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Spicy Honeyed Chicken Kebabs and Parsley Salad Wrapped in Bara

Spicy Honeyed Chicken Kebabs with Parsley Salad Wrapped in Bara

Renée Robinson

Who Doesn’t Love a Juicy Kebab Wrapped in Fried Flatbread?

This plate of food is a mix of cultures and began with my craving for chicken kebabs. I knew what flavors I wanted for the kebabs, and also intended to make a flatbread of some sort to wrap up those chunks of chicken. I love to bake breads and flatbreads are one of my favorites. While trying to decide which recipe to use, I happened across one for a type of flatbread I’d never encountered called bara. It’s a fried bread and from what I read it is typically found in Guyanese street food and India, among other places. The particular recipe I selected hails from Trinidad, where the bara are served 2 at a time with a chickpea filling, and are called Doubles.

I’ve no doubt that filling is delicious, but I wanted to serve them with my kebabs. Flavored with cumin and turmeric, I knew they’d be a perfect match. The dough is very wet, but was very easy to work with and roll out. As long as I used plenty of flour, I had no issues with it sticking. 

They puffed beautifully when they hit the hot oil and we couldn’t resist eating a couple all by themselves. After all, this is fried bread, which I think is one of the most delicious foods imaginable. 

Freshly Baked Bara

I used boneless skinless chicken thighs for my kebabs because they stay juicy and aren’t as likely to dry out as are chicken breasts. I chose Syrian inspired flavors for the marinade – yogurt, lemon, garlic, tomato paste, za’atar, Aleppo pepper, etc. After sitting for a few hours, I threaded them onto skewers and put them under the broiler. When they were almost done, I brushed them with honey and placed them back under the broiler for a couple more minutes, until they charred. I think these may be the best chicken kebabs I’ve ever made. They’re at least in my Top Two.

Wanting a salad to add to the meal, I continued with the Syrian theme and made my own version of the classic onion and parsley salad known as Biwaz. Parsley leaves, sliced red onion, sumac, pomegranate molasses, olive oil, salt and pepper, and pomegranate arils are simply combined and that’s all there is to it.

What a spectacular meal this was. The chicken kebabs were wrapped in the bara with some of the bright fresh salad and each bite was better than the last. Simply splendid! 

My recipes for the chicken kebabs and parsley salad are below. Here is a link to the bara: recipe:https://food52.com/recipes/27632-trinidadian-doubles-curried-chickpea-flatbread-sandwiches

Spicy Honeyed Chicken Kebabs and Parsley Salad Wrapped in Bara

Recipe by Renée Robinson
Servings

4 - 6

servings

Fried Flatbreads Encase Juicy Chicken Kebabs and a Bright Parsley Salad.

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Ingredients

  • Ingredients for Spicy Honeyed Chicken Kebabs
  • 2 1/4 pounds boneless and skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2 inch pieces

  • 1 cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt

  • 1 lemon, zest and juice

  • 5 garlic cloves, put through a garlic press

  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste

  • 1 tablespoon za’atar

  • 2 tablespoons Aleppo pepper

  • 1 tablespoon sweet paprika

  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 3 tablespoons honey

  • Ingredients for Parsley Salad (Biwaz)
  • 1 large bunch of flat leaf parsley, leaves only

  • 1 large red onion, thinly sliced

  • 1/2 tablespoon sumac

  • 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses

  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

  • black pepper, freshly ground

  • 2 tablespoons pomegranate arils

Directions

  • Directions for Spicy Honeyed Chicken Kebabs
  • In a medium bowl, stir the yogurt with the next 9 ingredients. Add the chicken, making sure all the pieces are coated well with the yogurt mixture. Let marinate at least 3 hours. The yogurt and lemon juice serve to not only season the chicken, but to tenderize it, too.
  • Thread onto skewers (if using bamboo skewers, soak in water for at least 30 minutes before adding the chicken), scrunching the pieces of chicken. Broil 6 inches from the coils for 8 minutes, flipping them halfway through. Drizzle on 3 tablespoons honey and put back under the broiler 4 inches from the heat for 2 minutes, until charred. Serve with the bara and salad. Enjoy!
  • Directions for Parsley Salad (Biwaz)
  • Combine all ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Taste for seasoning.

6 Responses

  1. This recipe is absolutely delicious! And definitely worth taking the time to make the bara.

    I loved having a little bit of everything in each bite. Really a very tasty combo!

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