Hi Everyone! Happy Sunday to you. Today we’re making Kofta — a beloved meatball with roots in Persia that’s found its way into kitchens across the Middle East. Packed with onions, fresh herbs, and warm spices, Kofta are traditionally shaped into little footballs and cooked on skewers. We’re making ours with ground chicken, and I’ll be honest — I could not, for the life of me, get these little guys to stay on the skewers. So we’re going skewer-free, and they turned out beautifully. We’ve also got a tangy, light yogurt sauce to drizzle on top. Let’s jump right in…
What You’ll Find in Today’s Post
Chicken Kofta Ingredients
The spices in the Chicken Kofta are what make this little meatball so fragrant and flavorful. The onions add a juicy moistness to the chicken. The fresh chopped mint and cilantro bring their herby freshness. I only had coriander seeds instead of ground coriander, so I lightly toasted them and ground them in my spice grinder, which I think gave the Kofta an especially floral scent and flavor.
Chicken Kofta
- 1 lb. Ground Chicken
- 1/2 Medium Onion, grated
- 2 tbsp. Fresh Cilantro, chopped
- 2 tbsp. Fresh Mint, chopped
- 1 tbsp. Grapeseed Oil (or other vegetable oil)
- 1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt
- 1/4 tsp. Ground Pepper
- 1/4 tsp. Ground Coriander
- 1/4 tsp. Ground Cumin
- 1/4 tsp. Ground Aleppo Pepper
- 1/4 tsp. Ground Allspice
- 1/4 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
Yogurt Sauce
- 1/2 cup Whole Milk Plain Yogurt
- 2 tbsp. Fresh Cilantro, chopped
- 1/8 tsp. Kosher Salt
- 1/4 tsp. Ground Pepper
- 1/4 tsp. Ground Coriander
- 1 tsp. Grated Orange Zest
- 1 tbsp. Fresh Orange Juice
How to Prepare Chicken Kofta
Step 1: Mixing the Kofta
Mix all of the herbs, spices, grapeseed oil, and onions and the ground chicken with your hands, cover, and pop the mixture in the fridge for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, position an oven rack to the top third of the oven – for me, this was the second position from the top. Preheat the oven to broil.
A Note on The Onion
You definitely want to grate the onion on a box grater or in your food processor. They need to be so finely minced that they melt into the meat. In hindsight, not squeezing out the excess onion water (like one does for Kabob Koobideh) is likely what made these little Kofta too loose to stay on the skewers. But I think it worked out well because ground chicken tends to dry out, and these Kofta are moist and flavorful.
Step 2: Savory Yogurt Sauce
Orange zest and juice brighten up this yogurt sauce. We also have some coriander in the yogurt sauce, so that floral scent is accentuated. It’s so simple, yet it really adds so much flavor to this dish. Just mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and let it sit in the fridge to let the flavors come together while we shape and broil the Kofta.
Step 3: Shaping the Kofta
Set up your station with a sheet tray to one side and take about three tablespoons of the chicken mixture and roll it between your palms into an oval shape, much like a football. It’s a good idea to line your sheet tray with parchment. I didn’t, and it wasn’t too much trouble, but they might want to stick to the pan.
Step 4: Broil the Kofta
Place the Kofta on the sheet tray and broil for about 4-6 minutes, until they brown a little on top. Then flip them and broil for another 4-5 minutes, or until the internal temperature hits 165 degrees.
Step 5: Salad
While the Kofta are broiling, we can toss together a little salad. I have spring greens and grape tomatoes that I lightly dressed with olive oil and a little citrus champagne vinegar; a little pinch of flaky sea salt, and some cracked black pepper.
Step 6: Serve!
You can serve the Kofta with the salad alone and the yogurt sauce, or you can nestle the Kofta and the salad in a pita or flatbread. I found some whole-grain Lavash, which is thin and pliable like a flour tortilla. If serving with flatbread, lightly warm the bread in a skillet with a little olive oil, just to soften it up.
Then pile on a little dressed salad, place two to three Kofta on the salad, and drizzle with the yogurt sauce. I rolled mine up in the Lavash like a little burrito.
This Chicken Kofta with Yogurt Sauce is such a wonderfully easy, healthy, delicious recipe. It’s definitely something that will be on regular rotation at our house. With more practice, I hope to get the little Kofta to stay on skewers…I’d like to do these on the grill this summer.
I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday. Thank you for spending some time with me today. Give these Chicken Kofta a try, they are so simple. The flavors are such a nice change of pace from a typical meatball. And do let me know if you make them. Take care and be well, everyone. xo Kelly
FAQS – Chicken Kofta
Kofta is a type of meatball or ground meat mixture with origins in Persia. It’s made with herbs, spices, and onions and is popular across Middle Eastern, South Asian, and Mediterranean cuisines. Kofta are traditionally shaped into ovals and cooked on skewers.
Yes! Ground turkey works well as a substitute. Just keep in mind that turkey can be slightly drier, so don’t skip the grated onion — it adds important moisture.
The most common reason is too much moisture from the onion. Squeezing excess liquid from the grated onion before mixing helps the meat hold together on skewers. Refrigerating the mixture also helps it firm up. That said, I have the same problem all the time. So just do what I did and skip the skewers!
Use an instant-read thermometer — the internal temperature should reach 165°F. They should also be lightly browned on both sides after about 9–11 minutes total under the broiler.
Yes! The yogurt sauce actually benefits from sitting in the fridge for a bit so the flavors can come together. Make it up to a day ahead.
More Light Fare From Kelly’s Kitchen
- This 20-Minute Greek Pasta is My Weeknight Go-To
- Mediterranean Stuffed Zucchini with Crispy Chickpeas
- Balsamic Chicken Thighs with Burst Tomatoes
- Lentil Salad with Oranges and Feta
Key Equipment
Chicken Kofta with Yogurt Sauce Recipe Card
Chicken Kofta with Yogurt Sauce
Ingredients:
Chicken Kofta
- 1 lb. Ground Chicken
- 1/2 Medium Onion grated
- 2 tbsp. Fresh Cilantro chopped
- 2 tbsp. Fresh Mint chopped
- 1 tbsp. Grapeseed Oil or other vegetable oil
- 1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt
- 1/4 tsp. Ground Pepper
- 1/4 tsp. Ground Coriander
- 1/4 tsp. Ground Cumin
- 1/4 tsp. Ground Aleppo Pepper
- 1/4 tsp. Ground Allspice
- 1/4 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
Yogurt Sauce
- 1/2 cup Whole Milk Plain Yogurt
- 2 tbsp. Fresh Cilantro chopped
- 1/8 tsp. Kosher Salt
- 1/4 tsp. Ground Pepper
- 1/4 tsp. Ground Coriander
- 1 tsp. Grated Orange Zest
- 1 tbsp. Fresh Orange Juice
Instructions:
- Combine all ingredients for the Kofta in a large bowl and mix well to combine. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Position the oven rack to the top third of the oven and preheat the oven to broil.
- Form about three tablespoons of the chicken mixture into an oval shape and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Repeat until the chicken mixture is formed into ovals.
- Broil for 4-6 minutes and flip the Kofta over and broil another 5 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
Yogurt Sauce
- Combine all ingredients for Yogurt Sauce in a medium bowl and stir well to combine.
To Serve
- If desired, make a small salad with tender baby greens and tomatoes. Dress with a light drizzle of olive oil, light vinegar, salt, and pepper.
- If desired, serve Kofta on a flatbread or pita with salad and yogurt sauce.
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