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    Home » Chicken Recipes

    Published: Aug 16, 2023 by Wajiha · This post may contain affiliate links ·

    Chicken Shashlik Dry

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Chicken Shashlik is a delicious Indo-Chinese dish, made with chicken, bellpeppers, onions, tomatoes, marinated in a beautiful spicy tangy tomato sauce. This recipe is the dry skewer version of the shashlik, while the other versions of chicken shashlik are gravy like. This is an easy weeknight dinner idea, comes together quickly, and any beginner can make it without a glitch!

    chicken shashlik skewers served on a grillpan.

    If you’ve been following me for a while, than you know, I am a sucker for recreating restaurant style recipes at home, and Indo-Chinese is my favoriteeee genre! This recipe joins the list of my other classic restaurant remakes like the Dynamite Shrimps, Crispy Beijing Beef and Sichuan Chicken.

    Jump to:
    • What is Chicken Shashlik
    • What to pair it with
    • Ingredients and Substitutions
    • Instructions
    • TOP TIPS AND ADVICE
    • Recipe FAQs
    • More Indo-Chinese recipes
    • Chicken Shashlik Dry

    What is Chicken Shashlik

    The word ‘Shashlik’ means skewered grilled meat, synonymous with “Shish” kebab in Turkey. It was traditionally made with Mutton and the internet says it originated from Central Asia and Russia. The Chicken Shashlik, while delicious, is somehow not as well known as other more popular Desi Chinese dishes like the Hot and Sour soup, or the Chicken manchurian.

    Like most fusion recipes, the Shashlik too, was made by restaurants either owned by Chinese immigrants in the lands of India/Pakistan or by locals serving the immigrants.

    The modern day shashlik can now be made in skewers or sticks (like this recipe), or simply like usual Chinese stirfry or gravy. Both are delicious btw

    chicken shashlik skewers served on a grill pan.

    What to pair it with

    • This version of the recipe is great as a stand alone dish! Simply served with some spicy sichuan sauce on the side.
    • You can also pair it with fried rice or simple pulav rice like matar pulao
    • You can also serve it on a bed of garlic fried noodles
    • On my low-carb phase, I like pairing it with a simple green salad
    • Prawn crackers are a great side for these shashlik sticks.

    Ingredients and Substitutions

    The ingredients used to make this delicious dinner are super basic and easily swappable with substitutes in your pantry.

    chicken shashlik ingredients displayed and labelled.
    • Chicken – I used breast piece cut up 1 inch chunks. You can use thigh pieces too for a more tender and juicy chicken cut.
    • Vegetables – Onions and Bellpeppers (aka capsicums) are the “crunch” of the skewer. You can swap it out for any other crunchy vegetable you’d like to thread in. The tomatoes are added for flavor that they give once they are charred on the grill pan, so I wouldn’t recommend swapping them out with anything.
    • Spices – You need salt, white pepper powder, cumin powder and Kashmiri Red chili powder. This kind of red chili powder is mild but has a beautiful red color. If you’d like to cook more Indian/Pakistani food, I’d suggest you get a pack from your Asian grocery store. Or you can simply use paprika if you don’t have this in your pantry.
    • Sauces – The marinade uses your typical Chinese sauces like the Soy Sauce, Red Vinegar, and tomato paste. But worry not, use regular vinegar if you don’t have the red one. And use tomato ketchup if you are out of paste! Told ya this was an easy recipe.
    • Other – Then you need garlic paste for marination and vegetable oil for grilling. Use any neutral oil that you cook with at home.

    See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities

    Instructions

    This chicken shashlik just needs a couple of easy steps to come together. Chop, marinate, thread and grill!

    boneless chicken cubes marinated in a bowl.

    STEP 1 – Marinate Chicken in all the spices and sauces listed.

    onions, bellpeppers and tomatoes cut up in squares.

    STEP 2 – Chop up the vegetables in 1 inch squares.

    chicken and vegetables marinated in a bowl.

    STEP 3 – Add the chopped vegetables to the chicken and marinate for 30 mins.

    chicken shashlik marinated and threaded onto sticks.

    STEP 4 – Thread the chicken and the vegetables onto a wooden or metal skewer. (Don’t throw away the leftover marinade)

    grilling chicken skewers on a grill pan.

    STEP 5 – Place the skewers onto a greased grill pan on the stove at medium heat.

    glazing the chicken shashlik with sauce.

    STEP 6 – Flip the skewers over using a tong after 5 mins. And glaze with the remaining marinade left in the bowl.

    Serve hot with your favorite pairing combo. I like to serve the sizzling grill pan directly onto the table with a mat underneath.

    chicken shashlik skewers served on a grill pan.

    TOP TIPS AND ADVICE

    • IF you are using wooden skewers like me, than soak them in water for 30 minutes before using. This makes them more pliable and they don’t burn easily while on the grillpan.
    • Because of the tomato sauce, there will be some spluttering in the pan. IF you are new to cooking and grilling, either cover the pan with a lid while they on the stove or wear oven mittens to avoid any splatter on your hands.
    • Since its been a while since I’ve been cooking, I usually just flip the skewers using my hands. But you should use tongs to flip the skewers. If you are afraid of any splatter, then remove the pan from the heat temporarily. Flip all the skewers and glaze them. Then put it back on the heat.
    chicken shashlik skewers served on a grill pan.

    Recipe FAQs

    Can I make the skewers in advance?

    Yes! If you want to make it for dinner today or tomorrow. Simply marinate and thread the shashlik. Now cover with a cling wrap and let it sit in the fridge overnight. Simply leave out on the counter for 30 mins when you are ready to grill it. You can leave the marinated skewers in the fridge for upto 2 days.

    Can I freeze the chicken?

    So the vegetables tend to get soggy in the freezer, especially the tomatoes. You can freeze the marinated chicken if you like. /

    How long does the shashlik last in the fridge?

    Your marinated shashlik can stay up to 2 days in the fridge. And your grilled shashlik will last up to 5 days easily.

    Can I change the vegetables in the skewers?

    The onions, tomatoes, and bell peppers are the OG vegetables used for a shashlik, dry or saucy. They are the core 3. But of course, go with your palate, you can go ahead and add more if you like. Or swap the onions for another crunchy vegetable

    Is Chicken Shashlik Spicy?

    Yes, if you find general Indian/Pakistani food spicy, this will be spicy for you too. Although for regular spicy food eaters, the spicy level is almost minimal in this recipe. Reduce the quantity of red chili in the recipe to enjoy the flavors with less heat.

    Can I make this recipe in beef/lamb or mutton?

    Yes! Although. For any of these meats, you will have to boil your meat for about 20 to 30 mins or just until tender with salt and garlic paste. Then, you can proceed with the recipe as is.

    Can I make this shashlik recipe with fish?

    Ofcourse! Just swap out chicken for fish. I’d recommend going with any white fish of your like and avoid salmon for this recipe.

    More Indo-Chinese recipes

    Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:

    • orange chicken with sesame seeds on top of a bed of rice
      Homemade Orange Chicken Stir fry
    • Chili garlic noodles with chicken mushrooms on a black plate
      Spicy Chicken Chilli Garlic Noodles
    • apple chicken stir fry in a frying pan with some apples and chop sticks on the side
      Easy Apple Chicken Stir Fry
    • BEST AND EASY DRAGON CHICKEN RECIPE
      Dragon Chicken Recipe

    Do you have any questions? I’m happy to help! And of course, If you try this recipe, I’d loveeeee to see it or simply hear about it! Hit me up in the comment section below and I’ll get back to asap! Happy Cooking!

    chicken shashlik skewers served on a grill pan.

    Chicken Shashlik Dry

    An Indo-Chinese style, chicken and vegetable skewers marinated in fusion style sauces and spices, served with rice
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Pin
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Chinese/Indo Chinese
    Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Resting time: 30 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes
    Servings: 8 long skewers
    Calories: 150kcal
    Author: Wajiha

    Equipment

    bbq sticks wooden or metal
    A grill pan or an outdoor bbq

    Ingredients

    • 500 gm boneless chicken cut in cubes
    • 2 medium bell peppers cut in 1 inch squares
    • 2 large tomatoes cut in 1 inch squares
    • 1 large onion cut in 1 inch squares
    • extra oil for frying/baking

    Marinade

    • 2 teaspoon salt or to taste
    • 1 teaspoon white pepper powder
    • 1 teaspoon cumin powder
    • 2 teaspoon kashmiri red chili powder see notes
    • 4 tablespoon tomato paste or ketchup
    • 1 tablespoon garlic paste
    • 2 tablespoon soy sauce
    • 1 tablespoon red vinegar
    • 1 tablespoon oil for marination

    Instructions

    • Combine all the ingredients for marinade in a bowl and mix. Add your chicken and coat it in the marination.
    • Add the chopped vegetables in the chicken and coat it with the marinade. Keep aside for 30 mins
    • Use wooden or metal skewers to thread the vegetables and chicken. If using wooden skewers, always soak in water for 10 mins before using.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1skewerCalories: 150kcalCarbohydrates: 8gProtein: 2gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0.2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.01gSodium: 901mgPotassium: 301mgFiber: 2gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 1436IUVitamin C: 48mgCalcium: 21mgIron: 1mg
    Can’t wait to see your remakes! Tag meon IG with your pictures @butteroverbae
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