Shish tawook
شيش طاووق
Yoghurt-garlic chicken skewers — pale, tangy, grilled, and unfinished without garlic sauce and pita.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: شيش طاووق.
0 people cooked this in the public kitchen yet. Kitchen-tested by I Want Some Food. Not a purchased rating.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 12 min
- Total
- 2 hr 32 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- Weeknight budget$8–16 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Shish tawook is chicken in yoghurt, lemon, garlic and a little tomato paste, grilled until just cooked. It should stay juicy. Toum (garlic emulsion) is the correct sauce; a blunt garlic yoghurt is the Tuesday stand-in.
Ingredients
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Mix yoghurt, lemon, garlic, tomato, paprika, oil and salt. Coat chicken. Chill 2 hours.
10 minStep 2
Skewer. Grill or pan-sear 10–12 minutes, turning, until just done. Pita, pickles, extra garlic.
12 min
Adapt this recipe
The canonical recipe stays intact. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are maths, not AI.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 24 August.
Substitutions
Yoghurt → A little extra lemon and oil
Less tender. Still a garlic skewer.
Tips
- Thigh forgives a hot grill. Breast dries if you chat.
- Toum is oil, garlic, lemon, ice — an emulsion. Worth learning once.
History & culture
The mixed grill. Also a weeknight if you skewer and use a ripping pan.
Ottoman shish plus Levantine garlic. The yoghurt marinade is the one that travelled.
Traditional
Provenance: Editorial adaptation. Original editorial adaptation for I Want Some Food. Not copied from another recipe site. Official recipe photography is pending. Photograph: Miansari66 via Wikimedia Commons (CC0). https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shish%20Taouk.JPG
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips — not a chatbot.
How long does Shish tawook take?
2 hr 32 min all in — 20 min prep, 12 min cook, 2 hr rest. That is the time on this recipe, not a guess.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 4 skewers. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Easy.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Milk. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Gluten-free, Nut-free.
What does it cost to cook?
Weeknight budget — about $8–16 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Mixing bowl, Frying pan.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at 1 tsp.
What can I use instead?
Yoghurt → A little extra lemon and oil. Less tender. Still a garlic skewer.
Any tips from this recipe?
Thigh forgives a hot grill. Breast dries if you chat. Toum is oil, garlic, lemon, ice — an emulsion. Worth learning once.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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