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Halal-conscious recipe

Afghan chicken skewer kabob with Halal chicken

Mursal Saiq's Afghan chicken kabob: Halal chicken thighs marinated in onion juice, coriander, chilli, lemon, chaat masala, cumin and turmeric, then grilled on skewers and served with naan, onion and tomato.

  • Cuisine Afghan
  • Meal Main
  • Difficulty Easy
  • Yield 4 to 6 skewers
  • Time 1h 55m
  • Last updated

Each method follows published technique for the dish, and every Halal substitution is checked against the ingredient pages we cite. Photographs come from our ingredient library rather than the finished dish.

Printable view
Greek chicken souvlaki merida: grilled meat cubes on wooden skewers with pita, fries, tomato, onion and tzatziki
Photograph from our ingredient library: chicken souvlaki, not the finished dish from this recipe.

Photo: Leeturtle · CC BY-SA 4.0

Why Halal checks matter here

The skewers are 500 g of chicken thighs, which are Halal only from Halal-slaughtered birds, and the marinade has 120 ml of apple cider vinegar, which is a scholarly difference.

These kabobs are bite-size pieces of chicken thigh marinated in a bright green paste of onion juice, coriander, green chilli, lemon juice, sesame oil, vinegar, ginger and garlic, chaat masala, cumin and turmeric, then grilled on long skewers until charred. Two things need checking: the chicken, from a Halal butcher or a certified pack, and the 120 ml of apple cider vinegar, which is a scholarly difference (see apple cider vinegar). Use it if your school accepts it; our swap is extra lemon juice.

It follows Mursal Saiq's Afghan chicken skewer kabob for BBC Good Food, which serves six. The chicken needs at least an hour in the marinade, or it can sit overnight.

Serve with naan or flatbreads, sliced onion and tomato wedges. The source pairs it with its own Afghan chutney and garlic yogurt.

Halal-critical ingredients

  • Chicken thighs Chicken is a Halal bird, but slaughter decides, and chicken without a Halal mark doesn't say how the bird was slaughtered. Buy the chicken from a Halal butcher or in a certified pack. See Chicken.
  • Apple cider vinegar Deliberately made vinegar is a scholarly difference: the Hanafi school and Indonesia's MUI permit it; the Shafi'i rule does not. Use it if your school accepts it, or use extra lemon juice instead (our swap). See Apple cider vinegar.
  • Naan Plain naan is Halal, but supermarket naan may contain emulsifiers such as E471. Read the pack, or buy from a bakery that can tell you what's in it. See Naan.

Safe substitutes

  • Chicken thighs of unknown slaughter → Halal skinless, boneless chicken thighs
  • 120 ml apple cider vinegar, if your school doesn't accept it → Extra lemon juice (our swap)

Allergens

sesame (sesame oil), gluten (naan, if served)

Ingredients

Marinade

  • 2 onions, chopped (for their juice)
  • 50 g bunch coriander
  • 1 green chilli
  • 2 lemons, juiced
  • 50 ml sesame oil
  • 120 ml apple cider vinegar (see the vinegar check below)
  • 1 tbsp ginger and garlic paste
  • 1 tbsp chaat masala
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric

Skewers

  • 500 g Halal skinless, boneless chicken thighs, in bite-size pieces

To serve

  • optional naan or flatbreads (optional)
  • 1 onion, finely sliced
  • 3 vine tomatoes, cut into wedges

Method

  1. Make onion juice. Blitz the chopped onions in a food processor, then press them through a sieve over a bowl to get the juice. Keep the juice and discard the pulp.
  2. Make the marinade. Put the coriander, chilli, lemon juice, sesame oil, vinegar, ginger and garlic paste, chaat masala, cumin, turmeric, onion juice and some seasoning in a food processor and whizz to a marinade.
  3. Marinate. Tip the chicken into a large bowl with the marinade, mix to coat and leave for 1 hour, or overnight.
  4. Grill. Thread the chicken onto 4 to 6 long metal skewers. Cook over ashen coals or wood, or on a gas barbecue or under a hot grill for 15 to 20 minutes, turning often, until charred and cooked through.
  5. Serve. Serve the skewers with naan or flatbreads, the sliced onion and the tomato wedges.

How this recipe was researched

Method adapted from BBC Good Food's 'Afghan chicken skewer kabob' by Mursal Saiq (serves 6: 2 chopped onions blitzed and pressed through a sieve for their juice, the pulp discarded; 50 g coriander, 1 green chilli, the juice of 2 lemons, 50 ml sesame oil, 120 ml apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp ginger and garlic paste, 1 tbsp chaat masala, 1 tsp each ground cumin and turmeric, the onion juice and seasoning whizzed into a marinade; 500 g skinless, boneless chicken thighs in bite-size pieces marinated 1 hour or overnight; threaded onto 4 to 6 long metal skewers and cooked over ashen coals or wood, or on a gas barbecue or under a hot grill 15 to 20 minutes, turning often; served with naan (Afghan naan preferred) or flatbreads, a finely sliced onion, 3 vine tomatoes in wedges, and the source's separate Afghan chutney and garlic yogurt). We specified Halal chicken thighs and flagged the cider vinegar per school, with extra lemon juice as our swap; nothing else needed changing. Timings follow the published technique rather than a kitchen test.

Technique and ingredient sources

  1. Afghan chicken skewer kabob — BBC Good Food Retrieved:

    By Mursal Saiq. Serves 6, prep 30 minutes plus marinating, cook 25 minutes: chicken thighs marinated 1 hour or overnight in onion juice, coriander, chilli, lemon, sesame oil, cider vinegar, ginger and garlic paste, chaat masala, cumin and turmeric, grilled on skewers 15 to 20 minutes. We specified Halal chicken and flagged the vinegar.

  2. Apple cider vinegar analysis — isithalal.food Retrieved:

    Why deliberately made cider vinegar is a scholarly difference.

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