Joojeh Kabab | Grilled Saffron Chicken
Succulent grilled saffron chicken.
Prep Time15 minutes mins
Cook Time15 minutes mins
Marinating Time4 hours hrs
Total Time4 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Assyrian, Middle Eastern
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 545kcal
- 3 lbs. chicken breast or boneless/skinless thighs (cubed)
- 1 medium red onion (quartered)
- 1 large green bell pepper (cubed)
- 1 medium zucchini (sliced into ¼" slices)
Marinade
- 1 large yellow onion (ground and strained)
- ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic (crushed)
- 2 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. white pepper
- 1 tsp. thyme (optional)
Baste
- ¼ cup melted butter
- ¼ tsp. ground saffron (dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot water)
Cut chicken into 2" cubes and add to a Ziploc bag. Prepare the red onion, bell pepper, and zucchini, then set aside.
Marinade
Run the yellow onion through a food processor then drain the liquid through a strainer. Freeze the onion pulp for future use.
Mix the onion juice with freshly squeezed lemon juice, pressed garlic, salt, pepper, and thyme (optional).
Pour the marinade over the chicken in the ziplock bag. Seal and allow to marinate for 4 or more hours.
Skewer the chicken on metal skewers, alternating with onions, peppers, and zucchini.
Baste and Grill
Dissolve ground saffron in 1 tablespoon of hot water, then mix with the melted butter. Baste the chicken with the saffron butter.
Barbecue over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes per side or until the chicken is cooked to your liking. Continue to baste the chicken until it's done cooking or you run out of basting mix.
- Unlike most marinades, this marinade does not include oil. I left it out because the chicken is basted with butter as it cooks. If you would like to add some olive oil, mix ¼ cup into the marinade.
- Some Joojeh Kabob recipes call for yogurt in the marinade. If you want to add yogurt, mix ¼ cup of plain yogurt into the marinade.
- Sometimes the vegetables are skewered separately from the chicken. This is especially a good idea if you have vegetarians dining with you.
Calories: 545kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 74g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 248mg | Sodium: 1360mg | Potassium: 1574mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 765IU | Vitamin C: 61mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 2mg