Marmalade-glazed chicken kebabs with shaved fennel salad and olive salsa

  • 4
  • 2 hours plus 4 hours for marinating the chicken
5.00

In this mammoth kebab, chicken thighs are marinated and threaded onto two skewers then cooked on the grill until tender and lightly charred. They are finished with a sweet and spicy glaze made with marmalade and chilli, then served with a shaved fennel salad, handmade flatbreads and a fragrant salsa made with Fragata olives filled with jalapeño.

First published in 2024

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Chicken kebab marinade

Flatbreads

  • 1 1/2 tsp quick yeast
  • 3/4 tsp cane sugar
  • 360ml of warm water
  • 4 tsp olive oil
  • 600g of strong bread flour
  • 1 pinch of table salt

Sweet and spicy glaze

Shaved fennel salad

Jalapeño-stuffed olive salsa

Garnish

Equipment

  • Metal skewers

Method

1

Begin four hours ahead of serving by adding all of the ingredients for the marinade – except for the chicken – to a food processor and blitzing until smooth

2

Take the chicken thighs and remove any excess fat, then cut them into 7 cm pieces, and add them to a bowl along with the marinade

  • 5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
3

Cover with cling film and leave in the fridge for 4 hours to marinate

4

Next, two hours ahead of serving, prepare the flatbread dough. Whisk together the yeast, sugar and warm water in a large bowl, then drizzle in the olive oil

  • 1 1/2 tsp quick yeast
  • 3/4 tsp cane sugar
  • 360ml of warm water
  • 4 tsp olive oil
5

Whisk in the salt, then the flour, and mix until it forms a shaggy dough

6

Tip out onto a lightly floured surface, then knead for 5–10 minutes, or until you have a smooth dough

7

Transfer to a clean bowl and cover tightly. Leave in a warm place to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour

8

Meanwhile, prepare the marmalade glaze. Add the marmalade and chillies to a food processor and blitz until the chilli has broken down

9

Bring the marmalade mixture to a simmer along with the soy sauce, paprika, sugar and lemon juice and cook until it reaches a jammy consistency, but is still loose enough to brush over the chicken. If it becomes too thick, simply loosen with a little water if needed, then set aside

10

Once the flatbread dough has doubled in size, divide it into four equal portions. Shape the dough into balls, then leave to rest under a damp tea towel until needed. If the dough relaxes too much and the balls lose their shape, just reshape them

11

Next, make the shaved fennel salad. Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil and mustard. Pour this over the fennel, then mix in the chopped dill and season with salt and pepper 

12

For the jalapeño-stuffed olive salsa, mix together the olives, onion, bell pepper and chillies, then stir through the red wine vinegar, chopped parsley and olive oil. Taste and season with salt and pepper

13

Take each of the doughballs and lightly dust them with flour. Heat a dry pan over a medium heat, while rolling out the flatbreads using a rolling pin 

14

Cook each flatbread in the pan for a couple of minutes on either side. Once the flatbread is fully cooked, remove it from the pan and wrap in a clean kitchen towel while you cook the remaining flatbreads

15

Take the chicken cubes out of the marinade and thread them onto two kebab sticks, so that you have a thick kebab

16

Preheat a grill over medium-high heat then rub with vegetable oil 

17

Grill the chicken kebabs for around 30 minutes, turning every couple of minutes, until golden brown and cooked through (74°C at the thickest part of the kebab). The yoghurt can sometimes make the chicken stick to the grill, so if needed use a metal spatula to release them from the grill

18

Once the chicken is almost cooked through, turn the heat down slightly or move to a cooler area of the barbecue, and brush the marmalade all over the kebab

19

Place the kebab back onto the grill and cook for another few minutes 

20

Once the marmalade glaze has caramelised slightly, remove the kebab from the barbecue and let it rest for a couple of minutes before slicing

21

To serve, top the flatbreads with the shaved fennel salad, sliced chicken and jalapeño salsa

22

Take a tablespoon of the marmalade glaze and mix it with a touch of water, then drizzle it over the flatbreads for an extra touch of spicy sweetness, and garnish with fresh coriander

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