I have a huge jar of ras el hanout — the well-known North African spice blend – which has been sitting in my cupboard for a little too long. I sometimes use it in couscous and quinoa salads, but for some reason, I always forget it’s a fantastic spice for marinating meat.
When I was planning my weekly menu this Sunday, however, I made a note which read: “make chicken kebabs with ras el hanout (!!!) and serve with couscous”.
And yes, I intentionally added not one, but three exclamation points after ‘ras el hanout’!
Well, those chicken kebabs were good enough to share, so here’s the recipe!
PS: I used chicken thigh fillets for a really juice kebab!
Chicken Kebabs with Ras el Hanout
Serves 3-4
- 800g chicken thigh fillets
- 2 1/2 tsps ras el hanout
- fat pinch of dried red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- fleur de sel & freshly cracked pepper
- mild olive oil
Place the whole chicken thighs in a large shallow bowl. Sprinkle with the spices, red pepper flakes, garlic powder and salt and pepper. Drizzle generously with olive oil and rub everything into the meat using your hands. Try to really massage all the flavor into the meat! Leave in the fridge to marinate for at least 3 hours. When ready to grill, cut the chicken into cubes and thread on skewers. Grill for approximately 8-12 minutes (depending on size) on all sides. I served the kebabs with couscous, but I think they would go really well with pita breads and garlicky yogurt!