GRILLED CHICKEN KEBABS
SERVES 4 TO 6 • TO PREP 30 MINUTES • STORE 1 TO 24 HOURS • TO FINISH 35 MINUTES
Grilled chicken kebabs should feature chunks of juicy chicken with lightly charred exteriors, but often they turn out dry and chalky on the grill. We thought an overnight marinade would be the perfect solution to this problem. We knew we wanted a salty base to act as a brine, seasoning the chicken and encouraging juiciness, and we wanted to give it fresh, bright flavors that would complement the chicken. We turned to a combination of fresh herbs, shallot, and a small amount of sugar, which we combined in a food processor to eliminate tedious chopping. While we didn’t want the marinade to be overly sweet, we found that a little sugar encouraged the chicken to brown during its short time on the grill, and the sweetness also helped to temper the flavor of the raw shallot. We reserved some of the marinades to pour over the cooked kebabs to reinforce their flavor, and we found that adding a little lemon juice did wonders to brighten up the finished dish. You will need eight 12-inch metal skewers for this recipe. Click here for information on setting up a single-level fire. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup of water
¼ cup fresh parsley leaves
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
1 shallot, chopped
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 large red onion, halved through root end, core discarded, each half cut into 4 wedges, and each wedge cut crosswise into thirds
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into 1½-inch pieces
2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces
TO PREP
1. Process ½ cup oil, water, parsley, thyme, shallot, sugar, salt, and pepper in the food processor until smooth, about 20 seconds. Transfer ¼ cup marinade to a small bowl, stir in lemon juice and cover.
2. Gently toss onion pieces with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a separate bowl. Microwave, covered, until just tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Thread chicken, onion, and bell peppers evenly onto eight 12-inch metal skewers. Arrange skewers in 13 by 9-inch baking dish, pour remaining marinade over top, and turn to coat; cover.
TO STORE
3. Refrigerate kebabs and reserved marinade separately for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours, turning kebabs occasionally to coat evenly.
TO FINISH AND SERVE
4. Remove reserved marinade from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature while preparing kebabs. Pat kebabs dry with paper towels and grill (covered if using gas) over medium, single-level fire, turning often until kebabs are well browned on all sides and chicken registers 160 degrees, 14 to 18 minutes.
5. Transfer kebabs to a serving platter. Stir reserved marinade to recombine, then drizzle over kebabs. Tent loosely with aluminum foil and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Serve.
TEST KITCHEN TIP: CUTTING ONION INTO WEDGES
To make chunks of onion sized for skewering, first, halve onion through root end and discard core. Cut each half into 4 wedges, then cut each wedge crosswise into thirds.
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