Tavuk Döner (Turkish Doner Kebab) is a traditional Turkish recipe, for a classic dish of marinated chicken that's sliced and either served with rice or as a kebab in flatbread. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Turkish version of: Turkish Doner Kebab (Tavuk Döner).
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This recipe is for the classic Turkish street food, that counts amongst the national dishes of Turkey.
Ingredients:
1.5–1.8kg skinless and boneless chicken thighs
sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
For the Marinade:
120ml full fat yoghurt
175g tomato purée
finely-grated zest of 2 lemons
juice of 2 lemons
8 garlic cloves, minced
2 1/2 tsp Baharat spice blend
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp Aleppo pepper, (add more if you like it spicy)
1 tsp smoked paprika
For the marinade, combine the yoghurt, tomato puree, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic and spices in a bowl. Mix thoroughly to combine.
Pat the chicken dry with kitchen towels the season all over with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper.
Add the seasoned chicken to the marinade and toss to ensure each piece is well coated. Cover and refrigerate the chicken for at least 3 hours (but best if left over night).
The following day, pre-heat your barbecue before you assemble your kebabs. You want a hot barbecue for this recipe.
When ready to cook, divide the chicken thighs into two piles. Take two long metal skewers then thread the first pile chicken thighs through, pushing them snug against each other. Repeat with the second pile and another skewer. If there’s too much chicken then divide them equally between three skewers.
Once your barbecue is hot, arrange the chicken on the barbecue grate and close the lid. Cook for about 10–15 minutes on the first side, until nicely charred. At this point turn the kebabs over and cook for another 10–5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink in the middle (a total of 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken thighs).
If you want to cook in the oven instead, then pre-heat your oven to 200°C. Arrange the skewers on a roasting tin so that the skewers are resting on the two sides of the tin and the meat is hanging in the void in the middle.
Transfer the chicken to the centre of your pre-heated oven and roast for 30–35 minutes, until the surface is golden brown and charred in some parts. Remove the pan from the oven and carefully turn the skewers over, brush the top of chicken with the pan juices and return the pan to the oven for another 20 minutes (longer if you have larger pieces). You’ll cook the kebabs in the oven for anywhere between 50 minutes to 1 hour or until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink in the middle.
Remove the chicken from the heat, then set aside to rest for 5–10 minutes.
To carve, prop the skewers upright on a slight angle. Using a sharp knife (held in your dominant hand), slice the meat thinly from top to bottom or however you’re able to do it safely.
For a more traditional doner kebab, use a pita bread or Turkish bazlama to wrap some of the chicken in, adding your sauce and sliced vegetables (or one of the salads listed above).
Alternatively, you can serve kebab plates by arranging the chicken next to (or over) a bed of Turkish-style rice with your salad and sauce to the side.
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