Winner, winner chicken dinner

 

My daughter is wrapping up her soccer season this week and my son's baseball season will end in just a couple of weeks.  It's been a great season for both teams but I'm ready to have everyone home for dinner during the week more often.  Last week, we actually had a day when both kids came home right after school and my husband came straight home from work - that hasn't happened since October!  I took advantage of the rare opportunity and I made lemon marinated grilled chicken kabobs with vegetable skewers and basmati rice for dinner.  Honestly, it didn't really matter what we had to eat, it was all about sitting down together at the table.  Don't get me wrong, we do sit down to eat our meals together on the weekends but this spring, it's been almost impossible to coordinate everyone's schedule so that we're all available to eat dinner at the same time during the week.  (Unless of course, we all waited until 8:00 to eat.)  I do my best to make sure that no one eats alone so we usually eat in pairs but it just isn't the same as having all 4 of us at the table at the same time. 

I adapted this recipe from the Williams Sonoma website.  It was a quick and easy marinade that gave the chicken a really nice flavor. 

Chicken Kabobs with Lemon and Oregano
Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 Tbs. chopped fresh oregano
• Grated zest of 1/2 lemon
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts or
    thighs, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch
    squares
• 1 red onion, halved, separated into layers and
    cut into 1 1/2-inch squares
• 1 lemon, cut into 8 wedges

In a large bowl, combine the lemon juice, wine, oil, garlic, oregano, lemon zest, salt and pepper. 

Stir in the chicken. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, prepare an indirect-heat fire in a covered grill. Place 8 wooden skewers in water to cover and let stand for at least 15 minutes.

When the fire is hot, drain the skewers and thread the chicken onto skewers.  

Grill, turning the skewers once or twice, until the chicken is browned, about 5 minutes total. Move the skewers to the center of the grill rack so they are not directly over the fire. Cover the grill, open the vents halfway, and cook, turning the skewers occasionally, until the chicken is opaque throughout and the juices run clear and the vegetables are tender, 10 to 15 minutes more.

Transfer the skewers to a warmed platter.

Skewer vegetables and grill.  

  

 

The vegetable skewers were beautiful and delicious.  This was a quick weeknight dinner that we all enjoyed. 

Ciao!


Chicken Kabobs with Lemon and Oregano
Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 Tbs. chopped fresh oregano
• Grated zest of 1/2 lemon
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts or
    thighs, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch
    squares
• 1 red onion, halved, separated into layers and
    cut into 1 1/2-inch squares
• 1 lemon, cut into 8 wedges

In a large bowl, combine the lemon juice, wine, oil, garlic, oregano, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Stir in the chicken, eggplant, bell pepper and onion. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, prepare an indirect-heat fire in a covered grill. Place 8 wooden skewers in water to cover and let stand for at least 15 minutes.

When the fire is hot, drain the skewers and thread the chicken, eggplant, bell pepper and onion pieces onto them, alternating the pieces and dividing them equally. Place on the perimeter of the grill rack directly over the fire. Grill, turning the skewers once or twice, until the chicken is browned, about 5 minutes total. Move the skewers to the center of the grill rack so they are not directly over the fire. Cover the grill, open the vents halfway, and cook, turning the skewers occasionally, until the chicken is opaque throughout and the juices run clear and the vegetables are tender, 10 to 15 minutes more.

Transfer the skewers to a warmed platter or individual plates and serve with the lemon wedges.