Shish Taouk with Real Toum & Chicken Thighs

Ingredients

• 1¼ lb Chicken Thighs, in 1½-inch cubes
• ½ cup thick yogurt
• 3 tbsp lemon juice, divided
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 3 cloves garlic, grated
• 1 tsp sumac, plus more for serving
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 8 cloves garlic, peeled and green germ removed, for the toum
• 1½ cups neutral oil, for the toum
• 1 tsp ice water
• Salt, black pepper, and warm pita

Method

1. Whisk the yogurt, 2 tbsp lemon juice, tomato paste, grated garlic, sumac, cinnamon, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Turn the Chicken Thighs through it and marinate at least 2 hours, ideally overnight.
2. For the toum, pound the 8 garlic cloves with ½ tsp salt to a completely smooth paste in a mortar or food processor. Any texture left will break the emulsion later.
3. With the processor running, add the neutral oil in the thinnest possible thread — start with literal drops. After the first ¼ cup, alternate with the remaining lemon juice and the ice water. It should climb into a stiff white sauce with the body of mayonnaise.
4. If it breaks and goes soupy, don't panic: start again with 1 tbsp of fresh garlic paste in a clean bowl and dribble the broken mixture into it exactly as you did with the oil.
5. Thread the Chicken Thighs onto skewers and grill over high heat, turning every 2 minutes, until charred at the edges and cooked to 165°F (74°C) for poultry, about 12 minutes total.
6. Rest 3 minutes, dust with more sumac, and serve with the toum and warm pita. Keep a window open; the toum is not shy.