Lejana Chicken Reshmi Kabab Recipe (5 kg Commercial Batch)
Lejana Restaurant’s chicken reshmi kabab is a commercial BBQ recipe: 5 kg of boneless chicken ground with 1 kg of fat, onions, green chillies and white pepper, then chilled and grilled over charcoal. We filmed it at Lejana Restaurant on Dalmia Road, Karachi. This page gives the full 5 kg restaurant batch from the video and a 1 kg version for home.
Serves: 4 people (our estimate) | Prep: 45 min + 1 hour chilling | Cook: 5-10 min
Difficulty: Easy (our estimate) | Best for: BBQ nights, catering and food stalls
Heat level: medium (our estimate)
Watch the Lejana Chicken Reshmi Kabab Video
The full video shows every stage, from the raw tray of chicken to the kababs coming off the coals. Useful points in the video:
What Makes the Lejana Reshmi Kabab Different
Fat is part of the recipe. For every 5 kg of chicken, Lejana adds 1 kg of animal fat. Chicken breast and boneless meat dry out quickly on charcoal, and the fat keeps each kabab juicy and soft.
White pepper instead of red chilli. The heat comes from white pepper and fresh green chillies, so the kababs stay pale and creamy in colour, which is what “reshmi” (silky) kababs should look like.
Everything is ground together. The chicken, fat, onions, chillies and spices are mixed by hand first and then ground together, once or twice, into a fine paste. That is what gives the smooth, silky bite.
The mince is chilled before skewering. An hour in the freezer firms the mince so it grips the skewer and does not slide off over the fire.
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken fat (charbi): ask your butcher for it when you buy boneless chicken. Do not leave it out; it is what keeps the kababs moist.
- White pepper: it gives heat without darkening the mince. Black pepper will work but the kababs will look speckled.
- Green chillies: they go in whole and are ground with the meat, so there is no need to chop them.
- Onions: roughly chopped is enough because everything is ground.
Chicken Reshmi Kabab Quantities: 5 kg and 1 kg
| Ingredient | 5 kgrestaurant batch | 1 kghome |
|---|---|---|
| Boneless chicken | 5 kg | 1 kg |
| Animal fat (charbi) | 1 kg | 200 g |
| Onions, roughly chopped | 1.5 kg | 300 g |
| Ginger garlic paste | 250 g | 50 g |
| Green chillies, whole | 200 g | 40 g |
| Salt | 5 tbsp | 1 tbsp |
| Garam masala powder | 4 tbsp | 2½ tsp |
| White pepper powder | 3 tbsp | 1¾ tsp |
| Cumin powder | 3 tbsp | 1¾ tsp |
| Fresh coriander | 1 bunch | a small handful |
| Makes | about 45 kababs | about 9 kababs |
The 5 kg column is the restaurant recipe. The 1 kg column is the same recipe divided by five.
How Lejana Makes Chicken Reshmi Kabab, Step by Step
1. Prepare the meat
Put the boneless chicken in a large tray and add the fat. Keep the ratio at about 1 kg of fat for every 5 kg of chicken.
2. Add onions, chillies and spices
Add the roughly chopped onions, the ginger garlic paste and the whole green chillies. Then add the salt, garam masala, white pepper and cumin powder, and finish with the chopped coriander.
3. Mix by hand
Mix everything thoroughly with your hands so the spices coat every piece of meat before it goes into the grinder.
4. Grind into a fine paste
Pass the mixture through a meat grinder once or twice until it turns into a fine, smooth mince. At home, grind in small batches so the motor does not heat the meat.
5. Chill the mince
Mix the mince once more and put it in the freezer for at least 1 hour. Cold mince holds its shape and sticks to the skewers.
6. Shape on skewers
Wet your hands with cold water, take a portion of mince and press it evenly along the skewer. Wet hands give a smooth surface without cracks.
7. Grill and baste
Grill over medium charcoal heat for 5-10 minutes, turning the skewers. As soon as the kababs turn light golden, brush them with oil or melted butter so they stay glossy and moist.
Original Lejana Restaurant Chicken Reshmi Kabab (Commercial Recipe)
Ingredients
Method
- Put 5 kg boneless chicken and 1 kg fat in a large tray and add 1.5 kg onions. The fat stops the chicken from turning hard and dry on the skewers.
- Add the ginger garlic paste and the whole green chillies.
- Add the salt, garam masala, white pepper and cumin powder, then the chopped coriander.
- Mix everything thoroughly by hand so the spices coat the meat before grinding.
- Pass the mixture through a meat grinder once or twice until it becomes a fine, smooth paste.
- Mix the mince once more and chill it in the freezer for at least 1 hour so it holds on the skewers.
- Wet your hands with cold water and press the chilled mince evenly onto the skewers.
- Grill over medium charcoal heat for 5-10 minutes. When the kababs turn light golden, brush them with oil or butter and serve.
Video
Notes
Reshmi Kabab Problems and How to Fix Them
- The kababs slide off the skewer: the mince was not cold enough. Chill it longer and wet your hands before shaping.
- The kababs are dry: the fat was reduced or skipped, or the kababs stayed too long on the fire. Take them off as soon as they turn light golden.
- The colour is too dark: keep to white pepper and green chilli, and avoid very high heat.
- The texture is rough: grind the mixture a second time for a finer paste.
Serving Chicken Reshmi Kabab
At Lejana the kababs are served on a plate with sliced onion rings. They also go well with green chutney, naan or paratha. Uncooked mince can be shaped and frozen, then grilled straight from the freezer over medium heat.
Chicken Reshmi Kabab FAQs
Why is fat added to chicken reshmi kabab?
Boneless chicken has very little fat and dries out on charcoal. Lejana adds 1 kg of fat to every 5 kg of chicken to keep the kababs juicy and soft.
Why use white pepper in reshmi kabab?
White pepper adds heat without colouring the mince, so the kababs keep their pale, silky look.
How long should the mince be chilled?
At least 1 hour in the freezer. Firm, cold mince is much easier to shape and does not fall off the skewer.
Can I make this in a smaller quantity?
Yes. Use the 1 kg column in the table above. It makes about 9 kababs.
More BBQ Kabab Recipes
- Khyber Shinwari chicken reshmi kabab: our other reshmi kabab, filmed at Khyber Shinwari.
- Dua Restaurant beef seekh kabab: a beef seekh kabab for Bakra Eid BBQ.
- Commercial chapli kabab: flat, crispy chapli kababs made in a large batch.
