I know, I know. I really need to up my chicken recipes. Cooking Light must realize this too because they had a recipe for Spicy Moroccan Chicken Skewers that I couldn’t pass up. The original recipe suggested serving the skewers with Greek yogurt, so I made a quick raita to go with them. I also served it with a simple couscous. This recipe does involve marinating the chicken for 2 hours, so prepare accordingly. (I made this over a weekend, I think this might be tough to make on a weeknight.)
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
- 1 1/2 tablespoons chile paste (such as sambal oelek)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 5/8 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 30 pieces
- 1/2 yellow bell pepper, cut into 12 pieces
- 12 cherry tomatoes
- Cooking spray
- 1/4 cup plain 2% reduced-fat Greek yogurt
- 1/2 a cucumber, chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped mint
- the juice of 1 lime
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Add the garlic, chili paste, olive oil, cumin and coriander to a small bowl. Mix to combine and add a pinch of salt.
Add the mixture to a zip-top plastic bag and add the chicken. Seal and mix to combine. Marinate for 2 hours, turning after one hour.
While waiting for the chicken to marinate, combine the Greek yogurt, cucumber, mint, and lime and season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to eat (this will allow the flavors to meld).
When there is about 30 minutes left to marinate, soak 6 wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes. Drain and pat dry.
Preheat a grill pan (or an outdoor grill) to medium-high heat. Remove the chicken and discard the excess marinade. Add a piece of chicken, followed by a cherry tomato, another piece of chicken, a piece of pepper, another piece of chicken, a cherry tomato, a piece of chicken, a pepper, and finally another piece of chicken (whew). Repeat with remaining 5 skewers. Season with salt.
Coat the grill with cooking spray and add the skewers to the grill. Grill for 4 minutes on each side, or until the chicken is fully cooked.
While waiting for the chicken to grill, heat 2 cups chicken broth in a pot until boiling. Add the couscous and cover. Let sit for 4-5 minutes and fluff with a fork. Serve the chicken skewers with some couscous and the raita.
So this recipe was supposed to make four servings. But it was so darn good that my boyfriend and I polished off all of those servings on our own. The marinade was so flavorful!
It definitely has a bit of spiciness to it, so if you’re sensitive to spice, just add a little extra raita to your plate to counteract it. The raita is very cooling with the Greek yogurt, cucumber, and mint.
Chicken thighs are the way to go. They don’t dry out nearly as fast as chicken breasts so you end up with incredibly juicy pieces of meat.
The charred tomatoes added a very pleasant burst while the pepper added a much needed crunch.
I love Moroccan flavours! Perfect for grilling season! Looks great
really nice presentation.
Thanks Peter!
Mmm, looks fantastic! I have been in love with Moroccan spices since visiting when I was eleven – I’ll have to make this!
To make it a weeknight dinner, might I suggest to place the chicken in the marinade before leaving for the office in the morning and remove it when you get home?
What a fabulous recipe, these look absolutely delicious! 🙂
These look really tasty, Kaitlin!
Great call on using the raita, that’s perfect with skewers. I made kebabs recently and used little tomatoes like you did and loved the burst of flavor. Great summer grilling recipe!
YUM!! you have my tummy rumblin’ over here! this looks so yummy! thanks for sharing 🙂