Easy Chicken Kofta

One day I was DM'ing with a friend and she sent me this recipe for Chicken Kofta published on a site called The East Coast Kitchen. I had tried at least once in the past to make kofta, but wasn't successful.  I was willing to try again, and this recipe looked easy to follow. Better yet, I already had all the ingredients in my fridge and pantry to make it.

All you do is mix everything in a large bowl, push the seasoned ground meat into a flat square on a sheet pan, score it into the shape/size you want and brush a little oil on top.  Then throw it in your oven to take care of the rest.  WOW.  While the meat was baking I shredded some lettuce, cut some cherry tomatoes in half and brought out the last of the Greek Yogurt I needed to use up.  The recipe suggested making a yogurt based sauce, but I just didn't have the time or all the ingredients. 

A quick broil at the end to crisp up the top and then dinner was served.  I warmed a couple leftover flatbreads, topped them with lettuce, tomatoes and a few koftas (as many as you want), then drizzled with the yogurt. Dinner was served.  

I loved how easy this was to make and the well-seasoned flavor of the ground chicken. I should have made a proper yogurt sauce as the taste of the plain yogurt overpowered the meat a bit. I enjoyed it all the same. And I can't wait to remake another day.  Next time I might serve the koftas in a Mediterranean rice bowl, or even separately on a plate with vegetables and rice side dishes.  There are no rules, so get creative. 

Note - I  took a pic of the meat on the sheet pan, but forgot to take one of my wrap. This image if from the East Coast Kitchen site and will be replaced as soon as I make it again. 

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Easy Chicken Kofta
Serves 4

Ingredients -

2 lbs.                    Ground chicken
1/2                        Red onion, diced
7 cloves                Garlic, minced
1 C                       Parsley, chopped
2 T                       Tomato paste
1 tsp                     Garlic powder
1 tsp                     Onion powder
1 tsp                     Paprika
1 tsp                     Cumin
Pinch of cinnamon
1/2 tsp                  Oregano
2 tsp                     Salt
1 tsp                     Pepper
Olive oil (to brush on top)

Naan, flatbread, pita, or cooked riced depending on how you want to serve them, and either plain Greek Yogurt of a Yogurt based Mediterranean sauce. 

Instructions -

Preheat oven to 440°F.

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients (except oil) together until well combined. Lightly oil a sheet pan. (Note: I put parchment paper on the sheet pan and placed the meat on this. It makes cleanup way easier and protects the pan from being damaged by the knife when you score the meat. Press the meat mixture into a square shape on the tray, about ½ inch thick. Use a straight-edge utensil or knife to cut the mixture into strips before baking.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, then broil for an additional 2-5 minutes to get a nice golden color.

A few serving options - 

On flatbread with lettuce, cherry tomatoes and greek yogurt based sauce.

On a plate with salad, rice and bread alongside

On rice as a part of a Mediterranean rice bowl