Lamb Kebabs With Orzo Pilaf

By David Tanis

Updated July 15, 2026

  • Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.
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Ready In
About 1 hr
Rating
5(37)
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For the tenderest lamb kebabs, shoulder meat is the best choice because its marbling keeps the meat juicy. Lean leg meat is a little trickier to grill as it can turn dry if over-cooked. Often the precut lamb stew meat at the supermarket butcher is a mixture of both. To get exactly what you want, ask a nice butcher to cut the lamb for you. Halal butchers will often have just what you need. 

After the meat  marinates in olive oil and aromatics, grill it over coals or under the broiler. Serve the kebabs on a bed of arugula with lemon wedges, some flatbreads and a bright zesty yogurt sauce. Accompany with a savory orzo pilaf and sliced tomatoes and cucumbers or Summer Tomato Salad With Sumac Onions.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

  • 1 ½ pounds boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes

  • Sea salt and black pepper

  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin 

  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander

  • ½ teaspoon allspice

  • Pinch of crushed red pepper 

  • 4 garlic cloves, grated or smashed to a paste

  • Extra-virgin olive oil

  • A few handfuls of arugula

  • Lemon wedges

  • Lavash or other flatbread, for serving

For the Yogurt Sauce

  • ¼ cup lemon juice (from 2 lemons)

  • 3 tablespoons tahini

  • 3 garlic cloves, grated or smashed to a paste

  • 2 cups plain whole-milk yogurt

  • Large pinch of sea salt

  • Speck of ground cayenne

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

For the Orzo Pilaf

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

  • 1 cup finely diced yellow onion

  • Sea salt

  • ½ cup orzo

  • 1 ½ cups long-grain rice, rinsed and drained

  • 2 small bay leaves

  • 3 garlic cloves, minced

  • 2 cups chicken broth or water

  • 3 tablespoons finely sliced scallion greens (optional) 

  • 1 small lemon (optional)

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Put lamb cubes in a large bowl. Season well with salt and pepper, then add cumin, coriander, allspice, pepper flakes and garlic. Drizzle with olive oil. Using your hands, mix seasoning thoroughly into the meat, coating well. 

  2. Step 2

    Let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, up to several hours (or even a day in advance). Thread the lamb cubes onto short skewers without crowding (about 5 to 6 ounces of meat per skewer).

  3. Step 3

    While the lamb marinates, make the yogurt sauce: Put lemon juice in a medium bowl. Add tahini and garlic and whisk briefly to dissolve. Whisk in yogurt, salt, cayenne and olive oil. Let rest, then taste and adjust seasoning. Refrigerate until ready to use, at least 10 minutes. It tastes best fresh, but will last 2 days.

  4. Step 4

    Prepare the orzo pilaf, if making: Melt butter with oil in a medium heavy-bottom saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and a little salt, and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the orzo and let brown lightly, stirring, about 2 minutes. Add rice and stir to combine. Add bay leaves and garlic, then the broth. Bring to a boil, then turn heat to low and put on the lid. Cook for 20 minutes, until all broth is absorbed. Remove from the heat and leave covered to rest and keep warm.

  5. Step 5

    When ready, prepare the grill or heat your broiler. Grill the skewers or set under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes per side, turning once, and aim for medium-rare. (You want them juicy but not rare.) Arrange a bed of arugula on a large platter. Set the grilled skewers on top and serve with garlicky yogurt sauce and lavash or other flatbread. 

  6. Step 6

    Fluff the orzo, sprinkle with the scallion greens and zest the lemon over the top before serving.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
37 user ratings
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Comments

DKrieger

I also add 2 TBS plain yogurt to my (otherwise identical to NYT's) marinade for lamb kebabs. It really aides in tenderizing the meat in my experience.

Mcnerneym

In a previous life, I was married to an Armenian, who made fab shish kebab. There was no yogurt involved; only marinated lamb (at least 12h), then individual grilled skewers of onions, tomatoes, peppers.

Dj

The star of the show here is the marinade along with the lovely yogurt sauce of which I added half a diced cucumber and some fresh dill. I appreciate the suggestion to try a lesser used part of the lamb but unless one has access to a high quality butcher who will trim the shoulder cut properly you may be disappointed. I marinaded the skewers an entire day but half the pieces were inedibly chewy. And the pilaf while nice was over powered by the bay leaf.

Mariana O.

These were delicious! Came out tender and the seasoning was perfect. The sauce is also great.

Virginia

the ratio of liquid to the two cups of grains in the pilaf was inadequate, so I added boiling water along the way as if a risotto

Yaronit

Well, I made this with a package of locally-raised lamb meat I bought at our nearby farm market here in VT labelled "kebab." It was obviously not lamb shoulder because it was impossible to chew after hours of marinating. Very hard to find lamb shoulder if you don't have a Whole Foods nearby or happen to live anywhere near an actual Butcher Shop, which may only be in a large city/metro area like NYC. Too bad! I was really excited to make these.

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