01
Marinated overnight
Olive oil, garlic, lemon, and Turkish spices. Long enough that the flavor is in the meat, not just on it.
Chicken · Boston
Chicken Kebab in Bostonchar-grilled, halal
Marinated in olive oil and seven Turkish spices, threaded onto skewers, and char-grilled over open flame. Chicken Shish, Chicken Adana, Chicken Doner — all halal, all made to order at Ali Baba Charlestown.
How ours is made
What makes a chicken kebab worth ordering.
02
Char-grilled to order
We fire the chicken over open flame once you order. The edges char, the middle stays tender, and it hits the plate hot.
03
100% halal
All chicken is halal-certified. One kitchen — no non-halal food anywhere near the grill.
Shish vs. Adana
Two very different chicken kebabs
In Türkiye, chicken kebab isn't one thing — it's at least two. Chicken Shish is cubes of chicken (usually breast) threaded onto a skewer and grilled whole. Chicken Adana is minced chicken kebab, seasoned with red pepper and hand-molded onto a wide flat skewer, grilled the same way. Same fire, same skewer, very different plate.
Shish is what you order when you want the char of grilled whole chicken with the marinade fully soaked in. Adana is what you order when you want the softer texture of a ground kebab and a bit more spice. Both come with bulgur, salad, and warm bread; both are halal.
If you want to try both in one order, add another kebab to your plate from the online-ordering options — it's the easiest way to sample the difference.
Every chicken kebab we make
The full lineup from the grill
Halal
Chicken Shish Kebab
Marinated chicken breast, cubed and char-grilled on a skewer. Served over bulgur with salad and warm bread.
Halal
Chicken Adana Kebab Plate
Minced chicken, seasoned with red pepper, hand-molded onto a wide skewer, char-grilled. Plated with bulgur and salad.
Halal
Chicken Adana Wrap
The Adana kebab rolled in warm Turkish bread with salad, herbs, and yogurt-garlic sauce. Easy to eat on the go.
Halal
Doner Wrap
Not shish or adana — this is our spit-roasted doner meat sliced fresh, wrapped with salad and sauce. Halal chicken and lamb.
Halal
Mixed Grill
Chicken shish, kofte, and lamb filet on one plate. Order this if you want to try everything the grill does.
Halal
Chicken Wing Plate
Halal chicken wings, grilled, seasoned with Turkish spice. A lighter option or a side for a shared table.
More from the grill: Doner wrap · Shish kebab · Our halal statement
Common questions
Chicken kebab at Ali Baba asked & answered
What is chicken shish kebab?
Chicken shish kebab is cubes of marinated chicken (typically breast or thigh) threaded onto a skewer and char-grilled over open flame. The skewer is what makes it "shish" — the Turkish word for skewer. At Ali Baba the chicken is marinated in olive oil, Turkish spices, garlic, and lemon, then grilled to order and served over bulgur with salad and warm bread.
What is chicken adana kebab?
Chicken adana is minced chicken kebab — the chicken is ground, seasoned with red pepper, cumin, and Turkish spices, hand-molded onto a wide flat skewer, and char-grilled the same way. It's named after the Turkish city of Adana. Softer texture, bolder flavor, and it's the meat that goes into the Chicken Adana Wrap.
Is your chicken halal?
Yes. All chicken at Ali Baba Charlestown is 100% halal from a certified supplier. Every kebab that comes off the grill — chicken, lamb, beef — is halal.
Do you use white meat or dark meat?
The Chicken Shish uses breast. It's leaner, holds up well to the marinade, and stays juicy on the char-grill. The Chicken Adana is a mix — the ground meat has the fat balance you need for a proper adana texture.
What's on a chicken kebab plate?
The kebab itself, char-grilled to order, plus bulgur (Turkish cracked-wheat pilaf), a house salad, grilled tomato and pepper, warm bread, and a small yogurt-garlic sauce. You can add hummus or babaganoush from the online-ordering options.
Can I order chicken kebab online for pickup in Boston?
Yes. Order pickup online at alibaba-charlestown.com/order — most orders are ready in about 20 minutes. Pick up at 99A Cambridge Street, Charlestown, MA 02129.
Do you have a chicken kebab wrap?
Yes — the Chicken Adana Wrap. Ground chicken kebab char-grilled, rolled with salad, herbs, and yogurt-garlic sauce in warm Turkish bread. It's a lighter cousin of the Doner Wrap.
Come by
Chicken kebab in Charlestown, Boston
99A Cambridge Street, Charlestown, MA 02129. Steps from Community College Station on the Orange Line and a short walk from the Bunker Hill Monument. Open every day — Sun–Thu 11am–2am, Fri–Sat until 3am.