Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 2 lbs. boneless organic chicken breast and thigh meat, cut into large cubes
- 1 red onion
- Mushrooms, cleaned
- Marinade:
- 1 Onion, sliced
- 1 Lemon, thoroughly rinsed and microwaved for 10 seconds to make it easier to juice
- 4 bay leaves
- 1/2 bottle Khmeli Suneli spice mix
- Fresh Mint
- Salt & Pepper
- 1 cup + lots more Mineral water/Seltzer water – TFD recommends the superb Borjomi carbonated mineral water from Georgia
- Garnish (optional):
- 1 sliced onion (very thinly sliced)
- Chopped fresh mint
- White Vinegar (small amount, enough to make the onion “wet”)
Instructions
- Marinade: Place chicken into a pot and add the marinade: the lemon, wedged and squeezed into the pot, the onion slices, khmeli suneli, bay leaves (just for taste, remove before skewering and grilling) and the Mineral/Seltzer water.
- Mix up the chicken and marinade in the pot. Now, add several more cups of carbonated mineral water or seltzer water to the point that it begins to cover the meat mixture.
- At this point, place a heavy lid that is a size to small on top and weigh down. Place in refrigerator overnight and remove only the chicken to thread onto skewers before grilling.
- Slice the red onion very thick to get chunky wedges (1-2”), place alongside a large mushroom and then 1-2 pieces of chicken, repeat down the skewer with the marinated meat.
- Be sure to soak wooden skewers for a few hours prior to cooking in water. It metal, handle with care once on the grill as they heat up FAST.
- Prepare a mesquite charcoal grill. Place skewers on grill and cook (turning several times) until done.
- Put some white vinegar in a Dasani water bottle diluted down with water. For full effect, poke a hole in the cap, screw it back on, then squirt the vinegar water through the hole onto the cooking skewers. Remove when done.
- Garnish:
- Mix together in bowl and smash/crush with your hands to break the onion slices and release their juices. Mix together vigorously until onion, mint and vinegar are combined. Serve on top of or on the side of the chicken shashlyk with bread on the side. Try pita or TFD’s personal choice of accompaniment for this dish, non bread from Tajikistan!
