Harissa Chicken Kebabs (Slimming World Friendly)

These gorgeous Harissa Chicken Kebabs are ideal for the BBQ or cooking under a grill and make for a lovely and light summer meal. 

I tend to serve with a big salad dressed in lemon juice and sumac and here I also roasted some peppers, red onion and courgette in Fry Light and served with wholemeal pitta. I'm currently doing Slimming World and the below makes x4 skewers which each work out to 1/2 syn each making this a really low-syn-meal especially if you use your Healthy Extra Option B choice for a wholemeal pitta or wrap. 

This is also great with a syn-free Tzatziki dip too; use this recipe but switch the Greek Yoghurt for Greek Fat Free Yoghurt instead. 

Here's how:

• 500g skinless, boneless chicken thighs
• 2 tbsp Harissa paste (you can find in most spice sections of supermarkets, I really like the M&S one)
• 2 tbsp fat free yoghurt
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 lemon
• 2 garlic cloves
• Salt
• Black pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic granules
• Fry Light

A few hours before you wish to cook the kebabs, get a bowl and fill with the fat free yoghurt, harissa paste, cumin, garlic granules, a pinch each of salt and black pepper and the garlic cloves, roughly chopped. Halve the lemon and squeeze in the juice and then throw the lemons into the bowl too for extra flavour. 

Give the marinade a good mix. 

Now chop the chicken into small, bite-sized pieces and throw into the marinade. Use a spoon to mix the chicken around in the marinade so every piece is immersed and soaking up the flavours. 

Cover with a lid or clingfilm and place into the fridge for a few hours, removing about 30 minutes before you wish to cook. 

When ready to cook; thread the chicken pieces onto skewers so they are tightly packed on. I recommend investing in some reusable metal skewers; you can pick up for under a fiver in the summer months, and they are much better than the throwaway wooden ones; plus there's no chance of them setting alight on the BBQ or under the grill.

When the chicken is all threaded on, give each one a spray with Fry Light then place the skewers under a hot grill or onto the hot BBQ and allow to cook for exactly four minutes, then carefully turn onto the over side and cook for a further four minutes, which should be ample time to cook through. Take one skewer off and check one of the biggest pieces of chicken by cutting into the centre, and ensuring it isn't pink inside. 

If satisfied these are cooked, remove from the grill and place onto a plate to rest for another four minutes, or return to the grill for a couple more minutes to finish off. Enjoy!

If like us, you love a kebab or food one a skewer here are a few other recipes you may like:

• Adana Kebab
• Chicken Tikka Kebabs
• Italian Chicken Skewers
• Beef Terriyaki Skewers
• Lamb Shish Kebab
• Beef Kofte Kebabs
• Chicken Souvlaki
• Healthy Chicken Shish Kebabs

Lamb Shish Kebab

These lamb shish kebabs, are a real tasty fakeaway treat for all of the family - much needed at the moment while we're all self-isolating. We had this last night with some Healthy Chicken Shish Kebabs, Turkish giant couscous, flatbreads, Cacik and Hummus and a lovely feta salad and we got the Turkish music blaring on YouTube and even opened some Efes to make us feel like we might be at a restaurant.

You can play around with the spicing to your personal taste. and the longer you marinate the meat for, the better, more flavourful and more tender it will be. 

The below cooks them to 'medium rare' with just a blushing pink in the centre; if you prefer your lamb cooked right through, just cook for longer. 

I cooked this under our grill last night - but you could of course cook on a barbecue too; although it's a bit trickier to get the timing right on coals or gas. 

I have included below for a 'vegetable skewer' which is just a lovely accompaniment to have charred onion and red pepper with your kebabs, but you could alternatively thread the lamb kebabs with the onion and pepper too or omit if you're not keen.

Lamb Shish Kebab

Here's how:

• 500g lamb leg 
• 3 tbsp natural yoghurt
• Juice and body of 1 lemon
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp cinnamon 
• 1 tsp allspice
• 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp Harissa paste (you can substitute for tomato puree if you don't have harissa)

For the vegetable skewer:

• 1 red pepper
• 1 large white onion

For post-cooking:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Juice of 1/2 lemon

A few hours before you wish to cook the kebabs, or even better, the night before; chop the lamb into small 2cm cubes, and place into a plastic container big enough to contain the meat and the marinade.

Now add the natural yoghurt, olive oil, harissa paste and all of the spices. 

Meanwhile roughly chop the garlic, and throw into the mix, and half the lemon and squeeze out the juice directly into the container, then throw in the remaining lemon halves.

Now use a spoon and mix thoroughly to ensure every piece of lamb is immersed in the marinade. 

When ready to cook, thread each piece of meat onto one of your skewers, and pack the meat on fairly tightly. 

For the vegetable skewer, cut the red pepper into 2 cm square-ish shaped and sized pieces and the same for the onion, and thread onto another skewer. 

Now place all of the skewers under a hot grill, for four minutes, then carefully turn over and cook for a further four minutes, which should make for medium rare lamb. 

In the meantime, pour into a small bowl or ramekin the 1 tbsp olive oil, and squeeze in the lemon juice. (You could also add a crushed garlic clove or some freshly chopped parsley if you wish.)

Remove from the grill, and place onto a plate to rest for four minutes whilst you assemble the rest of your dish. 

When you place onto a platter or onto individual plates, then use the olive oil and lemon mixture and a pastry brush and simply brush each kebab with the oil. Enjoy!

If you love a kebab you may also like the recipes for some of the below:

Healthy Chicken Shish Kebabs

Greek-style Chicken Souvlaki

Pork Souvlaki

Beef Kofte Kebabs

Tzatziki 

Beef Kofta Kebabs

As we’re now in the midst of barbecue season, it seemed a perfect time to cook and share one of our favourite charcoaled meat dishes - beef koftas.

I cook these year round (under the grill outside of summer), but there is something extra special about the taste when barbecued and served with pitta, salad and tzatziki or any other array of lovely summer dishes.

You can play around with the herbs and spices depending on what you like, but these are good. I use 15% steak mince, as whilst I’m attempting to shave off some calories here and there, they need a little fat in them to keep them moist and prevent them drying out.

The below makes around six koftas.

Beef Kofta Kebabs

Here’s how: 

• 500g 15% fat steak mince
• 2 large spring onions
• 2 cloves garlic
• Pinch salt
• Black pepper
• 2 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp cumin
• Handful each of fresh mint, parsley and coriander
• 1 beaten egg to bind

Firstly get a large bowl and throw the meat in. Season generously.

Now peel and mince the garlic and finely chop the spring onions and add to the meat bowl.

Measure out the spices and add to the bowl.

Roughly chop the herbs up and throw into the bowl and then crack the egg into a separate bowl and whisk it.

Now throw the egg into the bowl and use your hands to smoosh everything together.

Once you’re happy with the consistency, break into six roughly equal sized pieces and roll into a sausage shape.

Really use your hands to bring together and roll against the chopping board to help it get into this shape.

Once the koftas are ready, use a skewer for each and pierce all the way through. You’ll now need to use your hands to press the koftas around the skewers a little and this can help lengthen the koftas too. You ideally want an equal thickness all the way along, so they cool evenly. Don’t be too gentle, you want them to be tightly packed around the skewer so they don’t fall apart during cooking.

Beef Kofta Kebabs

Now wash your hands, and find a plate or board and spray with some Fry Light or an alternative and then place each kofta on this. Cover with cling film and place into the fridge until cooking time.

Allowing them some time in the fridge also helps prevent them from falling apart when cooking.

When you’re ready to cook them, give them a quick spray with Fry Light, to stop them sticking to the grill, then place them onto the main part of the barbecue grill and allow to cook for 4 minutes on each side, turning carefully with tongs as you go.

They take about 10-12 minutes in total cooking on coal, but if you are unsure, just cut into the thickest part of one of them to ensure it’s cooked through.

If you like it really charred, then cook for longer. Enjoy!

Chicken Souvlaki

Greek food is without a doubt my favourite and I’ve made a variation of souvlaki for more than ten years; adapting and tweaking along the way.

Happily, my children and Glen also love Greek food and chicken or pork souvlaki with couscous, Greek Salad, pitta and tzatziki have become a favourite weekend meal.

My souvlaki game went up a notch when I discovered and begun incorporating the ‘ladolemono’ – which essentially means brushing the cooked meat with a simple lemon and olive oil dressing before serving, which is frankly a game-changer.

When you marinate the meat, try to do so for at least a couple of hours, or overnight if you can, it does make a difference.

You can cook souvlaki on the BBQ – but at this time of the year, I cook them under a grill. The below serves four people. 

Chicken Souvlaki

Here’s how:

600g chicken breast
1 lemon juice and thrown in the body
7 cloves garlic
1.5 tbsp oregano
½ tsp paprika
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tbsp. rosemary
Salt & pepper
250ml glass dry white wine
250ml olive oil
For the ladolemono
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Juice of half a lemon
Pinch of sea salt

Peel the garlic cloves, cut them in half and then place into a bowl for the marinade with the olive oil, white wine and the lemon juice. Pop the two halves of the lemon into the bag too.

Now cut the chicken into pieces – as equal as you can get them and throw into the bowl.

Now add the oregano, cinnamon, paprika and rosemary and then season generously with salt and black pepper.

Use a spoon or your hands to move the chicken all around and ensure it all gets a good coating. Now cover with clingfilm and place into the fridge.

If using wooden skewers, ensure to stand them in water so they are fully immersed for a good hour before cooking.

When ready to cook, remove the chicken in the marinade from the fridge, and place each piece of chicken onto the skewers, pack them quite close together.

Place the chicken skewers under a hot grill and cook for about 4-5 minutes, and then carefully turn them around and cook the other side for 4-5 minutes, or until cooked through.

While the chicken is cooking, make up the ladolemono – just combine the olive oil and the lemon juice in a small bowl or cup and add a pinch of salt.

Once the chicken is cooked and out of the grill, give it a brush of the ladolemono – using a pastry brush, on both sides before serving. Enjoy!

Here are a few other Greek recipes I’ve shared on here that you might like to try;

Pastitsio – the Greek Lasagna
Moussaka
Briam
Greek Chicken Traybake
Gemistes – Greek Stuffed Tomatoes
Prawn Saganaki
Feta and Spinach Open Tart
Greek Chicken One Pot

Baby Bites Fun Cheese Kebabs

Making food fun is a great way to encourage little ones to become more interested in food – especially if they are going through a fussy stage – and finger food is always more fun as it’s sensory.

These fun cheese kebabs are simple – take no cooking time whatsoever and work for older children too – just be careful of the skewers and don’t leave baby alone with them.

You can use any salad item you fancy and you could add some cooked meat such as chicken on too to make it even more exciting.

I serve with a slice of bread and butter or a toasted pitta and this is a great lunch or snack for babies, toddlers or children during and beyond the weaning process.

Here’s how:

• ·         50g cheddar
• ·         1 radish
• ·         3-4 cherry tomatoes
• ·         Chunk of cucumber
• ·         Bread

Simply cut each of the items into similarly sized cubes and place onto the skewers.

Butter the bread or toast the pitta and serve alongside.