Shish Taouk – Chicken Kabobs

Get acquainted with the broiler in your oven, if you are not already. You can make some great food with it – and fast. These kabobs take 10 minutes once they’re in the oven, and are incredibly versatile. They can be served on a salad, in a pita with hummus and veggies, on a plate of rice or quinoa with sauteed broccolini – you name it. The chicken needs a bit of marinading, which can be done the day before, or a few hours before it goes in the oven.

Ingredients:

– boneless, skinless chicken breast (6 oz per person)
– juice of 1/2 lemon
– 2 T extra virgin olive oil
– 2 cloves minced garlic
– 1/2 t cumin
– 1/2 t pepper
– 1/2 t paprika
– 1/2 t dark chile powder

How do I make it?

• Cut the chicken breast into 1″ x 1″ chunks. A serving size of meat is 4 oz, but I recommend more here because 1) it is delicious, 2) I like to cut out the unsavory-looking bits of chicken before cooking (so less is actually going into the oven), and 3) l-e-f-t-o-v-e-r-s (see #1).
• Put the chicken in a bowl, and cover with the olive oil, lemon juice, and spices. Toss to coat, and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Fire up the broiler in your oven (on “high,” if your oven gives you a choice), and place a rack about 4-5″ below. I like to use broiler pans when cooking meat so the fat drips away. Spray the top of the broiler pan with cooking spray.
• Thread the chicken onto skewers, 5 per skewer, and place on the broiler pan.
• Broil for 5 minutes, until the chicken is white all over and starts to brown on the top. Using tongs, flip the skewer over, and broil for 5 minutes on the other side, until it browns.
• If your pieces are no larger than 1″ x 1″, they should be cooked through at this point, but feel free to carefully remove a chunk with tongs and cut it in half to make sure.

More info please?

I do not recommend cooking vegetables on the same skewers as meat, because they will cook at different rates. If you want veggie kabobs – which obviously pair well with this dish – I recommend making skewers of just that vegetable. For example, 2 skewers each of mushrooms, peppers, and onions. you can use the same ingredients for the marinade (that has not yet touched raw chicken), or just spray them with oil, and keep an eye on them as they broil, turning them once, and removing when they are browned.

If you are using wooden skewers, soak them first in water so they are not brittle (read = so they do not catch on fire). But metal skewers may be worth the under-$10 investment.