Shish Taouk in the UK: what it is, how to order it, where to find it
Shish taouk is Lebanese grilled chicken: cubes of chicken marinated in garlic, lemon and yoghurt, skewered and grilled over charcoal, served with toum, pickles and flatbread. Juicy, garlicky and charred, it is the chicken counterpart to lamb kebab and one of the most ordered grills on the Lebanese menu.
What shish taouk is
Boneless chicken (thigh or breast) is marinated in a mixture of garlic, lemon juice, yoghurt, olive oil and spices (paprika, sometimes a little tomato paste, cinnamon or seven-spice), threaded on skewers and grilled over charcoal until charred at the edges and juicy within. It is served with toum, the fierce whipped garlic-and-oil sauce that is its natural partner, along with pickled turnip, grilled tomato and flatbread, either on a plate with rice or wrapped as a sandwich. The marinade's garlic-and-lemon tang and the charcoal char are the signatures.
How to judge it
The chicken should be juicy and charred, not dry, the marinade evident, and it should come with a proper fierce toum, not a mild mayonnaise. Thigh stays juicier than breast on a grill. Dry, pale chicken with a weak sauce is the low end. A charcoal grill in view and a garlicky toum are the marks of a good Lebanese grill.
Shish taouk versus other grills
On a Lebanese mixed grill (mashawi) it sits alongside lamb kofta and lamb cubes (lahm mashwi). Shish taouk is the chicken; kofta the spiced lamb mince; lahm mashwi the lamb cubes. A mixed grill for the table with all three, plus toum, hummus and bread, is the way to eat a Lebanese grill.
Where it is done well in the UK
Lebanese and Levantine grills. The list below shows areas with the most Lebanese restaurants.
How to order it
Order shish taouk for juicy, garlicky charcoal chicken; it should come with a fierce toum (garlic sauce), not a mild mayo. Thigh stays juicier than breast. A mixed grill (mashawi) with kofta and lamb is the way to share.
Where it's done well
UK councils with the most shish taouk specialists, by restaurant name, in our directory.
Restaurants near you
Search by postcode or use your location to find restaurants likely to serve shish taouk near you.
Make it at home
Serves 4 · 40 min
Ingredients
- 700 g chicken thigh, cubed
- for the marinade: 4 garlic cloves crushed, juice of 1 lemon, 3 tbsp yoghurt, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp seven-spice, salt
- flatbread, toum, pickled turnip, grilled tomato
Method
- 01Marinate the chicken in the garlic, lemon, yoghurt, oil and spices for a few hours.
- 02Thread onto skewers and grill over hot charcoal, turning, until charred and cooked through.
- 03Rest briefly and serve with toum, pickles, grilled tomato and flatbread.
The yoghurt-and-garlic marinade tenderises and flavours; thigh stays juicy. Toum is the essential sauce.