Fifteen ingredients and thirty-eight minutes for twelve kofta. Nothing is stuffed and nothing is coated — these are seasoned mince, shaped and browned.
There is no starch on the plate. No rice, no flatbread, nothing underneath but the garlic yogurt, and the recipe rules all three out by name in its final step.
Why This Recipe Works
- A third of a cup of finely diced onion adds moisture to lean ground chicken without making it loose.
- A third of a cup of parsley in the mixture rather than only on top flavours the kofta all the way through.
- Browning deeply on all sides builds the crust the finished dish is defined by.
- Whisking the yogurt cold and leaving it uncooked keeps it white and thick.
- Thirty seconds of chilli flakes in warm oil colours the oil without frying them.
Ingredient Notes
- Ground chicken
- A pound and a half, shaped into twelve unstuffed oblongs. Poultry, so 165 degrees Fahrenheit, and there is no cheese inside these.
- Plain Greek yogurt
- A cup, whisked cold with grated garlic and lemon juice. It is never heated, which is what keeps it white and thick on the plate.
- Parsley, in two places
- A third of a cup mixed into the kofta and more scattered at the end. It is inside them as well as over them.
- Chilli oil
- A tablespoon of olive oil warmed thirty seconds with red pepper flakes. It is what tints the white sauce in the finished dish.
How to Make It
Mix and shape twelve
Mix ground chicken, onion, garlic, parsley, cumin, coriander, paprika, salt, and pepper. Shape into 12 unstuffed oblong kofta.
Brown deeply, to 165F
Heat olive oil in a skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat. Brown kofta deeply on all sides and cook until centers reach 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Whisk the yogurt cold
Whisk yogurt with grated garlic and lemon juice; keep it uncooked and white.
Warm the chilli oil
Warm 1 tablespoon olive oil with red pepper flakes for 30 seconds.
Yogurt down, kofta over, no starch
Spoon garlic yogurt onto a plate, arrange kofta over it, drizzle lightly with chilli oil, and finish with parsley. Do not add tomato, rice, or flatbread to the plate.
One Temperature, Three Refusals
The gate here is the same 165F every ground poultry recipe carries. What makes this dish itself is what stays out of it: a filling, a cooked sauce, and anything underneath.
- Seasoned all the way through1 1/2 lb of ground chicken with 1/3 cup finely diced onion, 2 garlic cloves, 1/3 cup chopped parsley, 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp coriander, 1/2 tsp paprika, 3/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. The onion adds the moisture lean mince lacks; the parsley is inside them, not only scattered over.
- Twelve oblongs - and UNSTUFFEDShaped into 12 oblong kofta with nothing inside them - no cheese stuffing. Oblong rather than round also puts more surface against the pan, which the next stage needs.
- Browned deeply, on all sidesIn 1 tbsp of olive oil in a skillet or grill pan over medium-high. The deep crust matters, and a poach in yogurt sauce would never produce it - which is also why the sauce is made separately and never cooked.
Check before you continue
165F — Instant-read thermometer, into the centre of a kofta
Ground chicken is poultry, and poultry is 165F in every form - five degrees above the 160F a ground beef takes. Lean ground chicken loses its pink well before it reaches temperature, so browning on all sides is not the test; the thermometer is. Nothing after this point applies heat, so this is the only chance to get it right.
- A sauce that never sees the pan1 cup of plain Greek yogurt whisked with 1 finely grated garlic clove and 1 tbsp lemon juice, kept UNCOOKED AND WHITE. Then 1 tbsp of olive oil warmed 30 seconds with 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes - the only heat applied to anything after the kofta, and it is applied to oil, not to yogurt.
- Yogurt down first, kofta overThe sauce spooned onto the plate and the hot kofta arranged ON it rather than simmered in it. Second refusal: no tomato goes anywhere near this sauce, and the finished dish is white with a chilli-oil drizzle through it.
- And nothing underneathNo rice, no flatbread, no other starch on the plate - the recipe's third and final refusal, stated in the same sentence as the tomato.
Success Tips
- Shape them oblong rather than round; more surface meets the pan, and more surface means more crust.
- Brown on several sides before checking the temperature.
- Spoon the yogurt onto a cold plate — it is not warmed at any point.
Serving Ideas
Four servings in white dishes, the browned crusted kofta arranged over a spoonful of the white garlic yogurt, drizzled lightly with chilli oil and scattered heavily with parsley. Nothing underneath them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are these stuffed with cheese?
No. These kofta are unstuffed.
What do I serve them on?
The garlic yogurt, and nothing else. Step 5 rules out tomato, rice and flatbread from the plate.
Will the yogurt split under hot kofta?
It is spooned on cold and the kofta are arranged over it rather than simmered in it. Nothing heats the sauce.
