Israeli Jerusalem Mixed Grill (Me'orav Yerushalmi)

About This Recipe

Israeli Jerusalem Mixed Grill is a real, traditional Israeli dish, known as Me'orav Yerushalmi. A sizzling skillet mix of chicken hearts, livers and marinated chicken thigh pieces, heavily spiced and stuffed into pita.\n\nMe'orav Yerushalmi emerged in Jerusalem's Mahane Yehuda market in the 1960s, created by butchers and street vendors looking to use offal and off-cuts of chicken, seasoned aggressively with warm spices to become a beloved Jerusalem specialty.\n\nThe result is a dish worth making on its own merits: it rewards patience with the technique and delivers real, specific flavor rooted in Israeli home cooking, not a generic stand-in for a search term.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 300 gchicken thighs(diced)
• 150 gchicken hearts
• 150 gchicken livers(trimmed)
• 1yellow onion(sliced)
• 4 tbspolive oil
• 2 tspground cumin
• 1 tspsweet paprika
• 0.5 tspturmeric
• 0.5 tspblack pepper
• 1 tspfine sea salt
• 4pita bread
• 4 tbsptahini sauce(to serve)
• 2 tbspchopped fresh parsley

Instructions

1. 1

   Marinate

   Toss the diced chicken thigh, hearts and livers with olive oil, cumin, paprika, turmeric, pepper and salt. Let marinate for at least 20 minutes.

2. 2

   Cook the onions

   Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and fry the sliced onion until softened and lightly caramelized, about 8 minutes; set aside.

3. 3

   Sear the meats

   In the same hot skillet, sear the marinated chicken pieces in batches over high heat until browned and cooked through, about 6 minutes per batch.

4. 4

   Combine

   Return the onions to the skillet with the cooked meats, tossing everything together over high heat for 2 minutes.

5. 5

   Warm the pita

   Warm the pita bread briefly.

6. 6

   Serve

   Stuff the sizzling mixed grill into warm pita, drizzle with tahini, and scatter with fresh parsley.

Variations

• •

  A version without offal uses only diced chicken thigh and breast for those who prefer to skip hearts and livers.

• •

  Add sliced merguez or another spiced sausage for extra richness.

• •

  Serve over rice instead of in pita for a different presentation.

Storage

Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave with a splash of water or stock to loosen the texture.

Frequently Asked Questions