook is one of my favorite dishes and I have never even thought to make it at home. Next time I will cook it on skewers with mushrooms, onions and green peppers. I am Arabic and it made me giggle to make Arabic food with ketchup and yellow mustard. I served it with Rice A Roni and spinach sauteed with onion and garlic.
Dipping sauce was excellent. I would have liked more spice in the chicken marinade. I will definitely make it again. Served with Tabbouleh II from this website. The zing of the lemon in the tabbouleh was a very nice accompaniment to the chicken.
I didn't use the sauce, but bought some Tzatziki instead. The chicken itself was good and tender. I marinated for a couple of days before I had a chance to cook it. I felt that something was lacking though. It thought that may be something a bit tangy would complpiment it. I ended up diping the cooked chicken in lemon juice. It smells great. I used the contact (Forman) grill.
This was great! I must admit that when I mixed the marinade and smelled it, I thought it smelled disgusting! I even warned my husband that we might have to end up making a pizza run! But sitting over night, it mellowed out and tasted nothing like it originally smelled! Loved it- thanks for sharing!
The longer you can marinate this the better, comes out so tender, and the yogurt dip is awesome.
Good recipe over all, but the cinnamon slightly overpowers the other flavors. Also, a tzatziki-style dipping sauce is another delicious possibility with this.
Shish Tawook is my very favorite Middle Eastern dish, and, living in the Detroit area (which has the largest concentrated population outside of the Middle East itself), I have enjoyed it at many very authentic establishments. This tasted NOTHING like shish tawook. The only change I made was to add more yogurt, as I was afraid that the katchup and mustard flavor would be overwhelming-- and the katchup and mustard flavor was still very obvious. My husband thought the recipe was alright but was shocked when I told him was it was supposed to be. I did not like the flavor at all. This might be a good recipe for some, but it is NOTHING like what it claims to be.
This was amazing!!! Followed recipe exactly except grilled on skewers instead of baked. Can't wait to make it again!!
Made the baked version of this recipe last night for 9 people (6 kids 14 and under). It was a 100% hit. I altered it slightly by adding sliced onions and quartered tomatoes. If you want to open the minds of your family this recipe is good start and it's really easy to make.
I'm grateful to the people of South Asia for getting the idea to marinate yogurt in chicken. It always flawlessly tenderizes the chicken while removing the raw chicken smell. The chicken by itself is good but not great without the accompanying sauce. I think some more "hot" could be added to the spices in the marinade. But this is good.
Be daring and give this a try- it's fabulous. I marinated chicken tenders about 5 hours. It could have been longer. I broiled mine instead of grilling, but I can't wait to grill with it. When grilling,I'll baste with this marinade thinned down with some additional olive oil. Final note: I didn't want to use the mayonaise based sauce shown with this marinade so I made Tzatziki, which is a yogurt and cucumber dressing. Yum!
Loved this! Very simple to prepare and very tasty, plus it was so tender. I did use low fat mayo in the dipping sauce, fresh garlic in the marinade, no allspice or cinnamon. I highly recommend not skipping the sauce, as it is pairs perfectly with the chicken, it's what makes the dish. I left the oil out too, to save on calories
a great marinade with loads of flavor. My husband and daughter ask for this dish often. I serve it with Mujudarrah and it's a fantastic meal!
Excellent recipe !! My wife and I loved it !! Used a mixture of chicken thighs and breast. The yogurt sauce was great but next time I may just cut back to two teaspoons garlic !! Thanks !!!
Loved it. Make the sauce the night before too, so the flavors can meld. Served with cous cous and broc.
LOVED THIS!! Cut this in half (used 2 chicken breasts, but sauce in half). I didn't have plain yogurt, so subbed low fat sour cream and marinated for about 8 hours. Served over plain white rice (intended on using basmati until I realized I was out!!). Regardless, this was SO YUMMY! You can really taste the allspice/cin, very flavourful...will make again for sure (with basmati next time)!!! Side note, did not make the dipping sauce, but I'm sure it's excellent!
This was very easy to make and so convenient to just pull out of the fridge and put into the oven the next day. My fiance loved it, asked for the recipe, and offered to make it again sometime soon. I included the curry without regret. I found this to be a little sweeter than I would prefer...I think I'll add more garlic to the sauce next time to counteract that. Thank you for this recipe!
Great tasting! Definitely a keeper! Thank you very much for the recipe. Update: I sauteed this in a skillet instead of baking it and it is really yummy as well! Will be making this often for sure!
I halved this recipe, and doubled the curry powder and forgot the allspice and cinnamon, but it was still pretty good! I didn't bother with the dipping sauce. I might add some more spices next time to make it a bit more flavourful.
Made this a few times, soooo yummy!! Very easy to make and has great flavor. It's always a big hit!
This was a great dish! It was so easy to put together and the chicken turned out so tender. I think the dipping sauce compliments it very well. I served it was as side of coconut rice. Will definitely make again!
This is a new family favorite. My son who is extremely picky and my daughter who has to eat gluten free both loved this meal. I served it with rice and my son put his chicken, rice, and dipping sauce inside a pita (not gluten free) and made a sandwhich. The only changes I made were to skip the cinnemon and double the garlic.
THIS IS DELICIOUS!!!!!!! I marinated for about 36 hours (life events got in the way- was only going to do it overnight) and did not use the curry (based on other reviews). I almost forgot to make the dipping sauce and I'M SO GLAD I DIDN'T FORGET! The sauce makes the recipe a standout! We ate it over basmati rice but can't wait to try it on naan! I'm sure that's the way to eat this dish. (I was going to whip up some homemade naan, but, again, life got in the way, so we just had it over rice.) This is one I will make again and again and again! It is so easy and DELICIOUS!!!!!!!! Thanks for a great recipe!!!! (This got RAVE reviews from DH too- that's big compliments!!) UPDATE! 6/2/07 Made this again without a long marinade- only about 5 hours- and subbed sour cream for all the yogurt (my yogurt had expired!) and it was delicious! Even my mom- Ms. Picky like no other- said it was great! We made these into 'sandwiches' with naan and it was AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you so much!!
not bad at all my family devowered it it was just as the directions called for using the curry however i thought it was lacking salt and maybe something else but i will make it again this was cooked on the george foreman grill and served with pita bread and franks red hot sauce
Pretty good, but if I were to make this again I would certainly use less cinnamon, and probably omit the curry powder altogether (I like them, but just didn't think they worked too well in this recipe). The dipping sauce, however, was outstanding! With some grated cucumber and a little mint, it would make a great Tzatziki sauce. I'll definitely be making the garlic sauce again, but I'm not so sure about the chicken. Oh, I used the George Foreman grill thing for the chicken - it took no time at all.
We really enjoyed trying this middle eastern dish! We served it with pita bread and loved the dipping sauce!
This recipe is so good and so easy to make!I used 5 chicken breasts and I almost doubled the yogurt marinade,I used 3 big garlic cloves sliced insted of the powder,I used 2 teaspoons of lebanese 7 spice instead of allspice,used the cinnamon,ketchup,mustard but i also added a tablespoon or so of lemon juice,also a pinch of curry,I marinated overnight.For the garlic sauce I used 5 cloves,and half sour cream and half yogurt,it was amazing.
I made this almost to the letter except I didn't use Allspice because I didn't have any and I used fat free sour cream instead of the yogurt. Oh, and I added 1/4 teaspoon of paprika to the dipping sauce (as my coworker suggested!) and it turned out great! Next time I make this I will make the dipping sauce when I make the marinade for the chicken so it has more time to develop. It smelled so good cooking and there wasn't a single bite of chicken left! I will also try this with lamb!
FANTASTIC!!! This dish was super easy and very tasty! I left the chicken in the marinade for the day and it was still great!
All I can say is wow. The only thing I did different was add a little white pepper and some crushed garlic, being the garlic junkie that I am. I would definitely pass on this recipe.
Really, it doesn't taste like the odd ingredients sound! It comes out with sweet spiced flavor. It could use more garlic in the chicken. It is not "hot" and the dipping sauce seemed unnecessary.
Delicious! I followed the recipe exactly, although I used sour cream instead of yogurt (as that was all I had). Chicken came out tender and flavorful. Served it with tabbouleh on the side (recipe from this site). The dipping sauce was a nice complement, if a little strong--lots of garlic.
Yum. Very good recipie! I would change a couple of things nex time. First- spice the chicken a ton more- add cinnamon, cumin, & corriander (also real garlic instead of powder). Then in the dipping sauce- add more garlic. This is coming from a garlic freak- so you have to take it with a grain of salt :). My husband and I really enjoyed this dish and will continue to make it for years to come. Thanks for the recipie!
I just made this tonight, for about my fourth or fifth time. I absolutely love it! I always bake it, because I live in a condo, & have an electric grill that is temperamental. I always mix up the marinade in a gallon zipper bag & add the chicken, and usually give it 24 hours. The only adjustment I made to the marinade is to double the curry powder, because I love curry. This is the first time I made the yogurt dipping sauce. All I did differently: after tasting it as the recipe called for, I added a slight amount more salt (not quite double), and about 2 T of fresh lemon juice. I made mine into a pita, with a bit of romaine for texture. It was so wonderful! Thank you for such a great recipe!
Rather disappointed with this dish because all the reviews I read were extremely positive... One word: bland. It wasn't bad, it just didn't have substance. Or salt (maybe that's just me). Granted, I did not make the accompanying sauce, but I still expected greatness. Oh well. The dish was okay with the couscous, tabbouleh (sp) and tzatziki I served it with, but still....bland.
YUM! Made with chicken tenders marinated overnight for camping. Then it rained, so we adjusted to dinner party for 8. Was the perfect amount (served with Sean's falafel from this site and boxed mediteranean-flavored couscous). It is definitely a curry thing, so if you don't like curry, you probably won't like this. I can't believe anyone wouldn't like curry, myself, but to each his own. I thought this was easy and delish. Looking forward to the few leftovers today. We didn't bother with the dipping sauce, which I think is fine because the chicken itself has loads of flavor and I wouldn't want anything to compete with that. Will definitely make again.
This is FANTASTIC! I made this for my church's weekly cafe, for 60 people, and it was a huge hit! We served the dipping sauce in little cups, and we served the shish tawook with jasmine rice and roasted vegetables with rosemary, what a wonderful meal! Many of the chef-types asked for the recipe. For quantity cooking, I discovered that you can buy skinless boneless chicken breast meat at restaurant outlets, and you can usually get 20 pounds of scraps of this meat VERY cheaply. THen you thaw them in the fridge several days, then just mix those messy scraps with the marinade. Spread the whole marinaded STUFF on big baking sheets to bake, using a scissors to cut up the bigger pieces. This eliminates a lot of the work of cutting up the chicken into chunks. Absolutely delicious.
This is awesome! I use this site all the time and this is the first time I've ever given a recipe five stars. It's quick and easy to make (although you have to plan ahead) and it comes out tasting great.
This is great! I added alot of garlic power (used tbs instead of tsp...oops)and omited the allspice it turned out like a paste and it was great. I only let it sit for 5 hours made kabobs and baked them. Next time I think I will BBQ. Kids loved it.
My boyfriend and I had never had Middle Eastern food before so I was sketchy about making this, but I must say I LOVED this recipe. As a few others suggested I added a bit of lemon juice to the marinade. The spices are heavenly! I didn't use the curry and left all of the other measurements intact. I would definitely make this again. I served this with Syrian green beans, toasted pita bread and wild rice pilaf.
My husband and I love this recipe. The first time I made it, I skipped the curry. But the second time I added it and liked it much better. The sauce also helps the taste. UMMY!
This was AWESOME! I followed the recipe to a Tee...It's very tasty, very moist. I'm excited to be able to make this at home.
Amazing recipe! Tastes as good or better than Shish Tawook on the menu at a local Middle East restaurant. I grilled the chicken on skewers and served it with Basmati rice and grilled zucchini and yellow squash. The chicken was very flavorful and tender. This is company fare!
This is absolutely delicious. I marinaded for 24 hours threaded onto skewers with red onion and cooked on the BBQ. served it with fresh pita, the dipping sauce, diced tomatoes and shredded lettuce. The chicken was really tender and tasty. Was a big hit with the family too. Will be cooked often in BBQ season.
Delicious. My family enjoyed it with a rice dish with zucchini and dill weed too. The yogurt sauce topped it off perfectly.
We had this tonight for dinner, and for me, it was just ok. We liked the dipping sauce, but not the spice on the chicken.
This recipe was so easy and tasted great. I served it with white rice and peas and some naan. I will definitely make this again!!!
This was delicious! I was surprised by the mild flavors, I was expecting something a little more bold. It was not spicy, but created a warm feeling in the mouth. I substituted Dijon mustard and cut back a little bit on the allspice. I will definitely make this again for guests.
I love how flavorful and moist this chicken is. It's unique but has become a regular dish in our house.
My husband loved it which is a great compliment!! Easy to prepare, I had all the ingredients in my fridge/ cupboard. Threw it in the fridge to marinate overnight and had delicious chicken the next day.
I took the advice of other reviewers and subbed lemon juice for the mustard, and doubled the curry powder and garlic. Also we didn't have ketchup in the house so I used some tomato sauce with a pinch of sugar and wine vinegar. Marinated overnight, baked in the oven, super easy!! And it was GORGEOUS! We love curry, and it was a big hit in our house. The garlic dipping sauce is VERY tasty too. We have been drizzling it over lots of other stuff, cos I made a double batch :) Thanks for sharing this fabulous yet easy recipe!!
it was really good different from other kinds ive tasted in resturants. i love it and soo easy to make!
This is excellent! It's very tasty and I never thought I would like something Middle Eastern so much. It's delicious, quick to make, and pretty healthy. A new favorite in my home. Don't let the few number of reviews fool you, honestly.
This chicken was lovely. I didn't care for the sauce but the chicken itself fantastic.
Also poured honey on it and kids (5and 3) gobbled it up. Parents followed suit with honey and ate with naan bread and made wraps with chicken, yogurt sauce and honey. So delicious. Instant fav
This was a good flavor and the chicken was moist. I think it took longer to bake than 35 mins.
The dipping sauce is a must it is just perfect with this chicken which I have cooked soooo many times and its always perfect
I loved this recipe and followed it exactly. It tasted great and was very easy. I will make again and again. Thanks!
This was really good IMO. My husband LOVES it. We will definitely be having this again!
I have made this recipe many many times. The chicken is so tender and I just love the garlic sauce. I serve it with a side of wild rice and hummus. A real favorite. I have to have copies of this recipe on hand to give to every person who tastes it, they always ask for it.. I make it will everything as is including the curry and cinnamon. I serve with rice, hummus and a salad that I try to make Arabic. Love it.
I wish I could give this a four and a half. I enjoyed this dish very much. The flavors are a little different from what I would normally cook, but was definitely a welcome change! I don't know that marinating for as long as told is necessary, but I would highly recommend anyone looking for a healthier and different recipe would do well by this dish!
