Oven Kebabs & Rice

Ready to eat!

Who doesn’t love meat on a stick? This is a great weeknight meal that you can get in the oven to cook while you do other things. You can prep the components ahead of time, so all you have to do is assemble. If you don’t have time to marinate the chicken, it’s fine; it will still be delicious! I love the versatility; you can change the flavors of the chicken (beef, lamb!) and the rice. I stuck with my go-to chicken “marinade” of equal parts paprika, salt, and garlic powder, and added a bit of basil too.

For the rice, I did the extra step of toasting cardamom pods, sautéing an onion, and then toasting the rice before adding it to the 9×13 casserole. It’s an optional step, takes about 6 minutes longer, but it’s worth it to me to add an extra layer of flavor. If you don’t have a veggie chopper yet, GET ONE. I love mine and use it often, so I don’t have to do a million things. Use whatever spices you like, turmeric & curry would be great here. My people don’t love those flavors, so I don’t cook with them often.

I served the kebabs with sautéed zucchini, tomatoes & lemon, and leftover lemony green beans from the night before. Feta cheese and tzatziki are a great choice if you want things to be a little saucy!

Ingredients for the Rice:

2 C basmati or jasmine rice, rinsed until water runs clear

8 tsp vegetable or avocado oil

8 cardamom pods, lightly smashed with the flat of the knife

1 yellow onion, diced (about 1 cup)

4 C chicken stock (can use water if needed)

1 tsp salt

Ingredients for the Chicken:

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs, cut into 2” chunks

1 TBSP each paprika, garlic powder, kosher salt

1 TBSP dried basil (optional)

2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil

Freshly cracked pepper

Wooden skewers

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 400.

For the chicken:

Cut chicken into 2” chunks and add to a large bowl. Grind about 20 grinds of fresh pepper and add at least 2 TBSP of olive oil.

In a small bowl, add paprika, garlic powder, kosher salt & basil if using.

Add the spice mixture to the chicken and mix well to coat evenly. If you feel you need more, add a tsp of each.

Transfer chicken to a large Ziploc bag and refrigerate. You can marinate the chicken for up to 8 hours, but try to marinate it for at least 2 hours. If you don’t have time, don’t sweat it!

For the rice:

Heat a large, shallow saucepan over medium-high heat and add the vegetable oil.

Add the cardamom pods and the onion and toast. Do not let the onion or pods burn.

Add the rice and stir frequently until toasted. Some pieces will be brown, others will become translucent.

This process should take 5-6 minutes.

Once the rice is done, add it to a 9×13 casserole dish, pour in 4 cups of stock, and stir.

Pop the rice into the oven while you skewer the chicken.

Once the rice is in the oven, start skewing your chicken. Be sure to leave at least an inch (closer to 1.5 or 2 is better) at each end since the skewers will hang on the edges of the casserole dish.

Once the chicken is skewered, take the rice out of the oven and carefully lay the skewers along the long edges of the pan. Cover first with parchment and then with foil.

Place back in the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes, until the rice is fully cooked and no liquid remains.

Remove the parchment and foil.

Broil for 3-5 minutes, flipping once if you can.

Carefully remove from the oven, transfer kebabs to a platter, give the rice a stir, and dinner is ready!

I froze half of my rice flat in a Ziploc bag for future use. This recipe makes a lot!

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