Chicken mshikaki reminds me of my days growing up in Lang’ata. We never had as much street food as let’s say Pangani and Eastleigh has, but what we did have made our evenings super exciting. With the cover of dusk, streets lined up with people selling all kinds of things. Hissing sound searing of mutura, smoke rising from jikos being fanned before roasting the maize, mshikaki being skewered for roasting and sold with viazi karai, kaleidoscopes of mabuyu and one shilling ice displayed for passer-bys to choose from were some of the things that made my evenings and walks from school so fun. Things in my childhood neighborhood have since changed but all the fun times remain cemented in my very soul!
To celebrate one of my faves, today’s recipe draws inspiration from chicken mshikaki I used to enjoy snacking on growing up. Of course, in true Kaluhi fashion, my rendition on it has shaken things up, turned up the spice dial and even thrown in a dip. Let’s get to it!
Here is the video
And now, lets go into deep details in this blog :))))))
PREP TIME: 3HRS COOK TIME: 20MIN MAKES: 10
Ingredients
1 kg of chicken breast
2 tbalespoons of apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon of dark mushroom soy sauce
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon of minced ginger
1/2 a teaspoon of chili flakes
1 teaspoon of paprika
1 teaspoon of turmeric
1 cup of plain yoghurt
2 tablespoons of dried rosemary
Salt to taste
For the dip
1/2 a cup of plain yoghurt
A few sprigs of dania
1/2 a teaspoon of whole black pepper
2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon of honey
2 cloves of garlic, minces
1/4 teaspoon of fresh ginger
Method
Dice your chicken and place them in a container. I bought my chicken breast from city market from stall number 38. You can call them on 0722 656 041 or 0722 774 139 for any inquiries you have.
Add all the other ingredients and mix them in until combined. Easy right? The paprika and turmeric are primarily just for color, but the flavor the ginger, garlic, chili, rosemary introduce is beyond amazing. The mild acidity of the plain yoghurt tenderizes the chicken breast. Cover and set aside to marinate. Remember, the longer you marinate, the deeper the flavors always are.
In the mean time, work on the dip. I wanted something creamy and rich to compliment the flavors of the chicken so those where the flavors I went with.
In your kinu, add the black pepper seeds and dania and crush them into a paste. This video shows that so beautifully. I went with whole black pepper since the added texture of the whole spice speeds up the grinding process. You should be done once they both combine and form a paste.
Add them into a bowl with the plain yoghurt, add the garlic, garlic, lemon and honey. I initially did not have honey in the dip ingredients but added some after tasting it towards the end. The mild sweetness balanced out the assertivness of the pepper and the lemon juice. Always make sure you taste the dip before serving and adjust ingredient quantities as per your preference. Also make sure yo choose a nice thick yoghurt. We need this nice and thick, not soupy and runny.
Mix it all in then set aside the dip. This dip would also be excellent with grilled fish.
Finally, we get the chicken done. Once it has finished marinating start skewering. You can alternate the meat with some vegetable of choice, I just went with only chicken because i felt to lazy to chop more things up. I bought my skewers from CarreFour at about 100 bob for a pack of 50. I see them in Tuskys too once in a while.
Lightly grease your pan and proceed to sear them. Since the chicken is chopped up really small, it will take a very short time to cook- about 5-8 minutes. If you are in doubt, just cut open one piece after the 8 min mark and confirm it’s ‘doneness’.
Once they are done, pile them on your plate, together with the creamy dip we made in the beginning and serve. I bought this pretty pink plate I served my chicken mshikaki on from HealthyU at 999bob.
I am obviously going to hide this and eat it all alone This is one dish I would love to share with friends and family coz this is the kind of deliciousness that cannot be savored alone! So fast to prepare and you can have these as starters or as part of the main dishes you serve together with your favorite starch. I fancy these chicken mshikaki with creamy dania dip with some potato wedges.
Happy eating!!
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Hey there! My name is Kaluhi and I love food! Through my blog, I am happy to share with you my self-taught recipes, steeped in nostalgia and the happiest of memories. I hope each recipe you try out is as addictive as the previous one and is shared on a table full of love and hearty laughs!
Can i use Turkey?
Definitely!
Forreal I cannot stand Dania! The dip looks dope but which herb can I substitute Dania with?
Any herb would work! I would however recommend parsely or dill
Is dania cilantro?
yes
I like the mshikaki without the top dressing …..
Thats ok. I like mine with.
Wooow!!!the food looks yummy. I would really love to have a bite. Thanks a lot for sharing.
Anytime!
The mshikakis look tasty. Would it be different without the soy source, not a fun of mushrooms?
It will be different. Just to note, the soy sauce does not taste like mushrooms
It will be different. Just to point out, the soy sauce does not taste like mushrooms.
Wonderful. Thanks for sharing recipe
You’re welcome!
Chili Rosemary Chicken Mshikaki with Zesty Dania Dip its appetizing and it looks very fulfilling
yup!
Can I substitute the yoghurt with natural mala?
For this particular recipe, you can not.
Hey 👋. Can you grill this in an oven instead? If so how does one go about it?
About 30 minutes at 120 degrees. Make sure you turn them from time to time