Air-Fryer Spiced Chicken Kebabs with Vegetable and Bulgur Salad
By Rebeccah MarstersPublished on April 19, 2022
Time
1 hour
Yield
Serves 2
Ingredients
½ cup medium-grind bulgur, rinsed⅓ cup boiling water 1 teaspoon baharat, divided½ teaspoon table salt, divided⅔ cup plain Greek yogurt 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest plus ¼ cup lemon juice, divided (2 lemons)2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided1 small garlic clove, minced to paste12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into 1½-inch pieces½ cup coarsely chopped fresh mint, divided½ cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley, divided1 small red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1½-inch pieces1 small red onion, halved and cut through root end into 6 equal wedgesOlive oil spray 5 (6-inch) Wooden skewers 2 tablespoons toasted chopped pistachios, almonds, or walnuts
Before You Begin
Look for medium- grind bulgur (labeled “#2”), which is roughly the size of mustard seeds. Avoid coarsely ground bulgur; it will not cook through in time. If you can't find baharat, you can substitute ½ teaspoon paprika, ¼ teaspoon pepper, ⅛ teaspoon ground cumin, and pinch ground cloves. Serve with warmed pitas or naans, if desired. This recipe can be easily doubled.
Instructions
- Combine bulgur, boiling water, ¾ teaspoon baharat, and ¼ teaspoon salt in large bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let sit while preparing kebabs.
- Combine yogurt, lemon zest, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 tablespoon oil, garlic, remaining ¼ teaspoon baharat, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt in bowl. Transfer ¼ cup yogurt mixture to medium bowl, add chicken, and toss to coat; let marinate for at least 15 minutes or up to 1 hour. Stir ¼ cup mint and ¼ cup parsley into remaining yogurt mixture and season with salt and pepper to taste; set aside for serving.
- Thread bell pepper and onion evenly onto 3 skewers; lightly spray with oil spray. Arrange kebabs in air-fryer basket, parallel to each other and spaced evenly apart. Place basket into air fryer, set temperature to 375 degrees, and cook for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, thread chicken evenly onto remaining 2 skewers. Arrange chicken kebabs on top of vegetable kebabs, perpendicular to bottom layer. Return basket to air fryer and cook until chicken is lightly browned and registers 160 degrees, 15 to 20 minutes, flipping and rotating chicken kebabs halfway through cooking. Transfer chicken kebabs to plate, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest while finishing salad.
- Transfer vegetable kebabs to cutting board. When cool enough to handle, slide vegetables off skewers and chop coarse. Add vegetables, pistachios, remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice, remaining 1 tablespoon oil, remaining ¼ cup mint, and remaining ¼ cup parsley to bulgur and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve chicken kebabs and salad with yogurt sauce.
Time
1 hourYield
Serves 2Ingredients
½ cup medium-grind bulgur, rinsed
⅓ cup boiling water
1 teaspoon baharat, divided
½ teaspoon table salt, divided
⅔ cup plain Greek yogurt
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest plus ¼ cup lemon juice, divided (2 lemons)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 small garlic clove, minced to paste
12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into 1½-inch pieces
½ cup coarsely chopped fresh mint, divided
½ cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley, divided
1 small red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1½-inch pieces
1 small red onion, halved and cut through root end into 6 equal wedges
Olive oil spray
5 (6-inch) Wooden skewers
2 tablespoons toasted chopped pistachios, almonds, or walnuts
Ingredients
½ cup medium-grind bulgur, rinsed
⅓ cup boiling water
1 teaspoon baharat, divided
½ teaspoon table salt, divided
⅔ cup plain Greek yogurt
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest plus ¼ cup lemon juice, divided (2 lemons)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 small garlic clove, minced to paste
12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into 1½-inch pieces
½ cup coarsely chopped fresh mint, divided
½ cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley, divided
1 small red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1½-inch pieces
1 small red onion, halved and cut through root end into 6 equal wedges
Olive oil spray
5 (6-inch) Wooden skewers
2 tablespoons toasted chopped pistachios, almonds, or walnuts
Ingredients
½ cup medium-grind bulgur, rinsed
⅓ cup boiling water
1 teaspoon baharat, divided
½ teaspoon table salt, divided
⅔ cup plain Greek yogurt
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest plus ¼ cup lemon juice, divided (2 lemons)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 small garlic clove, minced to paste
12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into 1½-inch pieces
½ cup coarsely chopped fresh mint, divided
½ cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley, divided
1 small red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1½-inch pieces
1 small red onion, halved and cut through root end into 6 equal wedges
Olive oil spray
5 (6-inch) Wooden skewers
2 tablespoons toasted chopped pistachios, almonds, or walnuts
Why This Recipe Works
Partway through cooking, we stacked the chicken kebabs on the vegetable kebabs, placed crosswise for maximum air circulation, bringing the chicken closer to the heat source. A garlicky yogurt mixture spiced with baharat, an East Mediterranean spice blend, acted as a marinade for the chicken and sauce for the finished dish. Using bigger pieces of chicken and packing them tightly onto skewers kept the meat juicy. Skewering the vegetables separately allowed us to tailor cooking times so that the chicken and vegetables were ready at the same time. The vegetables retained their great charred flavor even after being chopped further for the bulgur salad.
Before You Begin
Look for medium- grind bulgur (labeled “#2”), which is roughly the size of mustard seeds. Avoid coarsely ground bulgur; it will not cook through in time. If you can't find baharat, you can substitute ½ teaspoon paprika, ¼ teaspoon pepper, ⅛ teaspoon ground cumin, and pinch ground cloves. Serve with warmed pitas or naans, if desired. This recipe can be easily doubled.
Instructions
- Combine bulgur, boiling water, ¾ teaspoon baharat, and ¼ teaspoon salt in large bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let sit while preparing kebabs.
- Combine yogurt, lemon zest, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 tablespoon oil, garlic, remaining ¼ teaspoon baharat, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt in bowl. Transfer ¼ cup yogurt mixture to medium bowl, add chicken, and toss to coat; let marinate for at least 15 minutes or up to 1 hour. Stir ¼ cup mint and ¼ cup parsley into remaining yogurt mixture and season with salt and pepper to taste; set aside for serving.
- Thread bell pepper and onion evenly onto 3 skewers; lightly spray with oil spray. Arrange kebabs in air-fryer basket, parallel to each other and spaced evenly apart. Place basket into air fryer, set temperature to 375 degrees, and cook for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, thread chicken evenly onto remaining 2 skewers. Arrange chicken kebabs on top of vegetable kebabs, perpendicular to bottom layer. Return basket to air fryer and cook until chicken is lightly browned and registers 160 degrees, 15 to 20 minutes, flipping and rotating chicken kebabs halfway through cooking. Transfer chicken kebabs to plate, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest while finishing salad.
- Transfer vegetable kebabs to cutting board. When cool enough to handle, slide vegetables off skewers and chop coarse. Add vegetables, pistachios, remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice, remaining 1 tablespoon oil, remaining ¼ cup mint, and remaining ¼ cup parsley to bulgur and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve chicken kebabs and salad with yogurt sauce.
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