This recipe for chicken kebabs is so simple that I didn't have much hopes for it. After all, how good can skinless chicken be when it's only seasoned by salt & pepper, is only covered by sour cream and is made in an indoor electric grill? Still, I wanted to make a chicken dish for my first course, as I was going to be serving lamb later, and the only other Azeri chicken recipe I found called for sumac, which I couldn't find at my local supermarket (surprise, surprise). Well, I can tell you that I'm very glad I made it. Simple as it was, the chicken was delicious. It received great accolades from all my guests and I'm planning to make it again for dinner tonight - it was that good.

As you can see, I served the chicken kebabs on a bed of cilantro garnished with lemon slices (so that my guests could squeeze the lemon on the chicken). The original recipe also called for sliced onions. Other traditional accompaniments are grilled tomatoes, peppers and eggplant.

Kebabs, also known as shashlyk, are eaten all over West and Central Asia. They are usually cooked outdoors, over hot coals, but I made mine on a small electric grill as it was just simpler. As I mentioned, it worked surprisingly well.

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Djudja Kebab

Ingredients

8 boneless & skinless chicken thighs

salt & pepper to taste

sour cream

1 lemon, sliced

cilantro, to garnish.

Instructions

Cut chicken thighs into large, bite-size pieces. Sprinkle salt & pepper on chicken. Coat with sour cream. Place in skewers. Let stand for one hour or more. Grill until done, turning when necessary. Cover a serving palte with cilantro leaves and lemon slices, remove chicken pieces from skewers and put on serving plate. Serve.

Adapted from recipe from the Azerbaijan Cookery website.