Tavuk Sis Kebabi is Turkish Shish Kebab. ‘Tavuk’ means chicken in Turkish language, ‘Sis Kebabi’ is ‘skewer kebab/ kabob.’ Turkish Kebabs are all about the flavour of the chicken and the marinate.
Chicken Shish is found all over the Middle East and is also one of the simplest kebabs in terms of ingredients. Authentic Turkish shish kebabs are actually very plain in comparison to come of their other counterparts. The key to great authentic Turkish kebab is in the quality of the meat and the flavour imparted by the marinade. There are many versions of how to marinate the chicken kebabs, and for this one I have made a simple marinade of plain yogurt, garlic and spices that transforms the chicken into succulent flavourful kebabs.
The main part of the marinate if garlic and lime juice. Not only do they impart flavour to the chicken but also works as a tenderizer. Sometimes in Turkey fresh tomato is used in the marinade. Half or full tomato is squeezed into the marinade and the acidity from the tomato helps in tenderizing the chicken, and the sugars helps in caramelizing and gives the glorious golden colour as it cooks. I have used tomato paste in my recipe as I think sometimes tomato juice makes the marinade thin. But feel free to explore it.
I often serve these kebabs with other mezze like Houmous, Turkish Ezme, Turkish Cacik, Pide Ekmek, Pita, Labneh, Saksuka to name a few.
