June 15, 2015

Chicken Koobideh - Grilled Ground Chicken Kabab

Ground Chicken Kabab

With the arrival of warm weather, it's finally time to take my cooking outside to my backyard surrounded by ivy-covered trees, tall shrubs and evergreens, and get my grill going to make some delicious کباب کوبیده مرغ - chicken koobideh for my family. The entire process of making کباب - kabab from preparing the meat mixture, shaping it on long metal skewers with evenly spaced ridges, to standing over a hot grill on a hot summer day with all the flames, smoke and smell of charcoal is an especially nostalgic experience for me. کوبیده - Koobideh is a dish that I remember the most from my childhood since my mother would make kabab very often while we were growing up. I remember our portable منقل - manghal (grill) that was placed by the side of the hayat (court-yard), always accessible and never put away even during winter. All it needed was some charcoal, matches and a بادبزن - badbezan (handheld fan) to get the fire going -- rain or shine. Well, of course mostly shine and very little rain where I grew up.


There are many varieties of kabab in Persian cuisine. Chelow Kabab Koobideh (saffron steamed plain rice with grilled kabab) is a national dish of Iran and it is traditionally made with ground lamb. However, when I moved here I found the lamb to have a strong smell and flavor and was very different from what I was used to in Iran. Therefore, I mostly use beef instead of lamb in my cooking. This is a low-fat chicken koobideh recipe for those of us trying to cut back on red meat  A cross between kabab koobideh and joojeh kabab that's worth a try!

Persian Yogurt Drink
Mast-o-Khiar
Chicken Koobideh

Kabab Koobideh Morgh - Chicken Koobideh

Ingredients:
Makes 6 metal flat skewers

2 pounds ground chicken (preferably thigh meat)
1 large onion, grated
1/3 teaspoon turmeric
1-2 tablespoons liquid saffron
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
A pinch of red pepper
Juice of 1-2 limes
Olive oil

Method:

  1. In a large mixing bowl combine ground chicken, grated onion, turmeric, saffron, salt, black pepper, and red pepper. Mix well using your hands. Cover with a plastic wrap and set aside for 30 minutes for the flavors to come together.
  2. Leave a bowl of cool water next to you on the counter. Take a handful of the chicken mixture, place it around the skewer, dip your hand in the water and shape the meat into a long kabab. 
  3. In a small bowl mix the 2 tablespoons of olive oil with the lime juice. 
  4. Prepare your charcoal or gas grill, place the skewers over the grill, turning them every few minutes until each kabab is fully cooked.
  5. Brush the olive oil and lime juice mixture over the kababs on both sides halfway through cooking.
Place the kababs on a platter, squeeze a bit of lime juice over the kabab, sprinkle with sumac. Serve with rice, grilled vegetables, mast o khiar and doogh.

22 comments:

  1. Hi, I havent seen you for ages :). delicious looking kebabs you have here :).

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  2. Hi Nammi jan! Yeah, I know. It's good to be back.Thank you!

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  3. Hi could you tell me what red pepper is. Thanks

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    Replies
    1. Hi Helen, ground red pepper as in cayenne pepper or red hot chili powder.

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  4. These look fab! I was planning on lamb koobideh this weekend, but might change to these!

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  5. You have a great blog and I like your style of writing.
    I also wanted to ask about those delicious looking talls drinks in one of the photos?

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    Replies
    1. Hi Kevin, those are doogh, Iranian yogurt drink. Thank you!

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  6. Hi Azita, I tried kabab and Mast-o- Khiar with available ingredients the other day it was awesomeee. I made it again this time I thought my blog audience should try it too so just made a post with credits to this page. Would be really happy if u could come and have a look.
    Regards,
    Meena

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  7. This recipe is so easy to follow and they turned out great! This makes dish #3 I've tried from your blog. I'm really enjoying trying them. Thanks!

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  8. Hi what is a good but cheap food processor for the meet? I can't find ground chicken.

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  9. Hi. Can you please roughly how long they should take? I have never cooked ground chicken before. Thank you. Jen

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    Replies
    1. Hi Jen, ground chicken kebobs don't take long to cook. Grill over direct medium heat for about 15 minutes.

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  10. I would like make this. What brand of liquid saffron do you use?

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    Replies
    1. Katie, take a pinch of saffron threads and use a mortar and pestle to crush them. Add 2 tablespoons of hot water, stir and allow to infuse for 20-30 minutes.

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  11. Hi there - could I use ground saffron to add directly to ground chicken instead of paprika? Also, could I cook the Koobideh in the oven b/c I don't have a grill. Please let me know and thank you so much! I love chicken koobideh.

    Raquel at rherre@gmail.com

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    1. Hi Raquel, my suggestion is that to bloom the crushed saffron in hot water for a few minutes before adding it to the ground chicken. Yes, you can cook the koobideh in the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Form the ground chicken mix into desired shape and place into a lightly oiled rectangular pyrex baking dish and place in the oven and cook for 20-25 minutes or until the meat is fully cooked.

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  12. hi i have attempted to make lamb kobideh a few times but they go a little grainy and dry ....what cut would you recommend?

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    Replies
    1. I like the combination of ground lamb and beef and don't overcook them.

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  13. Hi, what are yellow bits on top of the rice?

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  14. Hi. What is sumac and where do you find it?

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    Replies
    1. Sumac is a tangy spice and can be found in Middle Eastern markets.

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