Baked Chicken Skewers with Herb Drizzle, Crunchy Salad and Raita
Looking for a quick and easy meal? These baked chicken skewers are one of my go-tos on a busy weeknight. Imagine tender and spiced baked chicken skewers with fluffy rice, soft flatbreads and a crunchy salad. All topped off with a dollop of cooling cucumber raita.
Servings: 2 servings
Ingredients
For the baked chicken skewers:
- 2 large chicken breasts diced into large chunks
- 2 tbsp full-fat Greek yoghurt
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- Pinch of salt
For the salad:
- 1 carrot
- 1 head baby gem lettuce
- 2 spring onions
- Olive oil to taste
- Lemon juice to taste
For the raita:
- ½ cucumber
- 240 g full-fat Greek yoghurt
- A few mint leaves chopped
- Lemon juice to taste
- ½ garlic clove crushed
- Pinch of chilli flakes or to taste
- Pinch of salt to taste
For the herb drizzle:
- Handful coriander
- Olive oil
- ½ lemon
- Pinch of chilli flakes or to taste
- Pinch of salt to taste
To serve:
- 2 flatbreads
- 300 g cooked rice
Instructions
- Dice the chicken into large chunks. Add to a bowl with the yoghurt, spices, minced garlic and a good pinch of salt. Allow to marinade for a minimum of 1 hour. Overnight also works well. Just mix it all in an airtight container and place in fridge overnight.
- Preheat the grill to high, an air fryer to 180C or an oven to 200C/180C Fan.
- Once the chicken has marinated, add to skewers. Then brush with oil and either grill or air fry for 6 minutes on each side (12 minutes in total) or oven bake for 10 minutes on each side (20 minutes in total) - or until cooked all the way through. The exact time will depend on the size of your chicken pieces.
- For the salad, peel the carrot and dice into straws, finely chop the lettuce and chop the spring onions. Toss together with a little olive oil and lemon juice.
- For the raita, grate the cucumber with a box grater, gather into a ball and squeeze out the excess liquid. Place into a bowl and add the yoghurt along with some chopped mint, a squeeze of lemon, half a grated garlic clove and a pinch of chilli flakes. Mix well and season to taste.
- For the herb drizzle finely dice the coriander and place into a separate bowl. Drizzle in some olive oil and lemon juice. Add a pinch of chilli flakes and mix to combine. It should be loose enough to drizzle but not too oily. Taste and add salt, if needed.
- Once the skewers are cooked, Divide between 2 plates. Serve with warm flatbread, fluffy rice and the crisp salad. Spoon over the herb drizzle and add a dollop of the cooling cucumber raita.
Notes
Chicken: you can swap the chicken breasts for diced chicken thighs, if you prefer. Diced pork also works well.
Skewers: you can use metal or bamboo skewers for these baked chicken skewers. However, if you opt for the metal ones, remember the ends will be very hot when you remove them from the oven! If using bamboo skewers, always soak them in water 30 minutes before using.
Perfectly cooked: these baked chicken thighs can be cooked on the grill, in an airfryer or oven. Just remember to adjust the cooking time accordingly. A regular oven will take slightly longer (around 10 minutes on each side - 20 minutes overall).
Serving suggestions: I love serving these baked chicken skewers with rice, flatbread, salad and raita. However, you can swap for all sorts of different grains. You don’t even need to worry about cooking it yourself, the microwavable pouches are fine. You can also use all sorts of flatbreads (see ‘substitutions’ for ideas). The raita is super simple, but a dollop of Greek yoghurt is just as delicious.
Make ahead: add the chicken pieces to the marinade, then cover and chill overnight. Continue with the recipe the following day.