Moroccan Chicken Skewers with Crazy Good Green Sauce
Yield: 6servings
Prep Time: 2 hourshrs25 minutesmins
Cook Time: 10 minutesmins
Total Time: 2 hourshrs35 minutesmins
Ingredients
Chicken:
Zest of 1 lemon, 1-2 teaspoons
½cupfresh lemon juice, from about 2-3 lemons
¼cupolive oil
3 to 4clovesgarlic, finely minced (or 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
1tablespoonfresh ginger or ginger paste (see note)
1teaspoonground cumin
1teaspoonground turmeric
1teaspoonsalt, I use coarse, kosher salt
½teaspoonground coriander
¼teaspoonblack pepper
1 1 /2 to 2poundsboneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1-inch cubes
Green Sauce:
1cupfresh cilantro, lightly packed to measure
½cupfresh mint
¼cupchopped green onions or chives
3tablespoonsolive oil
Zest of 1 lemon, 1-2 teaspoons
2tablespoonsfresh lemon juice
1teaspoonhoney
Pinchof coarse, kosher salt
½jalapeno, seeded and coarsely chopped (leave seeds in for more heat)
Instructions
For the chicken, in a small bowl or liquid measuring cup whisk together the lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, ginger, cumin, turmeric, salt, coriander, and pepper. Place the chicken pieces in a shallow dish (preferably with a lid), pour the marinade over and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours (if marinading longer than that, the lemon juice might "cook" and toughen the meat).
For the sauce, in a blender or food processor add all the ingredients and puree until desired consistency. Season to taste with additional salt, if needed.
Preheat grill to medium-high. Brush grill grates with oil (I don't usually do this on my pellet grill, but I recommend doing so if chicken is prone to sticking on your grill). Thread the marinated chicken pieces onto wooden or metal skewers.
Grill for 6-8 minutes, turning once or twice, until cooked through. Serve the chicken skewers with the sauce.
Notes
Ginger: ginger paste is easily and widely found in grocery store produce sections near the fresh herbs/salads. However, keeping fresh ginger on hand is easy...cut fresh ginger into 1-inch pieces and store in the freezer. When ready to use, it can be grated on a box grater straight from the freezer (no need to peel!).Lemons: remember to zest your lemons before juicing! You'll probably need about four lemons total for this recipe.