Well-marinated chicken on the grill makes a perfect dinner. Here, I drizzled a bit of yogurt-herb dipping sauce over the top of the chicken and served it alongside spice-infused basmati rice. I can’t claim to have invented this delicious recipe. It comes from a magazine called Backyard Barbecue: The Absolute Best Recipes for All Your Summer Favorites (August 2011)…a publication from the hit TV show Cook’s Country http://www.cookscountry.com/. Definitely a keeper.
Grilled Chicken Kebabs
Serves 4
½ cup plain yogurt
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1-1/2 pounds), cut into 1-inch cubes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 red bell peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large red onion, halved and sliced into pieces big enough to skewer
- Whisk yogurt, ¼ cup oil, 3 cloves garlic, thyme, oregano, salt, pepper, and cayenne in large bowl. Stir in chicken. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 to 6 hours. Whisk remaining ¼ cup oil, remaining 1 clove garlic, basil, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate while chicken is marinating.
- Remove chicken from yogurt marinade; discard marinade. Thread each skewer with 2 pieces pepper, 1 piece onion, 2 pieces chicken, and 1 piece onion. Repeat twice more, ending with 2 additional pieces pepper.
- For a charcoal grill: Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts, about 100 briquettes). When coals are hot, spread them evenly over bottom of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and heat until hot, about 5 minutes.
- For a gas grill: Turn all the burners to high, cover and heat until hot, about 15 minutes.
- Clean and oil cooking grate. Grill kebabs, uncovered, until vegetables and chicken are charred around the edges on all 4 sides and chicken is cooked through, about 2 minutes per side (3 minutes per side if using gas). Transfer to serving platter and brush kebabs all over with lemon dressing. Serve.
Yogurt-Herb Dipping Sauce
Makes about 2 cups
1 cup plain yogurt
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil
1 tablespoon minced fresh mint
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and chopped
- Whisk yogurt, oil, lemon juice, garlic, basil, mint, salt, and pepper in medium bowl.
- Add the cucumber to the bowl and mix to thoroughly coat. Cover mixture with plastic wrap and refrigerate until flavors blend, about 30 minutes. Serve.
More about Chicken, Homemade, Main Courses, Yogurt
Here’s the menu from my family’s vegetarian dinner last night: dal, raita (cucumber-yogurt salad…I used my super easy, no-fail homemade yogurt recipe from this blog), sauteed okra with garlic and chilies, Indian rice (I’ll share that recipe when I find a good one…this yummy one had whole cloves, cardamom pods, cinannom sticks, and onions in it), curried vegetables (I picked up from a food stall next to my kids’s school) and freshly-baked garlic naan.
I thought I’d never see rhubarb in Malaysia, but today, I stumbled upon some in Hock Choon, a small grocery store specializing in imported goods. I was thrilled to find this vitamin-C-and-calcium-packed fruit (some will argue that it’s a vegetable), and particularly tickled to introduce it to my cook, Luann, who said that she had seen it before, but had no idea what to do with it (usually it’s the other way around…she’s introducing me to exotic foods). I rattled off a list of culinary delights made with rhubarb, from strawberry-rhubarb pie to a simple sauce for yogurt or ice cream. Luann made a batch of rhubarb sauce from my recipe in Eating for Pregnancy: The Essential Nutrition Guide and Cookbook for Today’s Mothers-to-Be. The kids devoured it on top of homemade yogurt sprinkled with a bit of homemade tropical granola. I call it tropical because I added bits of diced dried mango, orange rind, coconut, and walnuts to the honey-toasted oats…super yum! They were happy, and so was I.
If you have the time to get crunchy, here’s a recipe for delicious granola from my book, Eating for Pregnancy: The Essential Nutrition Guide and Cookbook for Today’s Mothers-to-Be. Treat this surprisingly easy recipe is a blueprint: change it according to the availability of ingredients in your area and new items as you discover them. I just made a batch using maple syrup with candied pineapple bits and dried cherries. Some other common healthy additions include sunflower seeds, unsweetened coconut flakes, unsalted sesame seeds, shelled pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries, or wheat germ. Freeze-dried fruits, such as raspberries and blueberries, add a burst of color and vitamins too.
It’s all about smoothies these days…and the choices are endless. I mean, just look in the grocery store and you’ll find shelves of smoothies that deliver extra protein, vitamins, antioxidants, calcium, and so on. Wish they’d invent one to get rid of wrinkles! You can give your own smoothies, either homemade or store-bought, a boost of calcium by whisking 1/3 cup pasteurized instant nonfat dry milk into 1-1/2 to 2-cups of liquid. This will add about 14 grams of protein and 500 milligrams of calcium (1/2 the recommended daily intake!) to your power drink. Moms with kids who need more calcium, take note.
