Döner kebab is one of the many kebab recipes that you come across. Other variants are shawarma or the Greek gyros. Döner kebab is originally from Turkey. These kebabs are usually made on a vertical rotating spit like shawarma, but they also go very easily on skewers. Döner kebab was initially made with lamb, but you could also use beef or chicken as we did.
These kebabs are made with chicken thighs. The result is juicier and tastier than chicken breast. That’s because chicken thighs are fatter. That fat also makes it easier to grill because it protects the meat from overheating and drying out. Then you can grill it a little further to get those dark edges without eating a dry piece of chicken.
You can use chicken breast, but you will have to grill at a lower temperature and cook the chicken more low and slow. Then you could sear it at the end. Make sure that the pieces of chicken breast are about the same thickness before you skewer them.
We marinate the chicken thighs in a marinade made with yoghurt. We use Greek yoghurt for this, although these döner kebabs are originally Turkish. This marinade not only provides flavour but also makes the already tender chicken even more tender
Every kebab comes with a sauce. And preferably a sauce with a lot of garlic. We made this sauce with the same Greek yoghurt as the one in the marinade. That makes it so easy. You could also serve the kebabs with tzatziki or an excellent salsa to mix it all up.
When you grill the kebabs, you will see that the yoghurt marinade, and the chicken, will immediately stick to the grates. Don’t start pulling right away to get it loose. If you just let the grill, the marinade and the chicken will caramelize, and the meat will come loose on its own. That’s the sign to turn the skewers.
We wrap this döner kebab in Lebanese flatbread. You can get it in every supermarket. It is soft and thin bread, so you can easily roll it around your kebabs. Of course, you can make your own pita bread.
This is our döner kebab that we serve with tomato, cucumber, onion, lettuce and lemon wedges. If you are going to make them let us know in the comments below. Or better! Take a photo and post it on Instagram. Tag @bbq.heroes so we can see what you made.
