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Turmeric Chicken Kebabs

4 from 4 votes

Posted: · Updated: · by ·

These flavorful chicken skewers are infused with turmeric and cilantro and pair perfectly with herb-seasoned basmati rice, pumpkin seeds, and charred green onions. Ready in 30 minutes, they’re delightful with a fresh tomato and cucumber salad.

Grilled Turmeric Chicken Kebabs over Basmati Rice with Charred Green Onions, Pumpkin Seeds and Cilantro makes a surprising easy weeknight meal.
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I love the way the vibrant astringency of turmeric combines so beautifully with the creamy, whole milk homemade yogurt, whether that's in a smoothie or in a marinade, like this one, that so beautifully infuses these Grilled Turmeric Chicken Kebabs with deep flavor and an utterly delightful golden color.

For a weeknight meal, we like to grill these chicken kebabs and some green onions, to serve with a fragrant basmati rice dressed with pumpkin seeds, sea salt and fresh cilantro.  It's an easy meal, certainly easier than it looks, and it comes together in about a half hour.

The Power of Turmeric, Black Pepper and Ghee

Turmeric, the brilliant orange powder that will color everything if you're not too careful, is a near magical ingredient.  Not only is its flavor bright and unmistakable, but it also acts as a powerful antioxidant and strongly anti-inflammatory food owing to one of its components: curcumin.

Like many other potent antioxidants, curcumin is fat-soluble, and it is more bioavailable and does more good for your body when it is paired with fat.  In this recipe, we partner turmeric not only with avocado oil which is rich in heart-healthy monounsaturated fat, but also grass-fed ghee, another nourishing fat, noted for its plethora of fat-soluble vitamins.

Curcumin is also made more bioavailable by black pepper, and you'll often see the marriage of curcumin-rich turmeric with black pepper in traditional Indian cookery's curries and sauces as well as in the recipe for Turmeric Chicken Kebabs below.

Rate this Recipe
4 from 4 votes
6 servings

Turmeric Chicken Skewers

Marinated in yogurt, herbs, and turmeric, these chicken skewers pair perfectly with basmati rice topped with cilantro and pumpkin seeds—a quick, flavorful weeknight meal.
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Ingredients

For the Chicken

  • 2 cups yogurt
  • ¼ cup avocado oil
  • 1 medium lemon (juiced)
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 2 tablespoons garlic
  • 2 tablespoons turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts

For the Rice

  • ¼ cup ghee
  • 1 cup basmati rice
  • 1 ½ cups bone broth
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 bunch scallions
  • ¼ cup pumpkin seeds
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

For the Dipping Sauce

  • ½ cup yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil

Equipment

  • metal skewers

Instructions

Marinate the chicken.

  • Whisk the yogurt, avocado oil, lemon juice, cilantro, garlic, turmeric, sea salt and black pepper together in a large glass bowl. Chop the chicken into 1-inch pieces and toss them into the marinade, stirring to coat them completely with the marinade. Cover the bowl, and then set it in the refrigerator to allow the chicken to marinate at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.

Make the rice.

  • Pour the rice into a fine-mesh strainer, and then place it under the faucet, allowing the water to run through the rice until clear.
  • Melt the ghee over high heat in a braising dish, and then toss in the rice, stirring until each grain is lightly coated. Pour in the chicken broth. Bring the chicken broth and rice to a boil over high heat, then immediately turn the heat down to low. Cover the pot and allow the rice to cook, undisturbed, for twenty minutes or until the liquid is fully absorbed, and the rice tender and cooked through.

Grill the chicken skewers.

  • Preheat the grill.
  • Grill the kebabs over high heat, about 7 to 8 minutes on each side, until the meat is opaque and cooked through. Set the chicken on a plate to rest.
  • When you turn the chicken, add the green onions to the grill and cook them until well-charred, about 8 minutes, turning once.
  • Seasoning the Rice and Finishing the Dish
  • Once the rice is fully cooked, set the charred green onions onto a cutting board, chop off and discard the root tip, then finely chop the remaining onions. Open the braising dish, fluff the rice with a fork, and lightly stir in the charred green onions, cilantro, and pumpkin seeds. Arrange the chicken skewers over the rice.

Make the dipping sauce.

  • Stir the yogurt with cilantro, mint, avocado oil and sea salt. Serve with the skewers and rice.

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    Recipe Rating




  1. M Dawson says

    5 stars
    This sounds wondferful.

    Reply

  2. Jenna says

    3 stars
    Just made this tonight and it was delicious! Only criticism is that the yogurt dip wasn't as tasty as I would have imagined. I love your recipes and blog. Un grande abbraccio da Milano!

    Reply

  3. Jeremy says

    3 stars
    I made this today, thank you for the inspiration... it was delicious! If I can give criticism, I felt the marinade was really excessive in volume. I actually doubled the about of chicken (3 lb) and there was still too much marinade. It felt it was a bit wasteful. Also what is the step between marinade to kabobs? Do you try to remove the yogurt? I cooked it on the cold side for the majority of cooking and then just seared it on the hot side at the very end. Otherwise the yogurt/oil goes up in flame.

    Reply

  4. BrowniferBites says

    5 stars
    This looks so delicious!!!! Thank you for posting the recipe!!!!

    Reply