This Persian Chicken Kabob, Joojeh Kabob, is traditionally marinated in saffron, grated onion, lemon, and sometimes garlic. Joojeh kabob translates to grilled or fried chick and is traditionally cooked on a charcoal grill for a crispy exterior, just like its ground beef partner, koobideh. You can also cook it in your oven under the broiler. I’ll show you how to do both!

Charred chicken kabobs on metal skewers on top of pita bread.

🌟 Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • Traditional marinade with deep flavor: The chicken thighs are marinated overnight in a classic Persian kabob marinade. Chicken thighs are already more flavorful and tender than chicken breasts, and marinating overnight helps the flavors penetrate the chicken and make it even more flavorful when cooked.
  • Grated onion & lemon juice make chicken EXTRA tender and juicy: Grated onion is used in the marinade instead of diced. This increases the surface area of the onion. The onion has enzymes that help tenderize the meat, and the acidic lemon juice helps break down the chicken for a tender texture, too. This chicken koobideh also uses the ground onion and lemon juice.
  • Quick cook time and even cooking: Cooking the thighs in small pieces without the bone and skin means they cook up quickly and evenly. This can be an easy weeknight dinner if you prep the marinade in advance.

🧾 Ingredients in This Recipe

Ingredients to make chicken kabobs like saffron, onion, boneless chicken, and a lemon on a countertop.
  • Chicken thighs – This recipe uses boneless and skinless chicken thighs. You can also use boneless and skinless chicken breast, but it will come out slightly less juicy and tender.
  • Lemon juice – You can substitute it with lime juice. The acid in the juice helps tenderize the chicken and balances the savory garlic and onion.
  • Saffron – You can tell saffron is real by crushing it between your fingers. There should be a yellow residue on your fingers. You can find saffron in Middle-Eastern markets or online.
  • Onion – Grate the onion using a coarse grater or box grater. This helps the onion flavor and enzymes (the thing that helps tenderize the meat) get all over the chicken.
  • Garlic – I use whole cloves and mince them myself for peak freshness, but you could use pre-minced garlic in the same amount.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

👩‍🍳 How to Make Joojeh Kabob

Hands cutting raw chicken in a bowl.
  • Cut the 1.5 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken thighs into even, square pieces. Do not remove all the fat, you’ll want to keep some for flavor. The pieces should be approximately 1.5-2 inches wide.
Raw chicken in a bowl being mixed with grated onion.
  • Add 1/4 cup oil (any flavorless oil or olive oil), 1/4 cup lemon juice, 1 grated onion, 3 cloves crushed garlic, 1/2 teaspoon saffron crushed in your fingers, salt, and pepper. Marinate for a minimum of 2 hours and up to overnight.

⭐️ Pro Tip ⭐️

Keep your chicken pieces as uniform in size as possible for an even cooking time.

Raw chicken kabobs on a platter next to tomatoes.
  • Thread each chicken piece onto the skewers, and shake off any excess onion and marinade or it will burn when you cook it. If you are using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 15 minutes so they do not burn.
Chicken and tomatoes on a outdoor grill.
  • If using a charcoal grill: Cook the skewers with the grill open over high heat. It will take 8-10 minutes per side. Until the internal temperature is 165F.

⭐️ Using an oven? ⭐️

Preheat your oven to 450F. Line your broiling pan with foil and top with the skewered chicken. Bake chicken for 8-10 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Then turn on the broiler, and broil the kabobs for an additional 2 minutes, flipping halfway through, to get a nice light crispy char on the edges.

🥗 What to Serve with Joojeh Kabob

This recipe tastes incredible served with Persian Steamed Rice, squishy and skin-charred barbecued tomatoes, and Shirazi Salad. It’s also great with roasted veggies, and you can’t go wrong if you wrap the kabob in some fresh homemade pita bread and cilantro jalapeño hummus.

🍽️ Special Equipment for Cooking Kabobs

Traditionally you would cook Persian kabobs like this in an open charcoal grill. I cook mine in a Big Green Egg and they come out great. It will give the chicken an amazing smoky flavor and crisp exterior.

That said, you can use any charcoal grill. This small, portable Weber Smokey charcoal grill is a fantastic, inexpensive choice. It’s also possible to achieve a similar result with your oven broiler which may be more accessible for some.

For skewering the chicken, here are the metal skewers I use. They are much less expensive if you can find them in a Middle-Eastern market. I think metal is best as it conducts heat through the chicken and helps get an even cook.

Three rows of chicken kabobs next to barbecued tomatoes and lime wedges.

If you love Persian food, be sure to check out all the Persian recipes on the blog. In the meantime, here is some inspiration!

I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on INSTAGRAM, TIKTOK, and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m up to.

Chicken kabobs on metal skewers.
Author: Candice Walker

Joojeh Kabob (Persian Chicken Kabob)

5 from 8 votes
Print Recipe Save
This Persian Chicken Kabob, Joojeh Kabob, is marinated in saffron, grated onion, lemon, and garlic. It's usually cooked on a charcoal grill, but you can also cook it in your oven under the broiler. I'll show you how to do both!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Resting Time2 hours
Total Time2 hours 30 minutes
Course: Main
Cuisine: Persian
Diet: Kosher
Servings: 4
Calories: 507kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1.5 lb. chicken
  • ¼ cup oil
  • ¼ cup lemon juice
  • 1 yellow onion grated
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • ½ teaspoon saffron ground and bloomed/steeped in 1 tablespoon of hot water
  • salt and pepper

Instructions

  • Cut the 1.5 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken thighs into even, square pieces. Do not remove all the fat. The pieces should be approximately 1.5-2 inches wide.
  • Add 1/4 cup oil (any flavorless oil or olive oil), 1/4 cup lemon juice, 1 grated onions, 3 cloves crushed garlic, 1/2 teaspoon saffron ground and bloomed/steeped in 1 tablespoon of hot water, salt, and pepper. Marinate for a minimum of 2 hours and up to overnight.
  • Thread the chicken pieces onto the skewers, and shake off any excess onion and marinade or it will burn when you cook it.
  • TO GRILL: Cook the skewers with the grill open over high heat. It will take 8-10 minutes per side.
    TO BAKE and BROIL: Preheat your oven to 450F. Line your broiling pan with foil and top with the skewered chicken. Bake for 8-10 minutes, flipping half-way through. Then turn on the broiler and broil for an additional 2 minutes, flipping half-way through, to get a nice light char on the edges.
    Internal temperature should be 165F when ready.

Video

Notes

The onion in the marinade is grated instead of diced. This increases the surface area of the onion. The onion has enzymes that help tenderize the meat.
Try to make sure your chicken thigh pieces are all a uniform size so that they cook evenly and in the same timeframe.

Nutrition

Calories: 507kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 128mg | Sodium: 121mg | Potassium: 387mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 240IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Did you try this recipe?I’d love to hear what you think! Leave a Review to let us know how it came out, if you have a successful substitution or variation, or anything else.

10 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This is a wonderful recipie and description that easy to follow. There is one thing I did differently, instead of using rediculously priced saffron, I used Turmeric which is less expensive and has a beautiful color on the chicken.

    Reply

  3. 5 stars
    These came out so good and were bursting with flavor. Had some leftovers that were perfect in a rice bowl the next day. Thanks for the great recipe!

    Reply

    2. I would suggest tweaking the order that you add the ingredients.

      1. Add safron to the chicken before anything else is added and wait 15 minutes until safron has penetrated.
      2. then add salt and pepper and lemon juice
      3. then add the olive oil to seal the flavors
      4. then add onion and garlic

      Reply

        1. Hi Doryne, great question! No, it does not have to be charcoal, and you can grill these on any grill. If you’re looking for that particular taste you get in Persian restaurants, the charcoal will make a difference. Enjoy!

          Reply
5 from 8 votes (3 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating