Joojeh Kabob (Persian Chicken Kabob)

Joojeh kabob is juicy, tender and delicious. The secret is in the perfect marinade. This Persian chicken kabob recipe will sure become one of your go-to recipes for the summer BBQ season. This is also an easy chicken kabob recipe for all the keto, low-carb and gluten-free folks. 

Recently I was introduced to Persian Joojeh chicken kabobs. After trying it, I was immediately hooked! I love how the marinade made the chicken so tender. I also love the wholesome ingredients going into the recipe.

Joojeh Kabob Ingredients

Here is everything you need for this simple recipe:

• Chicken: You can use either white meat or dark meat that’s skinless and boneless. I am a dark meat lover in general, and chicken leg meat will never go wrong. But I would totally use chicken breast meat in Joojeh kabobs too, because the marinade does an amazing job tenderizing the tougher chicken breasts. 
• Onion: Use only onion juice in this recipe. The enzymes in onion juice is a great meat tenderizer and add flavour to the chicken. Discard or save the onion pulp for other dishes.
• Garlic: I make my Joojeh Persian chicken kabobs with a lot of garlic, which adds so much flavour to the kabobs. 
• Yogurt or Kefir: Yogurt is the common choice. But I used my homemade organic whole milk kefir in the marinade instead of store-bought yogurt, because I have an abundance of it and they are healthier. You can use either yogurt or kefir, as they produce similar result in terms of flavours and as meat tenderizers. 
• Turmeric Powder: I added turmeric for the colour, instead of using the pricier saffron. Although saffron is typically in the Joojeh Kabobs, turmeric is a very common substitute and authentic Persian spice for Joojeh as well. Turmeric has anti-inflammatory properties. 
• Ground Black Pepper: When pairing black pepper with turmeric, it increase the absorption of curcumin in turmeric. 
• Salt
• Lemon
• Avocado Oil

How to Make Joojeh Kabob Marinade

1. Puree the onion in a food processor.
2. Pour onion puree into a nut milk bag and squeeze out the onion juice. Discard or save the onion pulp for other dishes.
3. Extract juice from the lemon. 
4. Finely mince or grate the garlic. 
5. Mix onion juice, minced garlic, lemon juice, turmeric powder, salt, black pepper, yogurt or kefir into the cut chicken.

How Long Should I Marinate the Chicken?

I recommend marinating the chicken for a minimum of 24 hours, up to 48 hours in the fridge. Cut the chicken meat into bite size pieces first before mixing with the marinade. This is a great recipe to prepare ahead of time, then leave the chicken to marinate in the fridge, for parties and gatherings. 

Making The Skewers

Assemble the kabobs right before grilling. Then brush them with oil to prevent sticking to the grill. Save the leftover marinade to baste the chicken during cooking.

Related: More Tasty Recipes For The Grill

• Japanese Grilled Turkey Skewers
• Grilled Okra (Keto, Vegan, Paleo)
• Grilled Beef Liver (Keto, Paleo, Low-Carb)

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Joojeh Kabob (Persian Chicken Kabob)

Joojeh kabob is juicy, tender and delicious. The secret is in the perfect marinade. This Persian chicken kabob recipe will sure become one of your go-to recipe for the summer BBQ season. This is also an easy chicken kabob recipe for all the keto, low-carb and gluten-free folks. 

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: Iranian, Persian

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Marinating Time: 1 day day

Total Time: 1 day day 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 people

Calories: 472kcal

Author: Yang

Cost: $12

Equipment

• Food Processor
• Skewers
• Nut Milk Bag
• BBQ
• Lemon Squeezer
• Garlic Press

Ingredients

To Make the Kabobs

• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast or thigh
• 1 medium onion yield 1/3 cup onion juice per onion
• 1 lemon yield 3 tablespoons lemon juice per lemon
• 6 cloves garlic minced
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup plain yogurt or kefir
• 1/4 cup avocado oil

To Serve with

• sumac
• lemon wedges
• fresh parsley finely-chopped

Instructions

• Cut chicken into bite size pieces, then put in a large bowl.
• Peel and roughly chop the onion. Puree the onion in a food processor.
• Pour onion puree into a nut milk bag and squeeze out the onion juice. Save the onion juice. Discard/reuse the onion solids for other dishes.
• Cut the lemon in half, extract juice from both halves of the lemon. Finely mince or grate the garlic.
• Add onion juice, minced garlic, lemon juice, turmeric powder, salt, black pepper, yogurt or kefir into the bowl of chicken. Mix well and let it marinate in a covered container in the fridge for 24 to 48 hours.
• Right before cooking, thread the chicken pieces onto the skewers.
• Heat the BBQ on high heat. Brush each chicken kabob with oil to prevent sticking and place the kabobs on the grill. Grill each side for 3 to 4 minutes, while basting the chicken kabobs with the remaining marinade, until thoroughly cooked. Remove the kabobs from the grill.
• Serve the kabobs with sumac, lemon wedges and fresh chopped parsley.

Video

Notes

1. I use my homemade milk kefir in the marinade, but you can use yogurt instead.
2. I love paring the chicken kabobs with rice, and pickled vegetables, such as these delicious pickled shallots.

Nutrition

Calories: 472kcal | Carbohydrates: 3.9g | Protein: 67.3g | Fat: 18.9g | Saturated Fat: 5.2g | Cholesterol: 203mg | Sodium: 1958mg | Potassium: 669mg | Fiber: 0.8g | Sugar: 1.5g | Calcium: 83mg | Iron: 3mg

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