Spice up your grill game with joojeh kabob—a tasty Persian dish featuring juicy, saffron-spiced, boneless chicken grilled to perfection over an open flame. Have the lavash ready, because, just like koobideh kabob, you’ll want something to soak up all the juicy flavor of the kabobs.
What is Joojeh Kabob?
Joojeh kabob is a Persian dish consisting of boneless chicken pieces, spiced with onions, aromatic saffron, and other spices, skewered and grilled to perfection over an open flame. The result is tender, juicy chicken with a naturally smoky flavor, perfect for any occasion with saffron rice, warm lavash, and Shirazi salad.
Key Ingredients
- Chicken Breast: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs are the most commonly used cuts of chicken for joojeh kabob. Cut them into bite-sized pieces that are easy to thread onto skewers to cook on the grill.
- Onion: Cut the onion and massage them with salt to draw out its flavor as they help to marinate and tenderize the chicken.
- Spices: Season the the Persian chicken kabob with salted onions and pepper before grilling them.
- Saffron Stems: Take the time to bloom the saffron before using it in the recipe. Doing so will draw out the richness and fragrance of the saffron. You can bloom the stems by gently mixing them with a hot liquid, like water or milk. You can find high-quality saffron at local Indian or Arab markets.
- Butter: Use butter to flavor the kababs as they finish cooking.
How to Make Joojeh Kabob
The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Prepare the chicken breast and transfer the pieces to a large mixing bowl.
Step 2: Thinly slice the onions and massage them with your hands for 2-3 minutes with one teaspoon of kosher salt. Add them to the chicken alongside black pepper. Cover and marinate for at least 30 minutes.
Step 3: Remove the chicken from the refrigerator 30 minutes before grilling to bring it to room temperature, and prepare the grill by setting all burners to high for 10 minutes. Arrange the marinated chicken onto wide skewers until all the skewers are loaded.
Step 4: Once heated, rest the loaded skewers onto the edges of the grill, 4-5 inches from the flame.
Step 5: Grill the chicken for 7 minutes until the color changes. Flip the skewers and cook for another 5-6 minutes.
Step 6: Soak the saffron strands in a small bowl with two tablespoons of warm milk and set aside to bloom for 5 minutes. Then, transfer them to a small saucepan with butter and heat until the butter melts.
Step 7: Lower the heat, but maintain a grill temperature of 350℉ (176℃). Brush the chicken with the saffron butter mixture and continue grilling for 10 minutes, rotating the skewers so they brown on all sides.
Step 8: Remove the chicken from the grill and set them aside to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
How do you know when the chicken is done?
You can tell the chicken is done cooking when it reaches a safe internal temperature of 165°F (74°C). Check the temperature by inserting a food thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken, avoiding the bone.
Bake the Kabobs in the Oven
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a baking sheet with foil. Thread the marinated chicken pieces onto skewers (wide metal or wooden skewers soaked in water) and arrange them on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes, flipping the skewers halfway through.
Expert Tips
- Marinating the chicken is essential for achieving the juicy and flavorful kabobs. Let the chicken marinate for at least 30 minutes, but I recommend 6 hours or more.
- Remove the kabobs from the refrigerator before grilling and give them enough time to come to room temperature.
- Oil the skewers before adding the chicken to ensure they don’t stick.
- Every grill is different. With that in mind, the cooking times should work as a guide. For the most consistent results, I recommend using a meat thermometer to ensure the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (75°C), then remove the skewers from the grill immediately.
- Once the kabobs grill, let them rest for at least 10 minutes before serving; this allows the juices to redistribute and helps to keep the chicken moist and tender.
If you enjoy joojeh kabobs, try more grilling recipes!
Serving Suggestions
- Grilled Vegetables: Grilled Zucchini, Bell Peppers, Tomatoes, Eggplants, Grilled Sweet Potatoes
- Rice: Saffron Rice, Basmati Rice
- Salad: Shirazi Salad, Chickpea Tahini Salad, Piyaz, Avocado Cucumber Tomato Salad, Sumac Onions, Malfouf Salad, Biwaz
- Sauce: Butter Bean Hummus, Skhug, Tzatziki, Toum, Shatta Sauce, Tahini Yogurt Sauce
- Sides: Mirza Ghasemi, Baba Ghanoush
- Bread: Lavash, Sangak, Pita, Spinach Protein Wrap
What To Do With Leftovers
- Refrigerate: Store the leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- Freeze: Let the chicken cool, and transfer it to a freezer-safe container or bag. Joojeh kabob freezes for up to 4-6 months.
- Thaw: Defrost the chicken in the fridge overnight when you’re ready to eat.
- Reheat: Reheat defrosted or leftover chicken in the oven at 400°F (204°C) for 5-10 minutes.
- Repurpose: This may be a given, but use the leftovers to make a tasty pita or top a salad or pizza.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does joojeh mean in English?
Joojeh means ‘young chicken’ in Farsi. So, joojeh kabob refers to skewered and freshly grilled chicken.
More Chicken Recipes:
Joojeh Kabob
- Small Bowl
- 4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, cut into 1½ -inch pieces
- 1 small white onion, thinly sliced
- 1-3 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
- 1 tablespoon warm milk
- ⅛ teaspoon saffron stems
- ½ stick unsalted butter
- Prepare the chicken breast and transfer the pieces to a large mixing bowl.
- Thinly slice the onions and massage them with your hands for 2-3 minutes with one teaspoon of kosher salt. Add them to the chicken alongside black pepper. Cover and marinate for at least 30 minutes.
- Remove the chicken from the refrigerator 30 minutes before grilling to bring it to room temperature, and prepare the grill by setting all burners to high for 10 minutes. Arrange the marinated chicken onto wide skewers until all the skewers are loaded.
- Once heated, rest the skewers onto the edges of the grill, 4-5 inches from the flame.
- Grill the chicken for 7 minutes until the color changes. Flip the skewers and cook for another 5-6 minutes.
- Soak the saffron strands in a small bowl with two tablespoons of warm milk and set aside to bloom for 5 minutes. Then, transfer them to a small saucepan with butter and heat until the butter melts.
- Lower the heat, but maintain a grill temperature of 350℉ (176℃). Brush the chicken with the saffron butter mixture and continue grilling for 10 minutes, rotating the skewers so they brown on all sides.
- Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes and pair them with fresh bread and saffron rice.
- Marinating the chicken is essential for achieving the juicy and flavorful kabobs. Let the chicken marinate for at least 30 minutes, but I recommend 6 hours or more.
- Remove the kabobs from the refrigerator before grilling and give them enough time to come to room temperature.
- Oil the skewers before adding the chicken to ensure they don’t stick.
- Every grill is different. With that in mind, the cooking times should work as a guide. For the most consistent results, I recommend using a meat thermometer to ensure the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (75°C), then remove the skewers from the grill immediately.
- Once the kabobs grill, let them rest for at least 10 minutes before serving; this allows the juices to redistribute and helps to keep the chicken moist and tender.