Chicken Seekh Kabab: Easy Pakistani Recipe

Chicken seekh kabab is succulent grilled ground chicken with well-balanced spices that you enjoy with naan bread or chapati/ roti.

Chicken Seekh Kabab

This delicious finger food often makes an appearance as an appetiser of the Pakistani food spread. Alongside, you have dipping sauce such as mint yoghurt chutney or spicy tomato chutney. 

And it’s a very-popular starter choice at special occasions such as weddings, birthdays, Ramadhan, Eids, family gatherings, etc.

In my household, chicken seekh kabab is much loved as the substitute for sausages. 

So I use the kebab to make chicken hotdog or chicken wrap. 

Therefore, when I make this grilled chicken meat on the skewers, I almost always make it in big-bulk. Like 2 kilos. Once I cook them, I freeze them. 

They’re handy for when I don’t have time fixing lunch. As they can be our quick-tasty lunch.

I can wrap the kebab in a chapati/roti, naan bread, tortilla wrap or even a burger bun. 

And if you don’t fancy some carbs, you can always enjoy the seekh kabab with some salad.  Try this cold mushroom salad as an idea, it surely goes well with the kebab.

What Is Chicken Seekh Kabab?

Chicken seekh kabab is the chicken mince/ ground chicken mixed with fragrant spices and herbs, then grilled on the skewers. 

The word Kabab derives from Arabic kabāb that means roasted meat. And it is also called Kebab, Kabob, or Kebap in areas across Middle-Eastern and Asia, particularly the Muslim areas. 

There are many types of kebab/ kabab. The recipe I’m sharing here is the Seekh Kebab. It’s the ground meat that is grilled on the skewer. So the shape of the kabab is rather long like a tube. 

And don’t mix up seekh kebab with shami kebab. As these two are completely different foods. The latter is a type of kebab made of ground meat, chickpea lentils and spices. Whilst the seekh kebab doesn’t use any lentils as its binder. 

What’s In It?

You need chicken mince/ ground chicken, onion, garlic powder, ginger powder, garam masala, red chilli powder, plain flour/ all-purpose flour, yoghurt and coriander leaves.

You can get the readily-minced chicken, or you can grind the chicken yourself using a food processor or a meat mincer. If you do the latter, I suggest you use boneless chicken thighs as they have a bit of fat and they’re more flavoursome.

Apart from the garam masala, I think other ingredients are pretty straightforward.

So, for the garam masala, you can use the ready-mixed garam masala. I sometimes use my own mixed masala, other times, I use the shop-bought packet. 

When it comes to the ready mixed masala, I prefer the East End brand because I like its well-balanced aroma. But you can use any other brand you want. 

The thing with garam masala is that there are endless recipes and compositions of how to make it. One day I will share mine, God willing.

How To Make Chicken Seekh Kabab?

Essentially, you only need to do two things, i.e. making the chicken mixture and grilling the chicken. That’s it.

Firstly, you mix the chicken mince/ ground chicken with all other ingredients until everything is thoroughly mixed and blended. 

You can mix it by hand or use a food processor. If you use a food processor, the mixture will be fine and delicate. It’s nice. 

I do that sometimes, but I often just mix it by hand as I like the kebab texture to be slightly meaty. It’s up to you.

Leave the meat to rest for about half an hour, at the very least. To give the flavour a chance to develop. 

Next, grill the kebabs. You can use the oven grill, griddle pan, or barbecue. The latter is the best. Hah.

But, often we don’t have that opportunity, right? Just take your griddle pan out. You’ll be fine.

I use metal skewers. And if you want to make the seekh kebabs the way the restaurants make, you would want to use heavy-duty metal skewers. 

Of course, you can use the bamboo skewers too, just make sure you soak them in the water for a few hours before using them. So they won’t get burned when you grill your kebabs.

Take a big handful of chicken mixture and shape it into a cylinder tube around the skewers. 

Then grill the chicken mix on the skewers in your oven grill, barbecue or griddle pan. Turn the skewers every so often and grill until the chicken is thoroughly cooked.

Top Tips To Make Chicken Seekh Kabab Soft And Juicy

• Use the chicken thighs because the fat in them will keep the kebab moist. If you’re not too keen on them, at the very least mix the chicken thighs and the chicken bread in equal proportion. Although you can always opt for 100% chicken breast, the kebabs will be dry and have less flavour. 
• If possible, leave the chicken mixture to marinate with all the spices overnight. This way, it will develop a more intense flavour. Delicious.
• It may be tricky to shape the meat on the skewer. So, you may want to wet your hand with a bit of water before working on your chicken mix. And try not to shape the meat into a thick tube. It will be harder to stick on to the skewers.
• Keep a close eye on the skewers when you grill the chicken seekh kebabs. Because chicken doesn’t take ages to cook. Make sure you don’t undercook them BUT don’t let them overcook either. Or else, your kebabs will be dry. You want your chicken to be succulent.

More chicken recipe ideas

Thank you so much for checking out this chicken seekh kebab recipe. I hope you’re now thinking of trying it. When you do, it will be great to share what you think about it in the comments below (leave a reply). I’ll really appreciate it.

And before you go, don’t forget to check out my other Pakistani chicken recipes that you may like.

• Chicken kebab patties.
• Chicken and peppers curry.
• Chicken Karahi.
• Chicken Achari: Pakistani recipe of a chicken pickle.
• Chicken Shorba: classic chicken curry with gravy.

Last but not least, please follow me on Facebook, Instagram and/or Pinterest. To sneak a peek at what’s cooking in my kitchen. 

Take care and all the best.

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4.98 from 40 votes

Chicken Seekh Kabab: Easy Pakistani Recipe

Chicken seekh kabab is spicy and juicy grilled chicken mince on the skewer. It's succulent and delicious to have as a starter with naan bread and some spicy tomato chutney.

Author: Devy Dar

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time40 minutes mins

Course: Snacks & Starters

Cuisine: Pakistani

Servings: 10 pieces

Equipment

• Mixing bowls.
• Skewers
• Griddle pan

1x2x3x

Cook ModeKeep your screen on

Ingredients

US Customary – Metric

• ▢ 1.3 pounds chicken mince/ ground chicken.
• ▢ 1 medium-sized onion.
• ▢ 1 teaspoon garam masala.
• ▢ 1 teaspoon garlic powder.
• ▢ 1 teaspoon red chilli powder preferably Kashmiri red chilli powder.
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt I use Himalayan salt.
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ginger powder.
• ▢ 2 tablespoons plain flour/ all-purpose flour.
• ▢ 2 tablespoons yoghurt.
• ▢ 2 handfuls of coriander leaves.

Instructions

• Place the ground chicken/ chicken mince in a mixing bowl.
• Peel and finely chop the onion. Add in the chicken.
• Put the garam masala, garlic powder, red chilli powder, ginger powder, salt, plain flour and yoghurt into the chicken.
• Chop the coriander leaves and add them in the chicken.
• Mix and knead the chicken until everything is thoroughly combined and mixed. If you want, you can use a food processor to mix. Just give it a few blitzes until the mince is well mixed. Leave it to rest for at least half an hour.
• Heat your griddle pan or oven grill.
• Take about 2-3 tablespoons of the meat (around 50-60 gr/ 2 oz) and shape it into a cylinder tube around the prepared skewer. 
• Cook the chicken on the skewer in your oven grill or on the griddle pan. Try to rotate and turn the skewers every so often so the meat will be evenly cooked. 

Notes

• Leave the chicken mixture to marinate for at least half an hour. But overnight is the best.
• If you use bamboo skewers, soak them for a few hours before using. If you use metal skewers, brush the skewers with a little oil before using.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 190kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 74mg | Sodium: 294mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g

Disclaimer

Nutritional info in this recipe is only estimate using online calculator. You should refer to it as a guide only. Please verify with your own data if you seek an accurate info.