Middle Eastern Chicken Kebabs with Taziki Sauce

These chicken kebabs are amazing. They hit all the right notes in terms of what you expect middle eastern food to taste like. And pretty much anything served on a stick is just a fun way to eat! These kebabs were served at our ward Christmas party when we did "A Night in Bethlehem." I made them for 200 people and used 80 lbs of chicken. They were all devoured and I had so many requests for the recipe. The marinade comes together pretty quickly and is pretty versatile depending on how you want to cook it. You can skewer the raw meat and then BBQ, or chunk the chicken...saute in a skillet...and then skewer. You could probably even skewer the raw meat and then bake with a quick broil to finish it off. The possibilities are endless and can really cater to what works best for you. For the ward party I marinated the chicken chunks and sauted in a skillet. I reduced the sauce down until it was pretty thick and then let the chicken come to room temperature in the sauce. I skewered the chunks and then hit them under the broiler just before serving. They were so so so good!

Marinade
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (reduce depending on desired level of spiciness)
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
5 minced garlic cloves
2 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into 2" cubes
1 large red onion, cut into wedges
15 8" bamboo (or metal) skewers

 Taziki Sauce
1 1/2 cups Greek yogurt
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
2 medium cucumbers, seeded and diced fine
1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh dill
Salt and pepper to taste

 In a large bowl, combined all the ingredients except the chicken. Mix and then add chicken chunks. Marinate overnight, and for up to 3 days. At this point you can either thread the chicken onto skewers and then BBQ or saute in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook until the meat is no longer pink and the sauce has reduced to a ketchup like consistency. Whether the chicken is raw or cooked, when threading meat onto a skewer alternate pieces of chicken with purple onion. Onions will either cook on the BBQ or under the broiler.

 For the Taziki sauce, combine all ingredients and mix well. If you prefer a smoother texture you can just run it through a food processor. Serve as a dipping sauce for chicken.