Getting sick of the same old chicken breast recipes? Don’t worry. This chicken breast sheesh tawook is just what you’re looking for. It’s easy, super flavorful, and only has one or two ingredients (probably) that you don’t already have in your house.
If you’re wondering what the heck chicken breast sheesh tawook is, and how/why I started making it, read on. If you just want the recipe, please feel free to scroll all the way to the bottom!
One of the wonderful things about Bahrain is that you can get virtually any kind of food delivered to your doorstep. Want a doughnut and coffee from Dunkin? Some butter chicken and garlic naan? Green juice and kale salad? Shawarma and falafel? Cheeseburger and sweet potato fries? Just open an app and order. Add that ease to the fact that Toby usually didn’t get home from work until 8 or 9 p.m., and we got in the (bad) habit of ordering out. A lot. And though the list of foods you can order is very international, our go-to was a Middle Eastern restaurant called Al Abraaj.
The first time we ordered from Al Abraaj, I looked at the pictures of everything and decided on chicken breast sheesh tawook because 1. It has chicken breast in the name, and I don’t like dark meat chicken and 2. It looked like it was actual pieces of chicken, instead of chicken meatball-like items (which I do not like, but are very common there). Well friends, I loved it. So every other subsequent time we ordered from there, I would get some of the chicken breast sheesh tawook.
But then we moved to Okinawa, and, as you might imagine, there aren’t many Middle Eastern restaurants here. So one day, I was craving Al Abraaj, and I Googled chicken sheesh tawook. Lo and behold, this recipe popped up! It turns out that the “sheesh” (aka “shish”) means skewers, and “tawook” means chicken… but I’ve been making it without skewers, and it’s delicious! I hope you love it, too.
Oh, and a note on the spices: It’s best if you have all of them, of course, but if you don’t have allspice or cardamom, it’s not the end of the world.
Chicken Breast Sheesh Tawook
(Serves 4-6, adapted from All Recipes)
4 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup lemon juice (I usually use one large lemon and then add a little more from a bottle of lemon juice if necessary)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup plain yogurt (this is important! You can use Greek yogurt instead, but don’t use sour cream! And definitely don’t use vanilla or something flavored.)
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
Between 2 and 2.5 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast
Optional: Wooden skewers*
Smash and mince the garlic, and put it in a bowl large enough to hold all the chicken. Add the lemon juice, oil, yogurt, tomato paste, and spices, and stir well to combine.
Cut the chicken into roughly 2-inch pieces, then put it in the bowl. Stir to make sure all the chicken is coated in the yogurt mixture, then cover the bowl and put it in the refrigerator for at least four hours and as long as overnight.
If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 15 minutes before cooking, then thread the chicken onto them.
When you’re ready to cook the chicken, heat a grill pan on the stove over medium heat and spray it with oil. Use tongs to transfer the chicken to the grill pan, making sure it is in a single layer (you may have to cook it in two batches, depending on the size of your grill pan). Let the chicken cook for about 5 minutes, then use the tongs to turn all of the chicken pieces over.
Wash the tongs well with soap and water, or switch to a clean pair of tongs.
After the chicken has cooked for 5 minutes on the other side, use the clean tongs to turn it again. If it looks nice and golden, cut into one of the largest pieces and make sure it’s no longer pink in the middle. If it is, let all the chicken cook for a few more minutes, until all of it is cooked through (clean the tongs again if they touched raw chicken!).
Once the chicken is cooked, transfer to a plate and enjoy! I like to serve it with homemade hummus, roasted or grilled bell peppers, steamed broccoli, or roasted sweet potatoes (I sprinkle Bahrain mixed spice blend over them, but I realize not everyone has access to that!).
*The “Sheesh” in sheesh tawook means skewers, so technically you’re supposed to cook this on them, but I don’t.
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