Hubby Dear and I are huge fans of Kebabs, and Chicken Kebabs being our favourite. These bite-sized succulent chunks of meat, delicately spiced and dunked into some chutney or even simply ketchup, can make us swoon and forgo a 6-course meal altogether. Hence, it comes as no surprise that while I was pregnant with Baby Dear we ate Chicken Kebabs quite often. There was a running joke that whenever either one of us would say the word kebab, Baby Dear would do a somersault. Which we kinda believed to be true since the mere mention of the word would invite some movement from the wee one nestled inside me!
Because it was the peak of summer, we relied out our BBQ grill a lot. Almost every weekend, we’d have friends over. They’d bring the sides, and we’d serve up a generous platter of kebabs. It was never too much trouble really; I would marinate the meat in a blend of yogurt and a mix of spices in the morning, set it to cool and soak in the flavours in the fridge throughout the day, and slap them on the grill come party time. Our guests were happy, and I hardly spent more than mere minutes prepping the meal. Win-Win for all.
Although this worked out extremely well and produced the most tender, succulent and juicy kebabs I’ve made, I would secretly wish that I’d made a platter of keema kebabs as well, to munch on. Keema Kebabs are the bite-sized patties made mainly with ground meat. They really are not that hard to prep for a party, and I do it quite often now. But for a heavily pregnant me, who hated to be on her feet for too long, frying these babies up for a large hungry group seemed like such a daunting task. But not anymore! I tend to buy my meats in bulk for a few weeks at a time, and I always reserve a portion of ground chicken for us to indulge in these.
Chicken Kebabs
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground chicken
- 1 medium-sized onion finely chopped
- 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger
- 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh garlic
- 1 big handful fresh cilantro leaves finely chopped
- 1 tsp coriander power
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
- 1/4 tsp garam masala
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 large egg beaten
- 3 tbsp chickpea flour, also known as besan
- salt & pepper to taste
- light cooking oil for frying
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients, except the oil, in a large bowl to incorporate well. You can set it aside in the fridge for a few hours or even overnight to marinate and let the flavours intensify.
- Divide the meat into 12 equal portions and form into patties.
- Heat enough oil to coat a wide pan, and shallow fry the patties for 3-5 minutes on each side till they are completely cooked through.
- Alternately, you can brush them with a slight amount of oil on both sides, and bake in a 375 degree pre-heated oven for 12-15 minutes, turning once in between until completely cooked through.
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Hi Meena, I would love to make these kabobs but I never keep chickpea flour at hand. Would other types of flour work? Such as all-purpose flour?
Hi Nishu! Yes, all-purpose flour, whole-wheat or even rice flour would do the trick. Do let me know how it goes
I love keema kebabs… my aunt used to makes these all the time and we called them ‘cutlets’. LOL, imagine my bemusement when I found out that cutlets were cuts of meat here. These chicken ones look fab, thanks for sharing 🙂
I’m pretty sure I could survive pretty much on kebabs as well but I also never think to make them. Yours sound so good!
I love kebabs, but I never think to make them. These look wonderful!