Verdant Marinated Chicken Kabobs

A great recipe for chicken.  The flavors are mild but have the perfect combination so they complement each other without overpowering your taste-buds.  Great on the grill in the summer or simple to do in a grill pan or bake in the oven during the winter months.  Esthetically, using a bell pepper that is colorful, such as red or orange and even purple, is great esthetically with this recipe to offset the green verdant marinade and the brilliant white of the onion on the kabob.  The onions should be pealed by their layers then cut to fit the approximate size of the chicken cubes.  Likewise, the bell peppers should be topped and tailed then cored of veins and seeds then sliced to approximately the same size as onions to compliment the chicken.

Verdant Marinated Chicken Kabobs

Serves 8

4 pounds chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2 - 2 inch cubes

1 bunch Italian parsley

1 cup olive oil

6-8 garlic cloves (to taste)

6-8 oz bag of sliced almonds

2 lemons, juiced

1/2 orange, juiced

1 tsp paprika (optional)

1 large sweet onion, cut into 1 inch pieces

4 bell peppers (red or other preferred color), cut into one inch pieces

salt and pepper

In a food processor, combine the parsley, removing as many stems as possible, the garlic cloves, almonds, juice of lemons and orange.  Add in the olive oil until mixture forms a thick paste type texture.  Add approximately 2 teaspoons salt and 2 teaspoons pepper and the paprika if using, then process until blended.  Add more oil if consistency seems too thick, but remember it should be a pasty consistency almost like pesto.

In a zip lock bag add the chicken cubes.  Poor the marinade over the chicken cubes.  Seal the bag being sure to get out as much air as possible then squish/shake the chicken around in the marinade so each piece is nicely coated.  You will want to repeat this step again of "messaging" the chicken in the marinade prior to removing to skewer.  Let sit in refrigerator 3-4 hours or at room temperature for 1 hour.  You can allow to marinate longer (overnight) but keep in mind the citrus will somewhat "cook" the meat and it will not be quite as tender when fully cooked, but still delicious!

If using wooden skewers soak skewers in water for 1 hour prior to using.

Preheat grill to high heat.  

Remove chicken from the refrigerator.  On each skewer, start layering one piece of chicken then a slice of onion followed by a slice of pepper.  Repeat layering until the top piece on the skewer is a chicken cube.  The more marinade that sticks to the chicken the better (which is why you want the marinade mixture to be thick and pasty to start).  Depending on the length of your skewers this will make approximately 8 skewers.

Clean grill greats then lower heat to medium-high heat and lightly oil greats (or spray grates with high heat oil spray - my preferred method).  Place the skewers on the grill and close the lid.  Grill each side approximately 3-5 minutes until grill marks form and chicken is cooked through.

Serve with rice and/or BVC Marinated Cucumber Salad