Honeyed Chicken & Aubergine Skewers
Serves 4
These kebabs are at their best when made in advance (ideally 24 hours) to allow the flavours in the marinade time to fully develop. They will happily sit in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours prior to cooking.
The dukkah (a highly nutritious traditional North African condiment) adds a delicious nutty taste to the dish. If you are using wooden skewers, do remember to soak them in cold water for at least 20 minutes prior to using them to prevent them from burning in the oven. Also do make sure that you cut your aubergine into sufficiently small pieces so that the pieces are well cooked.
This is lovely served with either a tahini yoghurt dressing or my walnut Mahara on the side.
You will need a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
What you need
4 organic chicken breasts, diced into bite-sized cubes
1 large aubergine, cubed into bite sized pieces.
2 tbsp butter, melted
Salt and pepper
For the marinade
2 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp runny honey (plus 1 tbsp reserved for the final drizzle)
1 tbsp organic butter, melted
½ lemon, zest and juice
Salt and pepper
For the dukkah
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
½ tsp black pepper corns, crushed
25g pistachio nuts, roughly chopped
½ tsp paprika
Pinch salt
What you do
First make the marinade: Dry fry the cumin seeds for approximately 30 seconds until you can smell their aroma then remove from the pan and crush with a pestle and mortar.
Place in a bowl together with all the other marinade ingredients and mix well.
Place the cubed chicken and aubergine in a large bowl and pour the marinade over the top. Massage in the marinade with your hands (making sure to wash them afterwards).
Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour but preferably overnight.
To make the dukkah, dry fry the sesame, cumin and coriander seeds together with the peppercorns for approximately 20 seconds until you start to smell the aroma.
Remove from the heat and crush to a fine crumb using a pestle and mortar or a grinder. Transfer to a bowl and add the pistachio nuts.
When you are ready to cook, pre-heat the oven to 170˚C.
Thread alternate pieces of chicken and aubergine onto skewers.
Place the finished skewers well spread out on a lined baking tray so that they cook evenly.
Brush the kebabs with melted butter, sprinkle one tablespoon of the dukkah evenly over the kebabs, and place in the oven for approximately 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, turn the skewers over so that they brown on all sides.
Return to the oven for a further 10 minutes.
Five minutes before the end of the cooking time, coat the skewers with the reserved tablespoon of honey and return to the oven. Don’t leave them in the oven any longer or the honey will burn.
Serve with coriander and dukkah sprinkled over the top.
To serve, choose any of the following:
Small bunch fresh coriander, finely chopped
