Dear previous owners of our new-to-us grill,
Thank you for leaving the grill behind when you moved. I realize your hands were full with your 6-month old twins, and that your Pod was unable to fit anything else. We are deeply sorry for your loss. But not-so-secretly, we’re really glad you left this with us. We promise to take good care of her (she already received a much-needed cleaning), and keep her well-fed.
Much appreciated,
The proud new parents of a grill
It’s true: we’re finally grill owners! It’s sad that it’s taken this long (I mean, hello, we both grew up in Florida), but here we are… grilling away in the summer heat. And rain. Our first time taking the grill out for a spin we were met with Florida-like showers that came and went every 15 minutes. Fortunately, there’s a large tree in our backyard that provides much needed protection. Thank you, Mother Nature.
For our grill’s debut performance, we wanted something simple. Our thoughts immediately turned to kebabs. The prep work was so effortless and the payoff so large that I’m thinkin’ we’ll be grilling all summer long. Can’t. Wait.
Here’s a peak at our little beauty:
Directions
To prepare the marinade, combine chipotle chiles, ketchup, bbq sauce, honey, brown sugar, salt and pepper in a food processor or, if using an immersion blender, a small bowl. Purée, then set aside.
Add cubed chicken to the marinade or place bowl in a large Ziploc bag. Mix thoroughly, then place in a refrigerator for at least one hour or overnight, if possible.
Before grilling, layer the chicken on wooden or bamboo skewers (discard the excess marinade). Grill over medium-high heat for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reads 160 – 165 F. Chicken is fully cooked at 165 F, but once you remove the chicken from the grill, it will continue to cook for a few minutes more.
Unfortunately, I was rushing to get one decent photo of the food grilling before the onset of what seemed to be torrential rain and only shot a blurry picture. (I’ve been playing around with my camera’s manual settings – yes, finally – and wasn’t coordinated enough to get a good photo during my one try.)
Thankfully, however, the camera made it back inside sadly before the storm!
Serve with grilled corn, vegetables, or your favorite side salad (mixed greens, potato or macaroni salad, cole slaw, etc.).
Nothin’ better.
Except for maybe those grilled veggies, which were out of this world. Recipe (which, if you can imagine, is even simpler than this chicken recipe) coming soon!
Grilled Chipotle-Honey Chicken Kebabs
Yields: 6 servings
Time: 15 min prep, 20-25 min cooking
Ingredients
- 4-5 chipotle chiles (canned), chopped
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup bbq sauce
- 2-3 tablespoons honey
- 1 heaping tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1/2 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- Wooden or bamboo skewers
Instructions
- For the marinade: Combine the chopped chipotles, ketchup, bbq sauce, honey, brown sugar, salt and pepper in a food processor, then pulse to combine. Alternatively, you can use an immersion blender to purée everything.
- Add the cubed chicken to a large bowl or Ziploc. Pour marinade on top, then mix thoroughly. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour (the longer it sits, the better).
- Before grilling, layer chicken pieces on wooden or bamboo skewers (discard the excess marinade). Let chicken get to room temperature, then grill.
- These took about 20 minutes over medium-high heat on a gas grill. The chicken is done when the juices run clear or when a meat thermometer reads 160 – 165 F. (You can take the chicken off the grill when it’s a little below 165 F.. it will continue to cook for a few minutes once it’s removed from the heat.)
- Serve with your favorite sides: grilled corn, vegetables, or a side salad.
