Grilled Chicken & Veggie Skewers

Tender pieces of chicken and flavorful veggies get a kick from a sweet heat marinade as they are grilled to summer perfection!

Do not let these pretty pictures fool you- I do not really know how to use a grill. This was my first time ever using a grill without my mom around, and let’s just say that I am glad the only bad thing that happened was the hair on my sisters hand got kinda sorta singed off. Ok, so I learned my lesson. You need to turn on the gas, THEN the grill. Do not turn on the grill first then the gas. It makes a mini-explosion that burns hair off of the hand of whoever pushes the on button :)

After that slight mishap, it was on to happy grilling times! Though my sister made sure I was the one to push the on button this time, just in case. (I still happily have all of the hair on my hand, as odd as that is to say). Really though, after that it was just time to let everything cook and turn into delicious pieces of tender chicken, flavorful veggies, and fun food on a stick. Which is what summer should be about, right?

If you have a charcoal grill, I am sure that this recipe will taste even better when you make it, because the flavor from the charcoal (and/or) wood will give that added dimension of smokiness. If you have a gas grill like we do, you will still be enjoying some easy and comforting food though, and you can always get a bottle of add-on smokiness flavoring. (Google it, it really does exist!)

My sister and I both love grilled mushrooms, and basically any other grilled vegetable. The skewers that only have chicken and onion were for her boyfriend, who is not so much a veggie person…as in, at all. That was fine by us though, because it meant more of our yummy grilled vegetables that we did not have to share! Whichever you prefer, the chicken or the veggies, make sure to let the chicken marinade for as long as possible to really get the flavor soaked into it. It makes a world of difference!

The marinade on this recipe is my recent favorite. It combines a few simple pantry items that you probably already have, and it produces such a flavorful dimension to your food. The sweet part of this marinade comes from the honey that coats everything and gives you some relief after the slight heat from the red pepper flakes gives your taste buds a kick. All of the ingredients combine to create a flavor that we could not get enough of!

Directions:

In a medium bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the marinade with a fork.

Cut the chicken into ¾ inch cubes, and place them into the bowl with the marinade. Use the fork to move the chicken pieces around until they are all covered with the marinade. *This can also be done in a large plastic bag if that is preferred. Just be sure the marinade is well-mixed before adding the chicken. Let the chicken marinade for at least 2 hours, up to 36 hours. The longer the chicken marinades, the better the flavor.

When you are ready to begin grilling, chop the bell pepper, onion, and zucchini into large 1/2 inch pieces. Wash off the mushrooms, and put all of the vegetables in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with salt and fresh ground pepper, and mix to coat all of the veggies.

Preheat the grill and get 12 skewers ready by rubbing them with a bit of olive oil.

Prepare each skewer by putting 7-9 veggies/chicken pieces on each one. Once all of the skewers are ready and the grill has heated up, grill the skewers for about 8 minutes total, flipping the skewers after 4 minutes. Make sure all of the chicken is cooked through before removing from the grill.

Serve, either on their own or over rice.

**This recipe is a Rooks to Cooks original. The recipe and all photographs are copyright Rooks to Cooks and may not be used without permission.

Grilled Chicken & Veggies Skewers

Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 bell pepper (red, yellow, orange or green)

1/4 medium onion

8-12 small mushrooms

1 small zucchini

Salt and pepper, to taste

For the Marinade:

1/4 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons honey