Marinated chicken wing kebabs with skewered tomatoes

Joojeh kabab

By: Greg Malouf, Lucy Malouf
From: Saraban
Serves: 6
Photographer: Mark Roper

Marinated chicken wings are irresistible whether grilled on the barbecue or baked in the oven to sticky golden goodness. And we love the Persian way of spearing them onto skewers, instead of just scattering them randomly over the flames. The yoghurt in this marinade helps to tenderise the meat, and it adds a faint, but delectable tang. I prefer to grill the tomatoes separately, rather than spearing them with the wings, as they cook at different rates and the tomatoes are easier to handle if they can maintain some shape.

If you don’t feel like firing up the barbecue, the chicken wings can also be baked at 180ºC for about 20 minutes, in which case you should throw in the tomatoes halfway through the cooking time.

Ingredients

Quantity	Ingredient
12	free-range chicken wings, tips removed
1	garlic clove
1 teaspoon	sea salt
3 tablespoons	olive oil
120g	thick natural yoghurt
1	lime, juiced
1/2	orange, grated zest
1/2 teaspoon	freshly ground black pepper
6	small vine-ripened tomatoes
splash	pomegranate molasses
1 teaspoon	chopped thyme leaves
	rice, to serve
	lemon wedges, to serve
	fresh herbs, to serve
	flatbread, to serve
2 tablespoons	Saffron liquid

Method

Cut the chicken wings in half through the joint and put them into a shallow dish.
Crush the garlic to a paste with the salt and scrape it into a bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil and the yoghurt, saffron liquid, lime juice, orange zest and pepper and mix well. Pour the marinade onto the chicken wings and turn them around in it so they are evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or for at least 6 hours. Allow to come to room temperature before cooking.
When ready to cook, preheat your barbecue or griller to high. Thread the wing pieces onto metal skewers (any width will do here), and grill, turning so they colour evenly. As they begin to colour, move them away from the direct heat to prevent them burning. They will take around 15–20 minutes to cook through.
Halfway through the cooking time, thread the tomatoes onto a skewer. Whisk the remaining oil with the pomegranate molasses and thyme and baste the tomatoes as they cook, turning them continuously so they char evenly.
Pile all the skewers onto a warm platter and serve with your choice of rice, lemon wedges, fresh herbs and lots of warm flatbread