Schaschlik Pot from the Thermomix® is East German soul food at its finest: a hearty braised dish with chicken, bacon and peppers in a rich paprika, onion and tomato sauce, slow-cooked for 120 minutes to serve 4. Originally from the East German kitchen, where the traditional schaschlik skewer was reimagined as a braise because skewered meat was hard to come by. Today it is a make-ahead classic: cook it the day before, and it tastes even better on day 2 as the flavours develop.
We make Schaschlik Pot for big family Sundays, village fetes (scaled up for a crowd) and whenever chicken needs using from the fridge. 4 servings of schaschlik with rice is a filling main course for around 4 euros per portion.
Schaschlik Pot with the Thermomix®
Ingredients 0 / 19 ✓
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 red onion
- 1 chilli small
- 20 g rapeseed oil
- 70 g brown sugar
- 100 g honey
- 100 g dry red wine
- 50 g Aceto balsamico
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp sweet paprika
- 2 tbsp curry powder
- 400 g vegetable stock
- 300 g tomato puree
- 400 g tinned chopped tomatoes
- 70 g Worcestershire sauce
- 200 g diced bacon
- 4 onions
- 800 g chicken breast fillets
- 3 peppers green, yellow, red
Instructions 0 / 9
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1
Chop the garlic.
Peel the garlic, place in the mixing bowl and chop for 3 sec / speed 8.
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2
Chop the onion.
Peel the onion, wash and deseed the chilli, add both to the mixing bowl and chop for 3 sec / speed 6, then scrape down with the spatula.
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3
Sweat the vegetables.
Add the oil to the mixing bowl and heat for 5 min / Varoma / speed 1.
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4
Cook the sauce.
Add the remaining sauce ingredients to the mixing bowl, mix for 5 sec / speed 4, then cook for 20 min / 100°C / speed 1.
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5
Fry the onions.
Meanwhile, render the bacon in a large frying pan. Peel the onions, quarter them and fry together with the bacon for 2 to 3 minutes.
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6
Sear the chicken breast.
Slice the chicken breast fillets, add to the pan and sear well on all sides.
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7
Preheat the oven.
Preheat the oven to 180°C top and bottom heat.
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8
Cut the peppers.
Wash the peppers, halve them, remove the seeds and stalk, then cut into large pieces.
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9
Braise the schaschlik.
Place the bacon with onions and meat into a lidded casserole dish (or cover with foil), mix in the peppers, pour the sauce over everything and braise covered on the middle shelf of the oven for 1 hour 20 minutes.
Tip: This goes perfectly with rice or a fresh baguette.
Video
Nutrition per serving
Which meat to use for the classic version
Classically in East Germany: pork shoulder or pork neck, cut into 2 cm cubes. Both cuts have the fat content (around 15%) needed to keep the meat juicy during braising. Leaner cuts such as ham or fillet turn dry and stringy. If you prefer chicken, use chicken thighs (bone-in) rather than breast fillets, otherwise the result will be too lean.
Chicken is sometimes recommended on recipe sites, but we stick with the classic pork. The Federal Centre for Nutrition defines Schaschliktopf clearly as a pork dish from the East German kitchen.
An overnight marinade makes all the difference
We marinate the meat overnight in 3 tbsp sweet paprika plus 1 tsp hot paprika plus 2 tbsp soy sauce plus 1 tbsp mustard plus 2 tbsp oil. The marinade builds flavour, and the meat becomes more tender because soy sauce contains enzymes that begin to break down the proteins. No time? One hour of marinating is enough for flavour, but overnight makes the real difference for tenderness.
Browning and braising in the Thermomix®
Chop 3 large onions and 4 garlic cloves for 5 sec at speed 5. Add 2 tbsp oil and sweat for 5 min at 120°C at speed 1. Add the marinated meat and cook for 5 min at 120°C in reverse direction at speed 1 (reverse direction prevents the meat from being chopped). Add 3 diced peppers, 400 g passata, 200 ml beef stock, 100 ml dry red wine, 1 tbsp tomato puree, 1 tsp caraway seeds and 2 bay leaves. Braise for 75 min at 100°C in reverse direction at speed 1.
The slow braising builds the typical East German schaschlik aromas: sweet, tangy and savoury from the combination of paprika, tomatoes and wine. For a spicier version, add 1 tsp chilli flakes. For a Hungarian twist, add 2 tbsp Hungarian sweet paprika on top.
Five Schaschlik Pot variations
With bacon (fry 200 g streaky bacon alongside for a smoky note), Hungarian style (add 1 tbsp Hungarian paprika), spicy (1 tsp chilli flakes plus 1 fresh chilli), chicken version (chicken thighs instead of pork, cook for 45 min), vegetarian (500 g soya mince plus 500 g mushrooms plus smoked paprika for that schaschlik flavour).
What to serve with Schaschlik Pot
Classic East German style with our rice or Spaetzle. With bread for dipping: our Sunday bread rolls. Find more braised dishes in our braise collection and more East German classics in the East German recipes category.
Sweet and sour balance: the East German trick
What gives it that authentic canteen flavour is the sweet and sour balance. In the last 10 minutes of braising, we add 1 tsp sugar (or better still, 2 tsp sugar beet syrup) and 1 tbsp red wine vinegar. Both round off the paprika tomato sauce and prevent it from tasting flat. For an even closer match to the original, use 1 tsp honey instead of sugar and a dash of Worcestershire sauce. Important: always add these at the end, not at the start. Otherwise the sugar caramelises and the sauce turns bitter. Taste and adjust with salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar until the three flavours (savoury, sweet, tangy) are in balance.
Goes well with: Baguette.
