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Chenjeh is a classic Persian kabob that’s so juicy and tender. Made with a simple marinade, this kabob is packed with lots of flavor!
Persian cuisine offers a variety of grilling recipes. Some of our most popular options include kabab koobideh, joojeh kebab and, of course, chenjeh. We love serving kebabs with grilled tomatoes, Persian style rice and lavash. Follow along to learn how to make Persian kabobs at home that taste just perfect.
Table of Contents
What Is Chenjeh?
Chenjeh is a classic Iranian kebab that’s traditionally made with lamb. While lamb is my favorite meat to grill, not everyone loves it as much as I do. So after a few tries, I decided to make a chenjeh recipe using ribeye. Because it has a proper fat content, the texture of beef chenjeh is exactly like the one made with lamb: tender, juicy and melt-in-your-mouth delicious.
The marinade used to make chenjeh is very simple – some only use oil, some use black pepper, and some also add bloomed saffron. I find that adding a few tablespoons of yogurt tenderizes the meat, as it does with gyro and shish tawook.
Tips to Make Chenjeh
- Meat: For tender and juicy chenjeh, the meat needs to have good fat content. I recommend using ribeye, however, lamb would work very well, too.
- Marinate: Don’t rush the process, the meat needs to marinate for 4 to 8 hours to be very flavorful.
- Grill: The heat should be high enough for the kabob to cook perfectly but not burn. Overcooking the meat will result in tough chenjeh that will be hard to chew.
How To Make Chenjeh At Home
- Slice the ribeye into 1 1/2 inch pieces and place them in a bowl.
- Add in the black pepper, olive oil and yogurt. Give it a good mix to make sure all pieces are coated with the marinade. Cover with wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours up to overnight.
- Once you’re ready to grill, bring the kebabs out of the fridge to come to room temperature. This is to make sure they cook evenly. Thread the meat on flat skewers that are about 1/2 inch wide. Thread the tomatoes on a separate skewer as well.
- Preheat the grill to medium high. If using charcoal, make sure they’re glowing uniformly and have a thin layer of ash on them.
- Place the tomato and chenjeh skewers on the grill and let it cook for a couple of minutes. Flip the skewers to cook the other side as well. Grill for about 4 minutes on each side, flipping a couple of times. It’ll take the tomatoes about 15 minutes to cook completely.
- Once the meat is almost cooked, season with salt and brush with melted butter and bloomed saffron.
Serving Suggestions
Persian kabobs, including chenjeh, are usually served with some bread such as lavash as well as Persian rice or saffron rice. We peel and discard the tomatoes’ charred skin and serve them with the kebab. It’s common to serve this dish with mast o khiar and sabzi khordan. I also enjoy having some pickled onions on the side.
Leftovers
Kebab is always best served and eaten right away when it’s fresh and tender. However, you can store the leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat in a pan over medium heat or in the oven at 250 degrees F for 15 minutes or until heated through. I don’t recommend freezing leftover cooked chenjeh.
Frequently Asked Questions
While Persian kebabs are mostly made over mangal (rectangular grills with no grates) using charcoal, it’s possible to make chenjeh over a gas grill. Make sure the heat is manageable. You want it to be medium high and make sure not to overcook them.
Yes, however, make sure it’s completely thawed before you marinate it.
Salt toughens the meat – that’s why we add it at the very end when the ribeye is fully cooked and tender.
Yes, lamb works very well for this recipe too. However, as you know, lamb has a distinct flavor that might not be everyone’s favorite.
More Grilling Recipes
Beef and Lamb
Easy Grilled Lamb Chops
Persian Recipes
Juicy Kabob Koobideh (Tutorial)
Persian Recipes
Joojeh Kabab (Persian Saffron Chicken Kebab)
Beef and Lamb
Grilled Kofta Kebab Recipe
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Chenjeh Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb ribeye , sliced into 1 1/2 inch pieces
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp yogurt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 6 tomatoes
Final touches
- Kosher salt
- 4 tbsp butter, melted
- 2 tbsp bloomed saffron , see notes
Instructions
- Place the ribeye pieces in a bowl, add the olive oil, yogurt and black pepper. Combine and make sure all pieces are coated with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 4 to 8 hours.
- When you're ready to grill, take the meat out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature. This is to make sure the meat cooks evenly. Thread them on flat skewers that are about 1/2 inch wide. Thread the tomatoes separately.
- Preheat the grill to medium high. If using charcoal grill, you want to make sure that the charcoals have stopped smoking, are glowing uniformly and there's a layer of ash on them.
- Place the skewers on the grill and cook for a couple of minutes, flip and cook on the other side. It takes the kebabs 4-5 minutes on each side (flipping a few times) to grill completely. Keep an eye out so you don't overcook them. It'll take the tomatoes about 15 minutes to cook completely, the skin will be charred, don't worry we're going to discard the skin before serving.
- Once the kebabs are almost ready, season them with kosher salt. Mix the melted butter and bloomed saffron and brush it on both sides of the kebab. This is to keep the meat juicy and tender.
- Transfer the cooked kebabs to a pot with lid so they stay warm. You can use a piece of lavash to remove the kabob pieces from the skewers.
- Serve with lavash, rice and sabzi khordan.
Video
Notes
- Chenjeh is traditionally made with lamb. However, since lamb is not everyone’s favorite, this recipe calls for ribeye that has a good fat content, resulting in a juicy and tender kabob.
- To make bloomed saffron, sprinkle 1/4 tsp ground saffron on 2 ice cubes and let it melt at room temperature.
- It’s common to serve Persian kebabs with rice, sabzi khordan and a few pieces of lavash bread.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Gorgeous! So simple to make and just absolutely delicious. Perfect on the barbecue.
This turned out so well!! The kabobs were super tender and packed with flavor. Tasted great with a side of rice and salad for dinner!
Another amazing recipe! These were better then the kabobs I get at my Persian restaurant. So good!
My husband loves kabobs so I decided to surprise him with this chenjah recipe. He said these were one of the best he’s had and asked that I save the recipe to make again – thanks!
Absolutely delicious flavors, these kebabs are so easy to prep, and we all loved them! I’ll be making them again soon for a cookout, thank you!