Growing up in Pakistan, I always ate chicken shashlik grilled on a skewer, accompanied with rice and a BBQ sauce on the side, as pictured above. My favorite was from the restaurant BBQ Tonight, and I believe they still serve it exactly like this today. In recent years, another version of this recipe that is becoming popular is more of an Indo-Chinese style chicken with a Manchurian chicken-style gravy. Since I personally prefer this grilled version and already have a recipe for Indo-Chinese Chili Chicken, I thought I’d introduce you to this shish kebab-style chicken shashlik. Don’t forget to make the garlic-fried rice with it for a perfect meal!
Why you’ll love this recipe
Easy recipe - Despite the long list of ingredients and the number of steps in the instructions, the recipe is very easy. All the ingredients are easy to source and are used repetitively; no special cooking tools or skills are needed, and active cooking time is only 15 minutes. Balanced meal - Lean white meat and vegetables are cooked using healthy cooking techniques, making this a great choice for a family meal. Customizable recipe - This recipe is so easy to adapt to personal tastes. Change the meat, vegetable mix, and spices, and customize it as you like. Great Meal prep option - The chicken is perfect for marinating and freezing in Ziploc bags as part of a weekly meal prep routine.
Ingredient notes
Chicken ingredients
Chicken - I always use chicken tenderloins for my boneless chicken. Located just beneath the breast on either side of the breastbone, this is far more tender than breast meat. Sold separately in supermarkets, it can be purchased by the pound. Cut each tenderloin into two parts and trim any unnecessary fat before marinating. Garlic - I crush garlic cloves to make my paste, but storebought is also ok. Ginger - The ginger can be crushed using a mortar and pestle or grated using a microplane ginger tool. Soy sauce - In addition to its delicious flavor, this sauce helps balance out the acidity of the vinegar. Worcestershire sauce - This sauce helps tenderize the meat and adds a nice glossy sheen and flavor. White vinegar - This marinade’s key tenderizer, the vinegar gets the job done quickly, just like in my hariyali (green) chicken tikka recipe.
Vegetable ingredients
Vegetables - Green bell peppers, tomatoes, and yellow onions are the traditional vegetables in Chicken Shashlik. Seasoning - Salt and black pepper are all I use to season the vegetables so that their natural flavor can shine through. Vinegar and soy sauce - I use these to help bring the flavors of the chicken marinade to the vegetables. I cook everything separately but want it to taste like it was cooked together on a skewer.
BBQ sauce ingredients
BBQ sauce - There is a large variety of BBQ sauces, but a sweet BBQ sauce will work best for this recipe. I use Original Southern Sweet by The Shed BBQ & Blues Joint, a local company. You can use any brand you like. Tomato paste - Tomato paste adds a deep, rich tomato flavor and also acts as a thickener for the sauce. Cornstarch - Between the BBQ sauce and tomato paste, you may not need to thicken the sauce, but if necessary, a bit of cornstarch will help fix the texture and add a bit of gloss.
Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list of ingredients with measurements plus recipe instructions.
Substitutions & variations
Grill it outdoors - Preheat your grill to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the meat and vegetables on skewers, brush everything with cooking oil, and grill. The chicken shashlik will be ready when the vegetables are slightly charred and the internal temperature of the chicken is 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Broil it in the oven - Broil the meat and veggies in the oven in a sheet pan. I prefer broiling to baking as it provides high heat and a cooking style similar to the air fryer. This will result in the slightly charred effect desired in the kabobs. Broil on high, and after about 10 minutes, remove the vegetables and turn the chicken pieces over for another 5 minutes to cook the other side. Use a stovetop grill pan - A stovetop grill pan also works great! The vegetables and chicken get perfect grill marks and are very juicy. Try a different meat - Traditional Russian shashlik is made with pieces of lamb. You can try this or beef for your shashlik for variety. Use different vegetables - There are many variations; select seasonal vegetables or personal favorites for an occasional change.
Step-by-step instructions
First Step - Clean the chicken tenderloins and cut each one in half. Mix all of the ingredients for the marinade in a small bowl. Second step - Pour the marinade into the prepped chicken tenderloins. Third step - Mix the marinade well to ensure each piece is coated well. Fourth step - Marinate for at least 30 minutes, then place the pieces in your air fryer tray in an even layer. If you have a small air fryer, cook the chicken in two batches.
Fifth step - Cut all the vegetables for the chicken shashlik into eighths. Make sure to discard the seeds in the bell peppers. Sixth step - Mix all the ingredients for the marinade together. Seventh step - Pour the marinade over the vegetables and toss well. Eighth step - Line a baking sheet with foil and spread the vegetables to broil.
Ninth step - While the chicken and vegetables are cooking, mix all ingredients, except the cornstarch and water, in a saucepan and bring them to a boil. Stir constantly to mix everything well. Tenth step - Once the BBQ sauce for the chicken shashlik is ready, it should coat the cooking spoon. Add a slurry of 1 tbsp cornstarch and ¼ cup water to the sauce if needed. Stir constantly over medium heat to thicken the sauce.
Expert Tips
For more Pakistani recipes like this, check out 20 popular Pakistani recipes. If you decide to try this recipe, Please don’t forget to leave a rating and comment below! If you take a picture then tag me on Instagram! Thank You!
