Shish Tawook: Juicy Middle Eastern Grilled Chicken Skewers

By:

Ruby Bennett

Published:

July 16, 2026

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What Is Shish Tawook?

Shish Tawook, also spelled Shish Taouk, is a Middle Eastern dish of marinated chicken threaded onto skewers and grilled. This version coats bite-sized chicken with plain yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, tomato paste, garlic, paprika, cumin, and oregano. The result is juicy, well-seasoned chicken with lightly charred edges and a bright, savory marinade.

The yogurt helps the seasonings cling to every piece, while lemon juice adds freshness and tomato paste contributes color and a deeper savory note. Cutting the chicken into similar-size pieces matters because the pieces need to finish cooking at roughly the same time.

Juicy Middle Eastern grilled chicken skewers

You can serve the chicken directly from the skewers or remove it for gyros, wraps, salads, and sandwiches. It works especially well when you want a grilled chicken recipe with familiar ingredients but a different flavor profile from everyday barbecue chicken.

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Shish Tawook Ingredients

The recipe makes four servings and uses chicken breasts or thighs. Keep the quantities below unchanged so the marinade maintains the balance supplied by the source recipe.

Ingredients for Shish Tawook marinade and chicken

1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon tomato paste
3 cloves garlic, grated or minced
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces

What Each Marinade Ingredient Does

Plain yogurt forms the creamy base and helps coat the chicken evenly. Olive oil carries the seasonings across the surface, while lemon juice brings acidity and a clean citrus note. Tomato paste gives the marinade body and encourages rich color on the grill.

Garlic, paprika, cumin, and oregano create the warm, savory flavor associated with this chicken skewer recipe. Salt and black pepper complete the seasoning. The recipe allows either chicken breast or chicken thighs, so choose the cut you prefer without changing the stated amount.

Prepare the Chicken Evenly

Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces of similar thickness. Uniform pieces are easier to thread and less likely to leave you with a mix of overcooked and undercooked chicken on the same skewer. Keep the raw chicken refrigerated while you prepare the marinade.

How to Make Shish Tawook

The method has three main stages: mix the marinade, refrigerate the coated chicken, and grill the skewers. Follow that order and use doneness, not surface color alone, to decide when the chicken is ready.

1. Mix the Marinade

In a bowl large enough to hold the chicken, combine the plain yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, tomato paste, grated or minced garlic, paprika, ground cumin, dried oregano, salt, and black pepper. Stir until the tomato paste and spices are evenly distributed through the yogurt.

Mixing the yogurt marinade for Shish Tawook

2. Marinate the Chicken

Add the bite-sized chicken and turn the pieces until every surface is coated. Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes or up to overnight. Marinating under refrigeration keeps the raw poultry at a safe temperature while the chicken absorbs the garlic, lemon, and spices.

Set aside any sauce you want for serving before raw chicken touches the marinade. Do not brush cooked chicken with used raw-poultry marinade unless that marinade has first been brought to a full boil.

3. Thread and Grill

Thread the marinated chicken onto skewers, leaving the pieces secure but not tightly compressed. Grill over medium-high heat for about 2 to 5 minutes per side. Turn the skewers so the chicken cooks evenly and develops lightly charred edges.

Shish Tawook skewers cooking on the grill

Tomato paste can encourage quick browning, so move the skewers away from flare-ups if the outside darkens before the center is cooked. According to USDA safe poultry temperature guidance, chicken should reach 165Â°F. For small pieces on a skewer, insert the thermometer from the side toward the center of a thick piece.

Common Grilling Mistakes

Uneven pieces: Large and small pieces finish at different times.
A cold or weak grill: Medium-high heat helps create lightly charred edges without requiring a long cooking time.
Judging only by color: Marinade can brown before the chicken is safely cooked, so confirm the center with a thermometer.
Overcrowding the skewer: Tightly packed pieces can cook less evenly where they touch.
Using contaminated marinade: Keep serving sauce separate from anything that touched raw poultry.

How to Serve Shish Tawook

Serve Shish Tawook hot from the grill, either directly on the skewers or removed for easier eating. The source specifically suggests using it in gyros with tabbouleh, creamy toum garlic sauce, and sumac onions. That combination gives you fresh vegetables, creamy garlic flavor, and a tangy onion accent alongside the smoky chicken.

Shish Tawook served with fresh accompaniments

Build a Wrap or Gyro

Remove the chicken from the skewers and tuck it into a gyro or wrap. Add tabbouleh, toum, and sumac onions without covering up the flavor of the marinade. This is also a practical way to portion the chicken for lunch.

Shish Tawook chicken prepared for a wrap or gyro

Make a Bowl or Salad

For a fork-friendly meal, place the grilled chicken over a salad or use it as the protein in a grain bowl. If grilled chicken bowls are part of your weekly rotation, the serving format used for this chimichurri grilled chicken bowl offers another useful source of meal-planning ideas.

Shish Tawook ready to serve in a bowl or salad

Serve It as Grilled Chicken

Shish Tawook can remain the centerpiece of the plate, with tabbouleh and sauces served alongside. For another grilled chicken flavor profile, compare it with this Korean BBQ chicken. The recipes are different, but both show how a well-seasoned marinade can turn chicken into a flexible main dish.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Shish Tawook?

Shish Tawook, or Shish Taouk, is Middle Eastern marinated chicken threaded onto skewers and grilled. This recipe uses a yogurt, lemon, tomato paste, garlic, paprika, cumin, and oregano marinade.

How long should you marinate Shish Tawook?

Cover and refrigerate the chicken in the marinade for at least 20 minutes or up to overnight. Keep it refrigerated throughout the marinating period.

How do you know when the chicken is safely cooked?

Grill the skewers over medium-high heat for about 2 to 5 minutes per side, until cooked through and lightly charred. Confirm that a thick piece reaches 165Â°F with a food thermometer.

What can you serve with Shish Tawook?

Serve it from the skewer or use the chicken in gyros, wraps, salads, and sandwiches. Tabbouleh, creamy toum garlic sauce, and sumac onions are the specific accompaniments suggested by the source.

Shish Tawook: Juicy Middle Eastern Grilled Chicken Skewers

What Is Shish Tawook?