A chicken shish kabob is a simple grilled summertime meal for most home cooks. Marinated chicken chunks are skewered and cooked over charcoal, wood, or gas, interspersed with marinated onions, mushrooms, peppers, and other vegetables. A typical shish kabob meal includes pita bread, into which the meat and vegetables are tucked sandwich style, or steamed rice as a side dish.
However, in some parts of the world, ordering a chicken shish kabob in a restaurant has a different meaning. A doner kebab is a large cut of meat cooked on a rotating rod in Turkey. Lamb is the most common meat, but chicken and beef are also popular. The meat is sliced rather than chunked and served with salad in a pita wrap.
The Turks are credited with inventing shish kabobs. They needed a cooking method that allowed them to prepare the meat while traveling from one location to another and then cook it quickly once they arrived. It was perfect because marinating is a big part of shish kabobs. Marinating meats with strong flavors, such as goat and some cuts of lamb, helps to calm them down while also breaking down tough meat and collagen, reducing cooking time.
For the most part, Turks stuck with lamb because it was easy to come by, but as other cultures adopted the idea of cooking meat on rotating wooden or metal sticks, they substituted their own meat favorites. Chicken shish kabob cousins like satay, which is chicken grilled on a small wooden skewer and served with peanut sauce and Japanese yakitori, are particularly popular in Asia.
A bonus to a chicken shish kabob grill out has been discovered by home cooks with young children. Kids are usually eager to help the big cooks stab pieces of red, yellow, or green bell pepper, onion, and tomato onto skewers between chunks of chicken, and because the skewers are small enough for little hands, kids can also help turn the skewer to ensure the chicken and veggies get roasted on all sides, under the supervision of an adult. It’s only a short step from being a proud cook to being an enthusiastic eater, and kids who would otherwise avoid vegetables or even meat will devour the shish kabobs they helped make. A child who has just finished a plate of chicken shish kabob might be willing to expand his or her culinary horizons by trying a variety of sauces.