Easy and Delicious Mediterranean Grilled Chicken

Easy and Delicious Mediterranean Grilled Chicken

Grilled Chicken
Lebanese Grilled Whole Chicken
Mediterranean Grilled Chicken,  known as Djaj Meswia in Arab world, Most popular Chicken Dish among Arab People
Today I am going to write about Grilled Whole Chicken which is very popular in Arab world.  Since it is Mediterranean Cuisine I have two different recipes that will help you cook this fabulous dish Lebanese and Tunisian Style. Lebanese Style which is more popular among Arab People. Since the sauce is lemon based we can say Lebanese Grilled Chicken as Lemon Grilled Chicken. Tunisian Style Grilled Chicken is different from Lebanese Grilled Chicken & the sauce is oil and garlic based. Actually Tunisian food is all about oil, specially extra virgin olive oil, so the food is too much oily.

In the beginning I had not too much knowledge about Tunisian or Maghreb Cuisines, but I got an opportunity to work with Tunisian Chefs in a Tunisian Restaurant. I learned more about Tunisian Cuisines there. I learned to prepare various soups, appetizers, salads and main dishes. I also learned more about sea food. Tunisian Cuisines has  many sea food dishes like Stuffed Calamari, Seafood Ojja, Seafood Pasta, Seafood Couscous and Kofta Sardine. Tunisian salads and appetizers are garnished with tuna, olives, hard boiled eggs and olive oil. In Tunisian Cuisines Green Salad, Carrot Salad Horira and Grilled Capsicum Salad are most common and also used in many dish as Side dish. So Tunisian Grilled Chicken is  served with above mentioned salads, parsley onion, lemon wedges, fries, grilled pepper and onion.

In Lebanese Cuisines Grilled Chicken is served with parsley onion salad,  grilled onion and tomato, chilli bread, garlic mayo sauce toum and fries or mashed potato or assorted vegetables and pomegranate sauce atop.
Note:- Lebanese Grilled Chicken is grilled on Charcoal Fire on Grilling Net and  Tunisian Grilled Chicken is grilled in rotating machine so it is also known as Chicken Machina

Lebanese Style Grilled Chicken
First take 2 whole chicken each of not more than 900gms. Cut into two halves each and remove chest bones, back bones, neck, leg tips and wings tips. Now cleave the chicken thigh along the bones so that it gets marinated well. Put the chicken aside in a container.  Now take a mixing bowl and add garlic, ginger, corn oil, lemon juice,yoghurt, chilli paste, tomato paste, thymes or oregano and seven spices. Now take a hand blender or mixer blender and blend all the ingredients together into a fragrant barbecue sauce. Now add salt and pepper as per taste. Now put the sauce in the mixing bowl and add the chicken halves one by one and make sure the chicken is marinated well. Now add some oil above the chicken and put in the chiller for at least 8 hours for better taste. Take out the chicken and grill the chicken halves in charcoal grill on grilling net. Now take 4 pcs of medium tomatoes and onions then cut into two halves each. Take a skewer and pierce the tomato and onion halves in the center.  Now put the skewer along with the chicken in the grill. Turn the gauge in interval of time so that both side of chicken is cooked well. Also turn the skewer so that all side of tomato and onion get cooked well.

Take a plate and make a bed of pita or Lebanese bread, put some chopped parsley and onion, grilled tomatoes and onion halves. Now put the grilled chicken on the bed of bread and 2 pcs chilly breads, garlic mayo sauce and fries as sides and parsley onion and pomegranate sauce atop.

Lebnani Djaj Meswia | Lebanese Grilled Chicken Recipe
Yield: 2 full or 4 half servings    Preparation Time: 15 mins. plus minimum 8 hours chilling for best result   Cooking time: 20 mins.
Ingredients:
  • 2 whole chicken 900 grams each
  • 50ml fresh yoghurt
  • 50ml lemon juice
  • 20 gm garlic paste
  • 5 gm chilli paste
  • 2 gm tomato paste( optional)
  • 100 ml corn oil or canola oil
  • 2 stalk fresh thymes or oregano
  • 10 gm of Seven Spices
  • Salt and pepper as per taste 
For sides and garnish:
  • 2 medium fresh tomatoes
  • 2 medium red onions
  • 1 small white onion
  • 1 small bunch of fresh flat leaved Italian parsley
  • 1 pinch sumac powder
  • 1/4 medium red capsicum(optional)
  • 1/4 medium lemon (optional)
  • 4 pcs of chilli bread cut into 4 pcs each ( Lebanese Bread or Khabus)
  • 2 pcs of Lebanese bread cut into 2 each
  • 2 portion fries or assorted vegetables
  • 4 tbsp Garlic Mayo Sauce or Toum
  • 1 medium plate Mixed Pickles
Instructions:
  • Clean the chicken & cut into two halves each then remove back bones, chest bones, neck, leg tips and wings tips.
  • Cleave the thighs along the bones or remove the leg bones if you like.
  • Keep the chicken aside and mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl.
  • Now marinate the chicken halves thoroughly and keep in chiller for at least 8 hours for best result.
  • Prepare the charcoal fire ready for grill and take out the chicken from chiller and be ready for cooking.
  • Now cut the tomatoes and onion into halves each and pierce in a skewer and put in grill.
  • Put the chicken halves in a grilling net and put in grill.
  • Turn the chicken and skewer till cooked from both side.
  • Now chop the parsley, onion, capsicum & lemon then add sumac and mix well in a small bowl.
  • Place the bread on the plate and put chicken on the bed of bread.
  • Sprinkle some parsley onion on the chicken & put some as side salad
  • Now serve chilly bread, garlic mayo, fries or vegetables, pickles, grilled onion and  tomatoes as side dishes.
Tunisian Style Grilled Chicken
Take 2 whole chicken each not more than 1 kg. Then remove unnecessary wastages present inside the chicken. Keep the chicken aside to drain the water. Now blend some garlic with oil and place it in a mixing bowl. Now add turmeric powder, cumin powder, corn oil, Tunisian Thymes and rosemary then mix well into yellowish barbecue sauce.  Now marinate the chicken with the sauce very well inside and outside. If sauce remains fill it in the chicken cavity. Now grill the chicken in the rotating machine or cut into halves and grill on charcoal fire in grilling net like Lebanese Grilled Chicken.
**Now prepare Tunisian Green Salad, Carrot Salad Horira & Grilled Capsicum Salad. I'll be sharing the recipe of these salad later.
When the chicken is done serve with side salads and lemon wedges, fries, olives and Tunisian Spicy Sauce Harisha.

Tunisian Grilled Chicken Recipe
Yield: 2 full or 4 half servings    Preparation Time: 15 mins. plus minimum 8 hours chilling for best result   Cooking time: 20 mins. to 2 hrs.
Ingredients:
  • 2 whole chicken 1kg each
  • 50ml oil
  • 20 mg minced garlic
  • 10 gm turmeric powder
  • 10 gm cumin powder
  • 2 tbsp Tunisian Thymes
  • 2 tbsp Rosemary
  • Salt and pepper as per taste
For sides and garnish:
  • 1 small onion chopped
  • 1 small bunch of fresh flat leaved Italian parsley chopped
  • 2 portion fries or assorted vegetables
  • 4 Tunisian Harisha
  • 1 medium plate Mixed Pickles
  • 1 portion Tunisian Green Salad
  • 1 portion Tunisian Carrot Salad Horira
  • 1 portion Tunisian Grilled Salad
Instructions:
  • Clean the chicken  cut into two halves each then remove back bones, chest bones, neck, leg tips and wings tips.
  • Cleave the thighs along the bones or remove the leg bones if you like.
  • Keep the chicken aside and mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl.
  • Now marinate the chicken halves thoroughly and keep in chiller for at least 8 hours for best result.
  • Prepare the charcoal fire ready for grill and take out the chicken from chiller and be ready for cooking.
  • Put the chicken halves in a grilling net and put in grill.
  • Turn the chicken till cooked from both side.
  • Now mix chopped onion and parsley well in a small bowl.
  • Sprinkle parsley onion on the plate and place the chicken on it.
  • Sprinkle some parsley onion on the chicken and put a lemon wedge beside the chicken.
  • Now serve fries or vegetables, three Tunisian Salads, Harisha and pickles as side dishes.
*The recipe is followed by professional chefs in various Mediterranean Restaurants.
Similar recipes
In Lebanese Cuisines there are many delicious varieties of gilled dishes which are popular among Arab People as well as Expats.
Mixed Grills (Normal, 1/2 kg, 1 kg) includes lamb skewer, chicken skewer, kebabs, wings, lamb chops
Chicken Skewers (Shish Tawook)
Lamb Skewers (Lamb Tikka)
Grilled Lamb Chop (Riyash Meswia)
Chicken Wings Grilled
Kebab Halabi
Orfali Kebab
Eggplant Kebab
Kofta Khaskhash

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