Chicken kofta are warmly spiced and richly flavored ground chicken mixture shaped into fingers and grilled to perfection. Very popular in the Middle East and North Africa this recipe makes the perfect chicken kofta every time.
Koftas are one of the most popular food all over the Middle East, here is an easy kofta kebab recipe.
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Why You'll Love It
- An exciting way to use ground chicken.
- A budget-friendly recipe that feeds a crowd.
- Perfect for meal prep and great make ahead simple dinner.
- No outdoor grill? no problem this recipe can be cooked indoor too with minimal cooking efforts.
- Fully packed with Middle Eastern spices and herbs.
Ingredients
- Chicken breast, or use store-bought ground chicken.
- Onion
- Garlic
- Fresh parsley
- Yogurt
- Butter
- Corn meal
- Spices: cardamom, cinnamon, coriander, black pepper and salt
- Ketchup, lemon juice, and oil for brushing.
Chicken Kofta Recipe
Warmly spiced and deliciously bursting with Middle Eastern flavors these chicken kofta skewers are great for a quick weeknight dinner or an impressive dish to serve at your next cookout.
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Servings: 20 kofta
Ingredients
- 1 medium yellow onion , peeled and quartered
- 3 large garlic cloves
- 1 cup resh parsley chopped
- 1 pound ground chicken (or homemade ground chicken)
- 3 tablespoons butter room temperature
- 3 tablespoons yogurt
- 3 tablespoons breadcrumbs , or cornmeal
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon black pepper or to taste
- 2 teaspoons salt or to taste
Brushing Solution:
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons oil (preferably a neutral oil, not olive oil)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Soak wooden skewers in water for at least 30 minutes before using to prevent burning.
- In your food processor, add the onion, garlic, and parsley. Pulse until finely minced. Place the mixture into a deep bowl.
- Add all the remaining ingredients to the bowl: ground chicken, spices, yogurt, breadcrumbs, and room-temperature butter. Mix well with your hands until fully incorporated.
- Chill (Optional): You can cover and refrigerate the mixture for up to 24 hours to let the flavors marry and the mixture firm up.
Shaping the Kofta
- Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together all the brushing solution ingredients.
- Moisten your hands with a little oil to prevent sticking. Take about 2 tablespoons of the chicken mixture and mold it securely around a skewer into an elongated cylinder shape.
- Repeat with the remaining mixture and arrange the skewers on the prepared baking sheet.
Grilling Instructions
- Grease the grates of your outdoor grill and heat to medium-high.
- Arrange the kofta on the grill and brush the tops generously with the brushing solution.
- Grill for 4 minutes, then turn to the other side, brush with more solution, and continue grilling until cooked through (internal temperature of 165°F / 75°C).
Baking Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Place two oven racks in the oven: one in the upper third and one in the middle position.
- Lightly brush the chicken kofta with the brushing solution.
- Place the baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 10 minutes.
- Take the sheet out, turn the kofta over, and brush the other side with the remaining solution.
- Return the sheet to the upper rack of the oven for another 10 minutes to brown, or finish them on a preheated indoor grill or grill pan for a nice char.
Video
Notes
Please check the nutrition disclaimer policy.
Nutrition
Calories: 61kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 393mg | Potassium: 167mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 272IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 1mg
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Instructions
- Add onions, garlic, and parsley to the food processor and process, then set aside in a large bowl..
- In the food processor, add partially frozen chicken pieces and pulse until they are ground but have some texture. Add the ground chicken to the parsley mixture, and mix well by hand.
- Combine the brushing solution well, then moisten your hands and start shaping the chicken kofta mixture.
- Brush chicken kofta kebabs with the solution and bake or cook on a grill pan or gas grill as directed below.
Amira's Tips
- Soak the bamboo skewers in cold water for 30 minutes before grilling.
- If you find it hard to shape the kofta, refrigerate the chicken mixture after mixing for easy handling for about 30 minutes.
- The mixture can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours and can be frozen as well.
Variations
- Use ground turkey instead of the ground chicken.
- Add some fresh mint for a different flavor.
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3-4 days.
Serve With
- This Middle Eastern chicken kofta is usually served with Tahini Sauce, Greek Yogurt Dill Sauce, or Baba Ganoush.
- Serve it over some yellow turmeric rice, wrapped in whole wheat pita bread, over some instant pot basmati rice and some Mediterranean roasted vegetables.
- A great recipe to make chicken kofta bowl with hummus and rice.
Homemade chicken koftas can be enjoyed on the grill with some of the side dishes mentioned above. You can also shape your chicken koftas and stash them in your freezer so you always have the building blocks of a great meal. These go right from freezer to oven; just give them a minute or two longer.
Another way to enjoy them is to simmer them in tomato sauce and then serve them over grains or greens. But this is something I do not usually do.
Related Recipes
- Flavorful ground chicken patties, breaded and fried to crispy golden perfection. This chicken patties recipe is a winner chicken dinner indeed.
- Gluten free meatballs made with fresh herbs, spices and rice flour. This is also known as the Egyptian rice meatballs. Diary and egg free.
Recipes for The Grill
- These delicious shish kabob skewers are easy to prepare and they taste better than high quality restaurant. Beef steak marinated in a mixture of herbs and warm spices before being grilled on skewers. I've included oven instructions too.
- Kofta kebabs are a delicious and popular Middle Eastern dish that are perfect for grilling or cooking in the oven.
- An all Beef Kafta Recipe is going to be your next crowd-pleasing secret recipe. Tender ground beef spiced to perfection and grilled then served over a bed of fluffy rice or warm pita bread.
If you love this recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating! Thank you.
First published May 7, 2018 . Last updated March 7, 2024 with important tips, clear step by step instructions and readability.
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David
I was disappointed with this recipe. I followed the instructions and found the result bland and dry. I think using chicken thighs would help keep it moist, but even then it's very bland. I used chicken breast and the food processor, and hoped the butter would help keep the moisture level up, but it did not. I'm a big fan of curries and shawarma, and wondered how this spice mix would turn out, but it was very lacking in flavor. Recipe says 2 tsp salt "or to taste", but I don't know how you taste a raw ground chicken recipe for taste before you cook it. The ketchup-flavored watery brushing sauce seemed pointless. It didn't produce any visible glaze, and it wasn't enough to add moisture inside. We managed to eat a few using lots of tzatziki sauce and tomatoes for flavor and succulence but tossed the rest as just not worth it. For reference I cooked in the oven 5 minutes per side then briefly on a hot charcoal grill for some color. They looked just like the recipe photos.
Amira
Thank you for trying this kofta recipe. I do not know where this turned out so bad for you but here is a tip for next time you want to make kofta ( or any meat recipe for the matter) and want to taste it before proceeding with the recipe. Take a small portion, may be a teaspoon, of the mixture and cook it quickly on a skillet then taste and adjust. I hope this helps.
Sally Naguib
OMG I just came here to leave a 5 star rating. This recipe by far is my family’s favorite for chicken kofta and it was so flavorful. I do not know how this turned out bland for you!
Amanda
I love this recipe. My family really enjoyed them on pita with homemade toum and lettuce, cucumbers, tomato and homemade sour pickles. Great way to use my fresh parsley.
JoeBKS
Thank you for this recipe(s). Last night I made your pita, yellow rice, and kofta recipes to introduce my kids to middle eastern foods. My kids are not adventurous eaters but they loved them all and it spurred a good discussion about cultures. Ground chicken is affordable and boring, this recipe gives me a new way to make it tasty and keep it healthy. I’ve saved these recipes. Thanks again.
T.J.
Made for a party and this was a real crowd pleaser!
Anna Likousis
Amazing
Andrea
These were delicious. I made them last night alongside an instant pot recipe for mujadara. Thank you!!
Amira
Andrea, this is awesome I am so happy you liked it... any the IP mujadara.. oh my this sounds amazing I need to look it up.
Novellian
Hi Amira! I’m truly enjoying your recipes. However, I have a question that I have brought it up to you before but no answer as of now. The question is about fried oval shaped Lebanese style kibbeh. Why is it that I’m not able to achieve that beautiful light golden color upon frying them. Mine always tends to be on the darker brown side, almost black. It still tastes great, but why can’t I get that lighter color??? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Amira
Hello Novellian, this is strange I remember that I've replied you before!! I will check again. Thank you for your comment dear.
Muhammad
I loved these kabobs. They are unique as I have not tasted these kinds of kabobs in even Middle Eastern restaurants. I did grill in the end and can’t wait to make them again for guests.
Amira
Thank you Muhammad for your feedback, I am happy you liked it.
Mike H.
Your ingredients list for the brushing sauce says to preferably not use olive oil. What kind of oil do you use and why do you not recommend using olive oil? I'm hoping to try this recipe soon and just wanted to check on the oil recommendation before I make it. I have grape seed and avocado oil in my pantry. Would one of those work better than olive oil? Thank you..
Amira
Mike, here is the deal. I’ve made it before using olive oil my kids felt there is an unpleasant taste to it and refused to eat it. So I made it again with a neutral oil (canola) they were happy. So any neutral oil will work , I suggest using the grape seed oil. I hope this helps, let me know if you have any more questions.
Angel
I've had beef kofta in a tomato-based stew at a nearby Lebanese restaurant, but I've never tried chicken kofta before. I have a feeling my kids will prefer them on a skewer!!
P.s. I've never heard the term "pasting" so I had to look it up. I grew up in the Southern USA where people use BBQ sauce for "basting" all kinds of meat and seafood on the grill. It must be a similar term.
Amira
Angel, my kids love every sort of kofta.. beef, chicken, turkey .. whatever I guess it is easier for them to eat that regular meat chunks... thanks for catching the typo... I will fix that.
Zeina
Can I leave out the corn meal?
Amira
Zeina, corn meal is used as a binding agent in this recipe or else I think it will be very hard to shape the kofta. You can try using bread crumbs instead how about that?
John / Kitchen Riffs
Who doesn't like a kabob? It's grilling season, and these were perfect. And chicken is a nice variation on beef or lamb. Thanks!