🍗 Grilled chicken (dajaj mashwi)
Dajaj mashwi is chicken marinated in garlic, lemon, olive oil, paprika and cumin, then grilled over charcoal until the skin is charred and the meat stays juicy. It is usually sold as a half or whole bird, split and flattened. It comes with garlic sauce, pickles, flatbread or rice, and is one of the most ordered takeaway meals in the Gulf.
Diets
Allergens
None of the 14 major allergens in a typical recipe.
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 small chicken (about 1.2 kg), split and flattened
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp salt, black pepper
Method
- Mix the garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper.
- Rub the marinade all over the chicken and under the skin; leave for at least 2 hours in the fridge.
- Grill over medium charcoal, skin side up first, for 35–40 minutes, turning every 10 minutes.
- Check the thickest part is cooked through, rest for 5 minutes and cut into pieces.
How to make it lighter
- Remove the skin before eating to cut a large share of the fat.
- Use 1 tbsp olive oil in the marinade instead of 3; 1 tbsp oil ≈ 120 kcal.
- Have garlic sauce on the side in a small spoonful rather than pouring it over, and pair with salad.
History
Charcoal-grilled marinated chicken is a staple of Levantine grill houses, and Lebanese and Syrian restaurants carried the style across the Gulf, where it is now an everyday takeaway dish.
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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →