Yoghurt, toasted cumin and cardamom coat the chicken in Delia Smith’s chicken kebabs, which spend a night in the fridge before they’re threaded with red onion, green chillies and bay. Ten minutes a side under a hot grill or over the coals is all they need, and the four skewers feed 4 with a sharp coriander chutney on the side.
Two of her books carry the recipe. In How to Cook Book One, from 1998, they come with her spiced pilau rice with nuts, while The Delia Collection: Chicken (2003) pairs them with a raw red onion and tomato salad, and the card uses that later recipe.
She rates yoghurt very highly as a marinade, and after a night in it the chicken comes out really tender. The 1998 book adds that the dish isn’t too high in fat, even with the skin left on the breasts.
Off the grill the chicken is golden-yellow and lightly charred at the edges, fragrant with cardamom, with sweet onion, a gentle heat from the chillies and the green chutney cutting through it all.
Delia Smith’s Chicken Kebabs with Whole Spices, Yoghurt and Fresh Coriander Chutney
Breast pieces soaked overnight in spiced yoghurt, skewered with onion, chilli and bay, grilled hot and served with a blender chutney of coriander and lime.
4
servings30
minutes20
minutes415
kcalIngredients
- For the kebabs:
4 boneless chicken breasts, about 175g (6oz) each, skin on
½ large red onion, halved and separated into layers
8 green chillies, halved and deseeded
4 bay leaves, cut in half
olive oil, to sprinkle
salt and freshly milled black pepper
lime quarters, to serve
- For the marinade:
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1½ teaspoons coriander seeds
12 cardamom pods
1 rounded tablespoon turmeric
1 rounded tablespoon grated root ginger
3 cloves garlic, crushed
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon groundnut or other flavourless oil
275ml (10fl oz) thick natural yoghurt
- For the coriander chutney:
20g (¾oz) fresh coriander leaves
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 green chilli, halved and deseeded
1 clove garlic
½ teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon of the yoghurt, kept back from the marinade
Directions
- Spices: Dry-roast the cumin seeds, coriander seeds and cardamom pods in a small pan over a medium heat for about 1 minute, until the seeds start to jump. Let them cool and pick the seeds out of the cardamom pods. Crush everything in a pestle and mortar, then mix in the turmeric, ginger, garlic and sea salt.
- Marinate: Cut each chicken breast into 5 pieces. Toss them first in the groundnut oil, then in the spice mixture until evenly coated, and stir in all but 1 tablespoon of the yoghurt. Press the chicken down, lay clingfilm on the surface and chill for a few hours, or better still overnight.
- Chutney: Whizz the coriander, lime juice, chilli, garlic, sugar and the saved tablespoon of yoghurt in a blender. Pour it into a bowl and leave it for 2 to 3 hours so the flavours develop.
- Skewers: You need four 25cm (10in) skewers. If they’re wooden, soak them in hot water for 30 minutes so they don’t burn. Light the barbecue, or heat the grill on its highest setting for 10 minutes.
- Thread: On each skewer, thread half a bay leaf, then a piece of chicken, a piece of onion and half a chilli. Keep alternating until each one holds 5 pieces of chicken, finish with half a bay leaf and pack everything tightly together.
- Grill: Season the kebabs, lay them on the grill rack and sprinkle with a little olive oil. Set a foil-lined heatproof dish under the rack and grill them about 10cm (4in) from the heat for 10 minutes on each side, or cook them over the barbecue.
- Serve: Ease the chicken off the skewers with a fork, holding each skewer in a cloth, and serve with the lime quarters and the chutney in its own bowl.
Notes
- Whatever marinade is left in the bowl has been in contact with raw chicken, so throw it away rather than using it as a sauce, which is my own rule.
- You can thread the kebabs a few hours ahead and keep them covered in the fridge until the grill is hot, my own tip for a barbecue.
FAQs
Can I cook the kebabs on a barbecue?
Yes, and she rates them highly for the barbecue, where the charcoal brings an extra layer of flavour. They work just as well under a hot grill indoors, which is how the card is written.
Over the coals I’d wait until the flames have died down and the coals are covered in grey ash, then turn the kebabs every few minutes for about 20 minutes in all, my own guide. For a crowd at the same barbecue, her barbecue chicken glazes 18 drumsticks in apricot.
What if I can’t get coriander leaves?
Use mango chutney. Her 1998 version of the recipe says it goes well with the kebabs when there’s no coriander to be had for the green chutney.
A good shop-bought one is fine, and I’d squeeze a little extra lime over the kebabs to keep some of the sharpness, my own addition.
Can I make chicken tikka kebabs for one?
Yes, with her Chicken Tikka Kebab from One is Fun! It uses a single breast of about 175g in 2 tablespoons of yoghurt, with crushed cumin and coriander seeds, one cardamom pod, turmeric, garlic, ginger and a quarter teaspoon of chilli powder.
It marinates for at least 3 to 4 hours, then grills close to the heat for 10 to 15 minutes until the crust chars a little. Unlike the kebabs on the card, she threads it loosely so the heat reaches every piece, and serves it on rice.
Is there a lighter version?
There is, among the spring recipes in the same book. Her Marinated Chicken Brochettes take the skin off 2 breasts and swap the yoghurt for 175ml of buttermilk with garlic, ginger, chilli, coriander and turmeric, and she rates them five-star for anyone watching their waistline.
They’re threaded with yellow pepper as well as red onion and bay, brushed with the marinade as they grill, and served with a green couscous. She suggests this page’s coriander chutney with them too, made in half the quantity.
Can I use thighs or skinless chicken?
You can, though both are my own swaps, as she keeps the skin on the breasts. Boneless thighs stay juicy and need about 12 minutes a side.
Skinless breasts are leaner but dry out more easily, so check them after 8 minutes a side. Cut a piece open to be sure there’s no pink, or look for 75°C on a probe.
