Syrian-Style Chicken Shish Taouk Kebab & Sumac Salad

Take your chicken out of the fridge, open the packet and let it air

Peel and chop your brown onion[s] into quarters, then separate the wedges so you end up with a pile of onion petals

Peel and finely chop (or grate) your garlic

Soak your skewer[s] in cold water (this prevents them from burning whilst cooking)

Chop your chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces

Add 2/3 of your natural yoghurt to a large bowl (save the rest for garnish!) with your ground paprika, tomato paste, chopped garlic, half your ground sumac, half your cider vinegar (you'll use the rest later!) and a drizzle of olive oil

Add a very generous pinch of salt, and a pinch of sugar and pepper

Give everything a good mix up – this is your shish taouk marinade

Add the chopped chicken and onion petals to the marinade

Give everything a good mix up until everything is well coated, then thread the coated chicken and onion petals onto the skewers

Heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick with a matching lid) over a medium-high heat with a generous drizzle of olive oil

Once hot, add the chicken skewers and cook for 3-4 min on each side or until slightly charred (you may need to do this in batches!)

Once slightly charred, reduce the heat to medium and cook, covered, for a further 8-10 min, turning half way, or until charred and cooked through (no pink meat!) – these are your chicken shish taouk kebabs

Meanwhile, wash your lettuce, then pat it dry with kitchen paper and shred finely

Dice your tomato[es] finely

Add the shredded lettuce to a bowl with the diced tomato, remaining ground sumac, remaining cider vinegar, 1 tbsp [1 1/2 tbsp] [2 tbsp] olive oil and a generous pinch of salt and pepper

Toss everything together – this is your sumac salad

Add your wholemeal pitta[s] to a toaster for 1-2 min or until warmed through, then slice in half