Chicken Kafta Recipe

A close up shot of the chicken kafta served with rice and veggies.

5 from 1 vote

Chicken kafta is a great choice if you're looking for a delicious and easy recipe. This ground chicken dish is seasoned with a blend of herbs and spices and can be grilled or cooked in a pan for a quick and flavorful meal.

Prep Time10

Cook Time5

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Diet: Low Calorie, Low Fat

Servings:

Calories: 392kcal

Author: Clara

Equipment

Skewers

Ingredients

6 oz Ground Chicken
3 cloves Garlic
2 tablespoon Onion
3.5 grams Salt
¼ teaspoon Cumin
¼ teaspoon Paprika
¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
4-5 Sprigs Parsley
1 serving Rice

Instructions

Prepare the skewers – About 20-30 minutes before cooking, soak the skewers in water. This will make it easier for the meat to stick to the skewer
Prepare the ingredients – Get all the ingredients for the recipe and set aside. Mince the parsley, onion, and garlic into small, fine pieces.
Make the chicken mixture – In a large mixing bowl, add the ground chicken and mix in the minced parsley, onion, and garlic, along with the salt, pepper, paprika, and cumin. Mix everything together thoroughly so that the aromatics and spices are evenly distributed throughout the ground chicken.
Skewer the ground chicken – Take the presoaked skewers and add small pieces of meat throughout the skewer. Avoid adding a big clump of meat onto the skewer at once so that the meat is more easily distributed.
Cook the chicken – Heat a cast iron skillet or grill pan over the stove to medium-high heat. Spray with cooking spray to prevent the kaftas from sticking to the pan. Add the chicken skewers onto the pan and cook for about 4-5 minutes on each side, or until the chicken skewers reach a 165-degree F internal temperature.
Serve with sauces and rice – Serve your chicken kaftas with sauces and rice and enjoy your delicious Mediterranean meal!

Notes

Substitutions and Variations

Use turkey – Another great lean protein option. The taste will likely be drier though given turkey is dryer

Herbs – While minced parsley and/or mint are the most popular herbs to use here, you can also use either one of them. Cilantro would also work well as a substitute.

Expert Tips

Use the right salt ratio – With lower-fat meats like chicken, it’s essential to use enough salt to fully flavor the meat. A good rule of thumb is to use 1.5% of the weight of the meat (so for a 100-gram serving of chicken, use 1.5 grams).

Mince aromatics small enough – This will result in an even flavor distribution in every bite of the chicken kafta.

Nutrition