Grilling season is here, and today we’re bringing you an EASY, flavorful addition to your grilling rotation: kofta kebabs! These Middle Eastern-inspired kebabs feature ground chicken, herbs, spices, and aromatics arranged on skewers and grilled to perfection.
They’re elegant yet simple and are especially delicious served with lemon rice, hummus, tahini sauce, tabbouleh, grilled veggies, and/or pita. Just 1 bowl, 10 ingredients, and 25 minutes required! Let’s make kofta kebabs!
What is Kofta or Kefta?
Kofta, also spelled kefta, kafta, or kofte refers to meatball- or meatloaf-style dishes made from ground meat mixed with spices and other ingredients. They can be shaped into balls, patties, or cylinders. There are many variations of the dish, and it’s enjoyed in regions ranging from the Middle East to North Africa, South Asia, and beyond.
The first recipes for kofta are believed to have come from early Arab cookbooks and were made with lamb. The following is our inspired version made with chicken, and it requires just a few simple spices that achieve a taste similar to what we’ve enjoyed at Middle Eastern restaurants.
How to Make Chicken Kofta Kebabs
We begin this dish by mixing together the ground chicken, herbs, spices, onion, garlic, and breadcrumbs. To keep the recipe simple and approachable, we stuck with just a few basic spices: cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and salt. Black pepper and cayenne are optional and add a little kick!
After combining the mixture until the spices are evenly distributed, we form it into cylinders and slide them onto metal skewers. Bamboo skewers also work, but they are prone to burning, so it’s best to soak the bamboo in water if going that route.
Once all the kebabs have been formed and skewered, it’s grilling time!
For grilling, you can use an outdoor BBQ or a cast iron grill pan on the stovetop. While grilling produces the best flavor, if you don’t have one, you can also form the mixture into patties and cook in an oiled skillet.
We hope you LOVE these kofta kebabs! They’re:
Elegant yet simple
Subtly spicy
Satisfying
Quick & easy
Middle Eastern-inspired
& SO versatile!
What to Serve with Kofta Kebabs
The serving options are endless! We especially enjoy these kebabs with lemon rice, hummus, tahini sauce, tabbouleh, grilled veggies, and/or pita. They would also be delicious with harissa chickpeas, couscous, dolmas, falafel, and other Middle Eastern dishes.
More Grilling Recipes
- Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Skewers (Quick Marinating!)
- Veggie Skewers with Magic Green Sauce
- Easy Marinated Grilled Chicken
- Grilled Corn with Sriracha Aioli
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo @minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Chicken Kofta Kebabs (Middle Eastern-Inspired)
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground chicken (we used 93% lean)
- 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (or sub up to half with fresh mint)
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs (or store-bought // gluten-free as needed // almond flour also works)
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 3/4 tsp ground coriander
- 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper (optional)
- 1/4 tsp ground cayenne (optional)
- Avocado oil (or spray // for greasing grill)
FOR SERVING optional
Instructions
- If using bamboo skewers, soak in water for at least 30 minutes before using to prevent them from burning on the grill. We prefer metal skewers.
- To a medium mixing bowl, add ground chicken, chopped onion and parsley, garlic, breadcrumbs, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, salt, pepper (optional), and cayenne (optional). Use your hands (with food prep gloves, if desired) to combine the mixture until the spices are evenly distributed. Wash hands thoroughly after touching raw meat.
- Preheat a grill pan or outdoor grill to medium-high heat. Lightly spray the grill pan or lightly brush the grill with avocado oil.
- Take ~1/4 cup of the chicken mixture and shape it into a log. Press a skewer through the center and shape to about 5 inches long and 1 inch thick. Repeat with the remaining chicken mixture. Recipe as written should make ~8 skewers.
- Once the grill is hot, use a lightly greased metal spatula (or clean hands holding onto the meat, not the skewer, to prevent it from sliding off) to add as many kebabs as will fit without touching. Cook for 3-4 minutes on the first side, then flip gently with a metal spatula or tongs, and continue cooking for 3-4 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into the center reaches an internal temperature of 165 F (74 C). When done, the skewers should have dark brown grill marks, shrink in size by about 25%, and no longer be pink. If the sides don’t look cooked, your skewers may be thicker, in which case you should flip onto each of the thin sides for 1-2 minutes to cook until done.
- Enjoy the kofta kebabs hot with lemon rice, hummus, tahini sauce, tabbouleh, grilled veggies, and/or pita bread!
- Best when fresh. Leftovers keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days and reheat well on the stovetop in a skillet over low-medium heat until warmed through. The uncooked mixture can also be frozen into patties and cooked directly from frozen in a skillet over medium heat for ~5-6 minutes per side.
Notes
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with 1/2 tsp avocado oil and without optional ingredients.
Sophie says
This recipe is perfect and a big hit with everyone we have shared it with! Highly recommend!
Whoop! We’re so glad it’s been a hit. Thank you for sharing, Sophie! xo
Coral says
This recipe was delicious. Not hard to make and I was surprised that it tasted like a restaurant kebob. Couldn’t believed I cooked it. We made it in the grill and use metal sticks.
We’re honored that you found it to be restaurant-quality, Coral! Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Janea D Bilal says
Wow. Sooo good. I added nutmeg & lemon juice and cooked stove top .Great recipe. Thank you
Those additions sound lovely! Thank you for sharing, Janea!
Genevieve says
Made these last night, and they were easy and delicious. I did not bother with the skewers. I just formed them as directed in the recipe, then grilled them. Much easier IMO, but YMMV.
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Genevieve! Thank you for the lovely review and for sharing your simplified method! xo
Melanie A says
Finally made this recipe and it did not disappoint! My husband even asked for seconds! We loved the spices and the all out flavor of these and will definitely keep them on rotation!
Whoop! We’re so glad you both enjoyed the recipe, Melanie. Thank you for sharing! xo
Annelies says
I made these today with my 12-year old daughter – and no surprise when I say this is another successful recipe from you!
We have a large family, so we made the recipe x 3.5, and ended up with 28 skewers… none left by the end of dinner, which speaks for itself.
I had to make a couple of adjustments, and thought I’d share, in case they may be helpful for others. I didn’t have chicken mince, so put chicken breasts in the food processor until it looked like mince. It would have taken me a long time to grill 28 skewers, so I didn’t put the logs on sticks, I just put them in the air fryer for 10 minutes, and your handy advice of 74C interior temperature was spot on.
The kebabs came out so well, really tasty (half parsley, half mint is a great idea you suggested), and for the fact they were all eaten is the biggest compliment to you :D
Will definitely make these again.
Amazing! We’re so glad the kebabs were a hit with the whole family. Thank you for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications, Annelies! xo
Mary says
Any sub for coriander? And for bread crumbs, could I crush crackers (like saltines?)?
Thanks!
Hi Mary, you could leave it out or sub more cumin. Saltines should work well, just reduce the amount of salt to compensate. Let us know how it goes!
Mary says
turned out great! will definitely repeat this. so delicious
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Mary. Thank you for letting us know! xo
Line says
I made those yesterday and they were great. Rather than breadcrumbs, I used rolled oats that I reduced to a coarse powder in the Magic bullet. The taste and texture was amazing.
Lovely! Thank you for sharing, Line! xo
Cindy says
Wow wow. So easy, delicious, and fast! I made them into meatballs instead of skewers for ease and they turned out so flavorful! Will definitely make again!
Yay! Thanks so much for the lovely review, Cindy!
Cj says
Absolutely delicious and quick to put together! We followed the recipe exactly but skipped the skewers and just rolled to form in our hands. We used ground chicken breast, and the almond flour substitute as we are gluten-free. We also cooked on a cast iron skillet as we don’t have access to a grill, they turned out perfect! We roasted a combination of veggies as a side; cauliflower, zucchini, peppers, and red onion, and served with hummus and lemon wedges. Definitely a new favorite in our household, already picked up ingredients to make again!
YAY! We’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe and will be making it again, CJ. That sounds like a very delicious meal! Thank you for sharing your experience! xo