Turmeric Chicken Skewers With Green Olive Yogurt

By Nargisse Benkabbou

Updated July 16, 2025

Turmeric Chicken Skewers With Green Olive Yogurt
Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Brett Regot.
Total Time
35 minutes
Prep Time
25 minutes
Cook Time
10 minutes
Rating
5(649)
Comments
Read comments

These skewers offer a simple yet delicious way to bring the bold flavors of Moroccan cuisine to your table using a handful of spices. But what truly sets this dish apart is the green olive yogurt sauce; the creamy, tangy addition ties everything together. Inspired by the way olives are paired with chicken in Moroccan tagines, this briny sauce balances the warm spices. It's perfect for gatherings but just as great for busy weeknights, and while grilling adds depth, a grill pan works beautifully, too. Serve with a simple tomato salad, roasted or grilled vegetables or flatbread.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

    For the Chicken Skewers

    • Bamboo or metal skewers
    • 1½pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks
    • 2tablespoons olive oil
    • 2tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
    • 3garlic cloves, minced or crushed with a press
    • 1½teaspoons ground turmeric
    • 1½teaspoons ground ginger
    • ½teaspoon ground cumin
    • Fine sea salt and black pepper

    For the Green Olive Yogurt

    • 1cup plain Greek yogurt
    • 1cup pitted green olives (about 4 ounces), finely chopped, plus more for garnish
    • 1tablespoon finely chopped cilantro or parsley (optional), plus more for garnish
    • 1garlic clove, minced
    • ½ to 1tablespoon lemon juice
    • Fine sea salt and black pepper
    • Olive oil, for garnish
Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    If using bamboo skewers, soak them for at least 30 minutes in water before using.

  2. Step 2

    Assemble the skewers: In a large bowl, combine the chicken, olive oil, yogurt, garlic, turmeric, ginger, cumin, ¾ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Using your hands or a large spoon, mix to thoroughly coat the chicken. Cover and keep in the fridge until ready to cook. (For a deeper flavor, marinate for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.)

  3. Step 3

    Make the green olive yogurt: In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, olives, cilantro (if using), garlic, lemon juice, ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more lemon juice and salt if necessary. Cover and keep in the fridge until ready to serve.

  4. Step 4

    Thread the chicken pieces onto skewers. Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal or gas grill, or heat a large cast-iron skillet or grill pan over medium-high. (If cooking in a skillet or grill pan, lightly coat with oil once the pan is hot.) Cook the skewers, turning once or twice, until cooked through, about 10 minutes.

  5. Step 5

    Drizzle the skewers with olive oil, sprinkle with cilantro (if using) and serve hot, with olive yogurt on the side, garnished with more olives if desired.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
649 user ratings
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Comments

Rebecca

I made this for the sauce. Ok, I made ONLY the sauce, and it's lovely. Says to taste for salt but the olives make it plenty salty. I grated the garlic, used less than a clove since I find raw garlic very potent. Using this on crudités, spread on good wild sourdough with garden tomatoes-its pan con tomate amplified to the next degree. Added a shake of pimente d'espelette. I find it helpful to combine yogurt/lemon/garlic first, then stir in the chunky ingredients.

The Cooking Chemist

This is perfect for an anti inflammatory diet, which can be difficult to find! So happy to see this.

Cait

Delicious! I cooked it under the grill in my oven and it came out very succulent.

KAK

I made this for dinner tonight. I made one change which was to reduce The turmeric to 1 teaspoon. I’d say that I didn’t salt the chicken/marinade enough, but otherwise it was a nice dish. I think I would do it again maybe with extra spices and even less turmeric. I’m not a huge fan of turmeric in large quantities. The other thing I changed was the cooking method. I used a cast-iron pan and did not make kebab chunks. I cooked whole boneless skinless thighs. This is the method I used: This is a cooking method taken from another Melissa Clark chicken thigh recipe using whole skinless and boneless chicken thighs. Marinate the chicken thighs. When ready to cook, heat the oven to 350°. In a large, ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat, add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the chicken thighs and cook until nicely browned on one side, 5 to 7 minutes. Flip the thighs, place the pan in the oven and cook another 5 to 10 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. The olive yogurt sauce is good, but I think a half batch is probably sufficient for a pound and a half of chicken. I have quite a bit of leftover yogurt olive sauce.

julianna

This was lovely, and EASY! Used chicken thighs, marinated overnight, and ended up pouring the olive sauce over the top bc the chunks of olive made it hard to dip. A+

Amy B.

Do not miss the sauce. Nobody but me in the house likes green olives, but everyone loved the sauce. Also, I made marinated veggie skewers to go along with the chicken for my vegetarian. It was a huge hit.

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