Indian Style Chicken Seekh Kebab is ground chicken seasoned with aromatic spices and then grilled. Enjoy these delicious kebabs with rice, roasted veggies, green chutney, and raita.
What are Seekh Kebabs?
Seekh Kebabs are made of ground meat that is seasoned with aromatic spices and ginger, garlic, green chilies, onions, cilantro, and more. The meat is then formed onto skewers or shaped into a log or patty. This type of kebab is popular in both India and Pakistan.
What is a Chicken Seekh Kebab?
Chicken Seekh Kebab (or Chicken Seekh Kabab) also known as ground chicken kebab is essentially ground chicken that is seasoned with spices.
Ingredients for Chicken Seekh Kebab:
Ground Chicken: I used organic ground chicken that is 98% lean combined with 1 tablespoon of avocado oil. If you're using ground chicken that is 93% lean, then you can skip the tablespoon of avocado oil since there is 7% fat.
Basics: Ginger, Garlic, Green Chilies, Onions, Cilantro. For the onions, I highly recommend grated onion with juice as it adds so much flavor.
Lemon Juice: Freshly squeezed lemon juice is a must.
Spices: Salt, Coriander Powder, Cumin Powder, Kashmiri Red Chili Powder (or paprika), Chat Masala, Garam Masala.
Avocado Oil: I just use avocado oil in the chicken mixture - this prevents the chicken from sticking to your hands.
Why You'll Love these Chicken Seekh Kebabs
- They're healthy and delicious
- One serving is 27 grams of protein
- It's a well-balanced and satisfying meal
- Flavorful and Mouthwatering
- Easy Meal that's great for Meal Prepping
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free (use dairy-free yogurt)
How to make the Chicken Seekh Kebab recipe step by step?
Prep Chicken Kebab
1. Chop the ginger, garlic, green chilies, and cilantro. Grate red onions and set them aside. Set lemon aside.
2. Add lean ground chicken to a large bowl. Add all the spices - salt, coriander powder, cumin powder, cardamom powder, Kashmiri red chili powder, chat masala, and garam masala.
3. Now add the remaining spices - ginger, garlic, green chilies, red onion, cilantro leaves, and lemon juice.
4. Mix the ground chicken using a spoon (or your hands if you wish). Make sure everything is well combined. Add a tablespoon of avocado oil (if using 98% fat-free chicken... else you don't need additional oil) and mix well. This will also prevent the meat from sticking to your hands. Your chicken seekh kebab mixture is ready.
Form the Log-Shaped Kebabs
1. Take ¼ cup of the mixture into the palm of your hands.
2. Like so.
3. Roll it out into a log shape.
4. You will have a total of 8 log-shaped chicken seekh kebabs.
Make Chicken Seekh Kebab
1. Heat up a castiron skillet on medium heat. Once hot, add a little oil, about 1 tablespoon to coat the pan well.
2. Place the kebabs on the skillet - they should sizzle immediately. Cook for 2 minutes on each side.
3. Roll the kebab around and cook for 2 minutes again. Use your best judgment and make sure the kebabs don't burn. Cook on all sides.
4. Once kebabs are done, let them sit on a plate for 10 minutes else the juices will pour out.
Saute Veggies
1. Cube red onions, green bell pepper, and tomatoes.
2. Heat up the same cast iron skillet on medium heat, and add 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the onions and green bell peppers to the skillet. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Stir in between.
3. Five minutes later you should have perfectly grilled onions and peppers. Remove peppers and onions from the skillet and set them aside.
4. Add tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes. Stir in between.
5. Once done, set aside veggies.
How to make Turmeric Rice recipe step by step
1. Rinse and soak white basmati rice for 10 minutes.
2. Heat up the Instant Pot on Saute mode. Once hot, add ½ tablespoon oil and ½ tablespoon butter. Add turmeric powder, green cardamoms, and peppercorns. Saute for 45 seconds.
3. Add the rice and saute for 1-2 minutes until lightly toasted.
4. Now add water and salt. Stir.
5. Cook on High Pressure for 5 minutes. Let the rice naturally release all the way.
6. Once done - perfectly cooked turmeric rice.
Make Garlic Cucumber Raita (winged it)
1. In a bowl, add yogurt, garlic, cucumber, kala jeera (roasted cumin powder), salt, and red chili powder.
2. Add fresh cilantro leaves. Mix. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes before serving.
Serving Suggestions
1. What can I serve with Chicken Seekh Kebab?
I love chicken kebabs with rice, roasted veggies, cilantro or mint chutney, and some kind of yogurt. All these recipes are shared below!
You can also serve kebabs with naan, a simple kachumber salad, and raita.
Furthermore, for a more middle-eastern flavor, you can serve these kebabs with hummus, babaghanoush, tahini sauce, tzatziki, and pita bread,
2. What other Veggies can I serve on the side?
For this recipe, I made a side of onions, green bell peppers, and tomatoes. I highly recommend this combo. You may also add red/orange/yellow bell pepper, zucchini, squash, or any other vegetable you like.
Also, do not overcook the veggies, you still want some crunch. Also, do not overseason, a little salt and black pepper go a long way. The flavors of the vegetables stand out and it's delicious.
Tips on making Chicken Seekh Kebab:
- Cook the Turmeric Rice first. This will be ready by the time you eat.
- Make the Garlic Yogurt Sauce. Refrigerate before serving. (optional - it's nice to have)
- Make the Cilantro Chutney (optional - but it's nice to have)
- Prepare the ground chicken mixture.
- Form log-shaped kebabs and cook.
- Saute the Veggies.
- Put it all together! Serve and enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is Chicken Seekh Kebab healthy?
Yes! Chicken Seekh Kebabs are healthy! Ground chicken that I used is 98% lean meat and mostly protein with a little fat. I love Mary's Organic Chicken.
As an entree with kebabs, rice, veggies, and yogurt, this dish has 529 calories, 27 grams of protein, and 6 grams of fiber!
2. Besides Chicken, what other meat can I use in this recipe?
You can use ground turkey to make Turkey Kebabs.
You may use ground lamb to make Lamb Kebabs.
Additionally, you may use ground beef to make Beef Kebabs.
3. What's a vegetarian substitute for chicken?
Feel free to use tofu, paneer, or soy nutrela in place of ground chicken.
4. Can I make this recipe dairy-free, gluten-free?
The Chicken Kebabs contain no dairy or gluten.
Turmeric Rice: you may replace the butter with oil or vegan butter.
Garlic Yogurt Sauce: you may use vegan yogurt in place of dairy.
5. Can I bake these chicken kebabs in the oven?
I don't recommend it because you won't have the same chargrill effect. You can cook the kebabs on a cast iron skillet or on a barbeque grill. Doing so will help you achieve the best results.
6. Why is my Chicken mixture soft and runny?
If you feel that your chicken mixture is soft and runny, and you're struggling to form patties, go ahead and add a tablespoon of white flour or bread crumbs to your mix. If you want your kebabs to be gluten-free, use either cornstarch or almond flour.
7. Can I use boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs instead of ground chicken?
Yes! That's totally fine. Just cut the chicken into 1" pieces.
More Chicken Recipes!
- Chicken Kebab Burger
- Dhaniya Chicken Curry
- Punjabi Chicken Curry
- Shredded Tandoori Chicken Tacos
- Instant Pot Chipotle Chicken Tinga Tostadas
- Butter Chicken
Recipe Card
Chicken Seekh Kebab
Healthy-ish, Dairy-free, Gluten-freeEquipment
Ingredients
for chicken seekh kebab
- 1 pound organic ground chicken 98% lean, see notes below
- 1 heaping tablespoon ginger
- 1 heaping tablespoon garlic
- 4 green chilies, chopped
- 6 tablespoon red onion grated
- ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- ¾ teaspoon salt more if needed
- 2 teaspoon coriander powder
- 2 teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon cardamom powder
- 2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder, or paprika (this adds color, not spice)
- ½ teaspoon chat masala
- 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 ½ teaspoon garam masala
- 2 tbsp avocado oil, 1 tablespoon to the mixture, 1 tablespoon for cooking
for turmeric rice
- ½ tablespoon butter
- ½ tablespoon avocado oil
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 4 black peppercorns
- 2 green cardamoms
- 1 cup white basmati rice
- 1 ½ cups water
- ½ teaspoon salt, or more if needed
for sauteed veggies
- 1 large red onion, cut into large cubes
- 1 large green bell pepper, cut into large cubes
- 3 plum tomatoes, cut into large cubes
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
for garlic cucumber raita (wing it)
- 1 cup whole milk yogurt
- ½ cup cucumber, shredded & squeeze water
- 1 teaspoon kala jeera, or cumin powder
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 tablespoon fresh cilantro
- squeeze of fresh lemon juice
- salt to taste
for cilantro chutney
Instructions
Prep Chicken Kebab
- Chop the ginger, garlic, green chilies, and cilantro. Grate red onions and set them aside. Set lemon aside.
- Add ground chicken to a large bowl. Add all the spices - salt, coriander powder, cumin powder, cardamom powder, Kashmiri red chili powder, chat masala, and garam masala.
- Now add the remaining spices - ginger, garlic, green chilies, red onion, cilantro leaves, and lemon juice.
- Mix the ground chicken using a spoon (or your hands if you wish). Make sure everything is well combined. Add a tablespoon of avocado oil (if using 98% fat-free chicken... else you don't need additional oil) and mix well. This will also prevent the meat from sticking to your hands. Your chicken seekh kebab mixture is ready.
Form the Log-Shaped Kebabs
- Take ¼ cup of the mixture into the palm of your hands.
- Like so.
- Roll it out into a log shape.
- You will have a total of 8 log-shaped chicken seekh kebabs.
Cook Chicken Kebab
- Heat up a castiron skillet on medium heat. Once hot, add a little oil, about 1 tablespoon to coat the pan well.
- Place the kebabs on the skillet - they should sizzle immediately. Cook for 2 minutes on each side.
- Roll the kebab around and cook for 2 minutes again. Use your best judgment and make sure the kebabs don't burn. Cook on all sides.
- Once kebabs are done, let them sit for 10 minutes else the juices will pour out.
Saute Veggies
- Cube red onions, green bell pepper, and tomatoes.
- Heat up the same castiron skillet on medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the onions and green bell peppers to the skillet. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Stir in between.
- Five minutes later you should have perfectly grilled onions and peppers. Remove peppers and onions from the skillet and set them aside.
- Add tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes. Stir in between.
- Once done, set aside veggies.
How to make Turmeric Rice recipe step by step
- Rinse and soak white basmati rice for 10 minutes.
- Heat up the Instant Pot on Saute mode. Once hot, add ½ tablespoon oil and ½ tablespoon butter. Add turmeric powder, green cardamoms, and peppercorns. Saute for 45 seconds.
- Add the rice and saute for 1-2 minutes until lightly toasted.
- Now add water and salt. Stir.
- Cook on High Pressure for 5 minutes. Let the rice naturally release all the way.
- Once done - perfectly cooked turmeric rice.
Make Garlic Cucumber Raita (winged it)
- In a bowl, add yogurt, garlic, cucumber, kala jeera (roasted cumin powder), salt, and red chili powder.
- Add fresh cilantro leaves. Mix. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes before serving.
Vandana says
Loved making this recipe. So easy and delicious. This was the first meal I prepared after weeks of illness for my fam. It was heartily welcomed and loved by all! Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Joti says
Absolutely delicious! Had a few friends over for dinner, made these kebabs( I used land and grilled them), rice and veggies!!! Everyone loved them. Finally I learnt how to make the perfect rice! Thanks Nisha. All your recipes are awesome 💕
Keerthi Reddy says
This recipe for the chicken seekh kababs was so delicious and easy to follow. The rice was perfect and literally so good by itself too. But the grilled veggies, cucumber Raita, kabobs with the rice are just stellar. These will be a fixed weeknight favorite in our household! 😃
Anu says
This was a great recipe! Im a vegetarian but the rest of my family love their meat; so, I made this for them on a week night. It was quick and easy and the rice is done in 5 minutes! My husband and daughter loved it!! Great way to get some healthy protein and some veggies into a meal for kids and adults alike!
Neelo Ali says
So easy so delicious and everyone in my house loved them! Very flavorful! Your recipes are just perfect!
Pooja says
Absolutely excellent recipe, spot on! We very much enjoyed the kebabs and this will be made often as its sooooo easy. Thanks
Kay says
It was a little too sour for me overall. And the mixture was kinda watery too. Tasted okay, but I’d probably use less lemon juice next time.
honeywhatscooking says
HI Kay. I'm sorry this didn't meet your expectation. Thank you for your feedback.
Judy says
The chicken & raita were so delicious! This is an amazing recipe!
Keni says
Loved how it turned out. Used toaster oven with 10 mins slow cooking below 300 and 10 mins above 300 for the golden color. If i can i would give 10 stars. Its my husband’s favorite dish and I cannot believe i can make it now. Thank you for the recipe nisha!!!
Saiju says
This is one of mine and my husbands favorite recipes! We are both vegetarian so I kept wondering how can I make this work for us?! First time I used impossible meat and it was perfect except I couldn’t get the log shape. I messaged Nisha about using breadcrumbs and she said that it could work so I made it today using a few spoonfuls of bread crumbs and I was able to do a log shape. I used a package of impossible meat and all of Nisha’s measurements as written. I was about to get 6-8 kebabs from the package. My husband now says it’s his favorite thing I make! Nisha never disappoints with her recipes and always messages her followers back too! If you’re a vegetarian, try the impossible meat using Nisha’s measurements, you will not be disappointed!!!
Neha says
Thanks for this recipe, Nisha. The turmeric rice turned out perfectly. My older one gobbled it up and took seconds. I made beef kebabs using the same recipe as your chicken kebabs. It was delicious. It was a hit! Easy-peasy weeknight dinner 🙂
honeywhatscooking says
Thanks Neha. That turmeric rice is so delish. So glad it was a hit. 🙂
Sanila says
Absolutely loved this recipe… the flavors are so amazing and not too heavy. For my 3 year old daughter I cooked the same chicken mix like chicken cheesesteak and mixed it with rice. She loved it.
This is going to be a regular in our home now.
Simple, delicious and so quick. Thanks Nisha.
honeywhatscooking says
Thank you so much. I appreciate it.
Meyya says
Love this recipe! Super easy and quick prep. I made the kebabs with the turmeric rice, roasted vegetables and cucumber garlic yogurt. Every dish was extremely flavorful and very easy to make!