Chicken Doner Kebab

Chicken Doner Kebab (Turkey)

Tender, spiced chicken layered on skewers, slow-roasted to juicy perfection, and tucked into warm bread with crisp vegetables — Chicken Doner Kebab is Turkish street food at its finest. On Global Street Eats, Chef Devan Rajkumar recreates this iconic dish, celebrating the smoky, aromatic flavors that have made it a global favorite.

In the Popular episode, Chef Dev dives into street foods that have captured hearts around the world, from China’s bold Dan Dan Noodles to India’s beloved Samosas. His Doner Kebab showcases the balance of flavors that make Turkish cuisine so irresistible: marinated chicken infused with yogurt, red pepper paste, and spices, roasted until golden, then paired with fresh lettuce, tangy sumac onions, and creamy toum.

It’s a sandwich that embodies everything Global Street Eats stands for — authentic, approachable, and packed with bold international flavor that transports you straight to the streets of Istanbul.

Ingredients:

For the Chicken:

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, thinly sliced
• ½ cup (120ml) yogurt
• Turkish red pepper paste
• ½ tsp (2.5ml) salt
• ½ tsp (2.5ml) garlic powder
• ½ tsp (2.5ml) paprika
• ½ tsp (2.5ml) dried oregano
• 1 tsp (4.9ml) cumin powder

For the Sandwich:

• 1 French loaf, split down the middle and cut into 4 equal sized sandwiches
• 1 small head romaine lettuce, rough chopped
• 1 tomato, thinly sliced
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp sumac powder
• Your favorite hot sauce (optional)
• Toum sauce (optional)

Method:

Make the Chicken:

Combine the yogurt, red pepper paste, salt, garlic powder, paprika, oregano, and cumin in a large bowl and mix. Add the chicken pieces, mix to combine, and cover. Place in the fridge to marinate for at least 12 hours and up to 24 hours.

Remove the chicken from the marinade without shaking off excess and thread onto two parallel metal skewers. Thread all the sliced chicken, alternating between breast and thigh pieces, to form a large meat log. Wrap the chicken tightly in foil and place over a drip pan with the ends of the skewers hanging over the sides of the pan to elevate the kebab.

Place the chicken in a 300 F (150 C) oven and cook for 30 minutes. Carefully remove the foil from the chicken, increase the oven temperature to 350 F (175 C) and cook the chicken for an additional 30 minutes.

Allow the chicken to rest for 10 minutes before slicing lengthwise off the skewers.

Make the Sandwich:

Toss together the sliced red onion, romaine lettuce, and sumac powder in a medium bowl.

Spread hot sauce and toum on a bread, if desired. Top with chicken, lettuce and onion, and tomato and the second piece of bread. Repeat with remaining bread and fillings.