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A close-up of a large knife slicing marinated, grilled chicken doner stacked on skewers.
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5 from 1 vote

Chicken Doner Recipe

Make Chicken Doner Kebabs at home! Tender, spiced, marinated chicken cooked until lightly charred, then sliced thinly and served in warm flatbreads with all the toppings.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 15 minutes
marinating time30 minutes
Total Time2 hours
Course: BBQ, Dinner
Cuisine: Turkish
Keyword: Fakeaway
Servings: 4 Servings
Author Nicky Corbishley

Ingredients

  • 1 kg (2.2 lb) boneless chicken thigh fillets
  • 4 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp tomato puree (tomato paste in USA)
  • 1 tbsp neutral oil (I use avocado oil)
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp dried oregano

Instructions

Marinating the chicken

  • Place a chicken thigh fillet on a piece of greaseproof paper on a chopping board, fold over the greaseproof paper and give it a gentle bash with a meat mallet or a rolling pin until it’s an even thickness. Repeat with all the chicken thigh fillets, then place in a large bowl.
    1 kg (2.2 lb) boneless chicken thigh fillets
  • Add the rest of the ingredients and thoroughly mix the chicken with the marinade so that it completely coats all the chicken.
    4 cloves garlic, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp tomato puree, 1 tbsp neutral oil, 1 tsp paprika, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp dried oregano
  • Cover and place in the fridge to marinade for at least 30 minutes up to 4 hours.

Cooking in the oven

  • Preheat your oven to 180C/350F (fan).
  • Skewer the marinated chicken thighs onto two or three metal skewers (all three skewers got through ALL of the meat - we don't want 3 individual skewers), stacking them on top of one another tightly to make a doner shape.
  • Place the skewered chicken horizontally, on top of a deep baking tray so the air can get around the chicken.
  • Place in the oven to cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, flipping the chicken over every 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and you have some nice charred edges on the doner.
  • Check the internal temperature of the chicken using a meat thermometer, you want to get to internal temperature of at least 74°C (165°F). For optimal tenderness and flavour, aim for 77-79°C (170-175°F).
  • Remove from the oven and carefully hold the skewers vertically then slice the chicken so the little pieces and strips of chicken fall off the skewers back into the baking tray with any juices that have been captured.

Cooking on the BBQ

  • Set-up your BBQ for indirect cooking and preheat until you get a stable 180°C/350F.
  • Stack the chicken up on a rotisserie attachment (I highly recommend using a rotisserie attachment for this). You want to stack it nice and tight so the chicken doesn’t spin on the spit.
  • Place a drip tray below where the chicken will be, then place the stacked rotisserie spit on the BBQ, close the lid and cook for 60-90 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and you have some nice charred edges on the doner.
  • Check the internal temperature of the chicken using a meat thermometer, you want to get to internal temperature of at least 74°C (165°F). For optimal tenderness and flavour, aim for 77-79°C (170-175°F).

Notes

Chicken Thighs

We’re using chicken thighs as they contain more fat (fat is flavour) and they’re a more forgiving cut of meat, meaning they still maintain their flavour and juiciness even with a longer cooking time.

Cooking on a BBQ

A doner is usually cooked on a vertical spit, but we can use a horizontal rotisserie on an indirect heat for a similar result. Using a rotisserie allows the meat to cook evenly, while the fat is continuously distributed throughout - so it's nice and juicy!
If you don't have a rotisserie attachment, you can thread the meat across three skewers and place on the barbecue. You'll need to turn the meat at least every 15 minutes, to ensure even cooking.

Why flatten the meat?

Bashing the meat until it’s an even thickness will give us a consistent cooking time, more tender meat and more surface area for the marinade to penetrate (meaning more flavour!).

Variations

In addition to the marinade, brush the chicken with BBQ sauce before placing in the oven then baste with more BBQ sauce half way through cooking for a sweet BBQ Chicken Doner.
For a spicy version with a little spice, Add 1 tsp of cayenne pepper and ½ tsp of chilli powder into the marinade.

What no yoghurt??

Some recipes call for using Greek yoghurt in the marinade. I don’t think this is needed as we have the acidity in the tomato puree and lemon juice to help tenderise the chicken.
Nutritional information is approximate, per serving (this recipes serves 4)

Nutrition

Calories: 341kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 49g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 238mg | Sodium: 546mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g

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