Ultimate Seekh Kebab Recipe

In the heart of every great Desi pub mixed grill lies the humble seekh kebab—smoky, spiced, and sizzling straight off the skewer. But here’s a twist you might not expect: many of those juicy kebabs aren’t made with just lamb. In fact, blending lamb and chicken mince is a common practice, and not just to cut costs. The real reason? Texture. Lamb mince alone can be dense and prone to falling off the skewer in high-heat tandoor ovens. Introducing chicken mince adds elasticity, making the mixture easier to shape and grill to perfection.

This recipe embraces that blend, combining the richness of lamb with the lightness of chicken for a kebab that’s both flavourful and tender. Using a 70/30 or even 50/50 ratio in favour of lamb ensures that you get the best of both worlds: the depth of lamb and the moisture-retaining qualities of chicken.

For this recipe, I’ve also added a blend of white onion, fresh coriander and garlic ginger paste. This gives the kebab a real freshness but also helps in locking in that moisture in the mix. You will certainly notice the lift that these fresh ingredients give.

The mixture is best left overnight in the fridge. This not only lets the flavours mingle and mature, but it also firms up the texture, making it easier to shape onto skewers the next day.

For best results, skewer these kebabs and cook them on a BBQ to emulate the tandoor taste but putting these under a grill or air frying (without using skewers) would be okay too.

Key Points

• To purchase the Seekh Kebab Mix used in this recipe, click here. It is available without the colouring too – just check out our store.
• If you are using food colouring, try and wear gloves when handling. It’s a nightmare to get off your skin but you can do it with a mix of bicarb and vinegar scrub.
• You can add 1-2 green finger chillies to the blitzed mixture if you like things really spicy