Memorial Day means grilling in my house, which is why I recommend making Lemon Chicken Skewers with a Cool Avocado Sauce for dipping. After all, kabobs are always fun, right? (well, more fun than just a whole chicken breast grilled). They are quite easy and they come out really tender with lots of great flavor!
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Lemon Chicken Skewers
¼ cup olive oil
3 T lemon juice
1 T cider vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 t grated lemon peel
1 t salt
½ t sugar
¼ t dried oregano
¼ t pepper
1-1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-1/2” pieces
Combine first 9 ingredients and add chicken (resealable plastic bag makes it easy). Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to overnight. Drain and discard marinade and grill on skewers. 6 servings.
Cool Avocado Sauce (delicious with Lemon Chicken Skewers)
1 ripe medium avocado
½ cup fat free sour cream (or plain yogurt)
2 T fresh minced cilantro
1 to 2 t lime juice (to taste)
¼ to ½ t grated lemon peel
¼ t salt
Scoop out avocado and discard pit/peel. Place in food processor with remaining ingredients and process until smooth. Refrigerate until serving.
The fun thing about marinades is they can seem so simple (ingredient-wise) but marinating meat for 24 hours in them makes something so delicious! Combined with grilling, you can’t beat it! You can even make the marninade in a Ziploc, throw in the meat, and freeze it. Then it marinates during thawing.
For the skewers, I usually use the bamboo ones that I’ve soaked in water (so they don’t burn) but I have metal skewers too that would also work. I usually throw the bamboo ones in a 9X13″ pan with some water the night before but a couple of hours would probably do the job.
I might serve a potato or a pasta dish as a side—I haven’t decided yet.
If you’re not into chicken, I’d recommend this pork marinade instead. It’s the best one I’ve ever tried!
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Spiedis (marinated pork for kabobs)
½ cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1 T Worcestershire sauce
½ small onion, finely chopped
¼ t salt
¼ t sugar
¼ t dried basil
I added some greek seasoning too (instead of ¼ t marjoram)
1 to 1-1/4 lbs lean pork, cut into 1-1/2 to 2” cubes
In glass bowl, combine first 9 ingredients. Add meat and toss to coat. Cover and let marinate for 24 hrs, stirring occasionally. When ready to cook, thread meat on skewers and grill. 4 servings.
Happy grilling!
Guest Blogger: Melynn
Melynn, a TDS employee for almost 6 years, is an avid baker and cook in her free time (much to the delight of her team members who frequently benefit from her hobby).
