BBQ'd Chicken & Zucchini Kabobs
This dish was like a breath of fresh spring air! Just in time for the beautiful weather, these BBQ'd Chicken & Zucchini Kabobs were light and fresh, brushed with a delicious homemade pesto. The Fried Brown Rice is my favorite way to eat rice these days and was the perfect side kick for these kabobs.
First, we need to get the zucchini prepped. Using a mandolin, slice zucchini length-wise into thin strips (about 1/16" thick). If you don't have a mandolin, slice it as thin as you can and place it in a strainer in the sink. Sprinkle generously with kosher salt and let it sit in the sink for about 30 minutes. The salt will be rinsed off later, so don't worry about it being salty. The salt is going to help draw out the water in the zucchini and make it more pliable.
Also, soak 8 large skewers in some water. This will help them to not burn once on the grill.
After about 30 minutes, you can see the zucchini has become very pliable. Give it a quick rinse and drain it well.
These are pretty simple kabobs, we're just using boneless, skinless chicken breasts, zucchini and red pearl onions. Cut the chicken into 1" cubes, this way it will cook in the same time as the zucchini and onions.
Thread each skewer, starting and ending with an onion, in between thread 2 pieces of chicken, a zucchini ribbon, and repeat so you have 3 zucchini ribbons and 3 chicken sections, like you see here.
To thread the zucchini ribbon, carefully start it at the long end and just curl it into an "S" shape, doesn't it look cool?!
Drizzle kabobs with olive oil.
And sprinkle with House Blend.
Place kabobs on medium high heated grill and rotate for a total of 10-12 minutes, to get even grill marks.
The onions and zucchini will start to get a nice golden caramelization to them and the chicken will have a slight char.
These already look so delicious, but the best part is still to come! The fresh pesto......
I LOVE fresh pesto and it's so simple to make, there's no reason to buy it. Combine about 2 cups fresh basil leaves with 2 cloves of garlic, 1/4 cup of good extra virgin olive oil, a few toasted pine nuts, some Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper in a blender. I don't always have pine nuts or Parmesan cheese, so it doesn't always get added and it still beats any kind you would buy.
Brush pesto over both sides of kabobs.
Don't these look so darn good? Look how pretty the zucchini ribbons are and how the onions are golden and kind of crispy!
Served over my favorite Fried Brown Rice, this was the perfect meal for such a beautiful day.
YUM!
RECIPE
BBQ'D CHICKEN & ZUCCHINI KABOBS
| Prep Time: 35 Minutes | Cook Time: 12 Minutes | Difficulty: Medium | Servings: 4 |
Ingredients:
- 2 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
- 2 medium zucchini
- kosher salt
- 16 red pearl onions, pealed
- olive oil
- SplenDishes House Blend
- 8 large skewers, soaked in water
- 1/2 cup fresh pesto*
- Fried Brown Rice
Directions:
Using a mandolin, slice zucchini, length-wise into 1/16" ribbons. Place in a strainer and generously coat with salt. Let sit in sink for 30 minutes. Rinse zucchini in water and drain well.
Cut chicken into 1" cubes.
Thread each skewer, starting and ending with an onion, in between thread 2 pieces of chicken, a zucchini ribbon, and repeat so you have 3 zucchini ribbons and 3 chicken sections. To thread the zucchini ribbon, carefully start it at the long end and just curl it into an "S" shape.
Drizzle kabobs with olive oil and season with House Blend.
Place on medium high heated grill and rotate for 10-12 minutes to get even grill marks.
Remove from grill and brush with pesto.
Serve over Fried Brown Rice.
*To make fresh pesto, combine 2 cups fresh basil leaves, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon toasted pine nuts, 1 tablespoon fresh grated Parmesan cheese and 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil in a blender.
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