Ghanaian Garlic-Lime Grilled Chicken (Chicken Kebab Style)

About This Recipe

Grilled chicken, sometimes called chicken kebab or simply 'grilled chicken' at Ghanaian parties and street food stands, is marinated for hours in a mix of garlic, ginger, lime and pepper before being cooked over hot charcoal until the skin blisters and blackens in places. It's a centerpiece dish at weddings, funerals and outdoor gatherings, almost always served alongside jollof rice, coleslaw or kelewele. The marinade relies on garlic and lime to tenderize and flavor the chicken from the inside, while a dry spice mix of paprika, thyme and pepper is often rubbed on just before grilling to build a crust. Bone-in, skin-on thighs are the traditional cut because the skin renders and crisps over the coals while the meat underneath stays juicy, something boneless breast can't replicate. What separates good grilled chicken from average is patience with the coals: the chicken needs to cook slowly enough over indirect heat to cook through without burning, then finished directly over the hottest part of the grill for the final char. Done well, it should have a genuinely smoky, charred exterior with meat that pulls easily from the bone.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 8bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• 6 clovesgarlic(crushed)
• 2 tbspginger(grated)
• 2limes(juiced)
• 2 tbspvegetable oil
• 1.5 tspfine sea salt
• 1 tsppaprika
• 0.5 tspdried thyme
• 0.5 tspblack pepper
• 1scotch bonnet pepper(finely minced, optional)

Instructions

1. 1

   Marinate the chicken

   Combine garlic, ginger, lime juice, oil, salt, paprika, thyme, pepper and scotch bonnet in a bowl. Rub thoroughly over the chicken thighs, working it under the skin where possible.

2. 2

   Rest the marinade

   Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours, ideally overnight, so the garlic and lime tenderize the meat and the flavor penetrates fully.

3. 3

   Set up indirect heat

   Prepare a charcoal or gas grill with a cooler indirect zone and a hot direct zone.

4. 4

   Grill low and slow first

   Place chicken skin-side up over indirect heat and cook, covered, for 25 minutes until nearly cooked through.

   Resist moving the chicken to the hot side too early — cooking it through gently first prevents a burnt exterior with raw meat inside.

5. 5

   Char over direct heat

   Move the chicken to the hot direct side and grill skin-side down for 5 to 8 minutes until the skin blisters and chars, then flip briefly to finish.

6. 6

   Rest and serve

   Rest 5 minutes before serving with jollof rice, coleslaw or grilled plantain.

Variations

• •

  Oven version: roast at 200°C (400°F) for 35 minutes, then broil 3 minutes to crisp the skin if you don't have a grill.

• •

  Spicier version: double the scotch bonnet or add a dash of cayenne to the dry rub.

• •

  Whole chicken: spatchcock a whole bird and use the same marinade, extending grill time accordingly.

Storage

Refrigerate grilled chicken up to 3 days; reheat in a 180°C (350°F) oven until warmed through to help the skin stay crisp rather than microwaving, which softens it.

Frequently Asked Questions