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This Mediterranean Chicken Skewers recipe is a super simple go-to dish that is perfect for weeknights or entertaining. Earthy paprika pairs perfectly with garlic and light, bright lemon flavor. You are sure to have nearly everything on hand to make the juiciest chicken dinner your family has ever had. 

Welcome Diana Reis, who blogs over at Delicious by Design, as our guest contributor. Diana’s cooking philosophy is making great food need not require years of study but rather by just mastering some basic techniques, thoughtful pairings and varied ingredients, you can create great meals. I hope you enjoy this recipe.

For this recipe, I use Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs instead of breast meat. When you cut up the chunks of chicken for the skewers, you are bound to end up with some size variation and some inconsistencies when cooking.

If you use breast meat for this recipe, it can be very hard to ensure that the skewers are cooked through without overcooking some pieces. The thigh meat has more fat and tends to be more tender than breast meat. The extra fat helps the chicken skewers stay moist and that little extra fat makes them more forgiving to cook. This makes thigh meat perfect for outdoor grilling. 

Marinade Makes The Dish

The marinade for these Chicken Skewers is very acidic because of the fresh lemon juice. When you have an acidic marinade, it is important not to leave your chicken sitting in it for too long. The acid will start to break down the outer layer of meat and ruin the texture. I divide the marinade in two. The first half I use to season the chicken right before cooking. The second half, I store clear of the raw chicken, and then baste the cooked skewers with it. The hot chicken skewers will readily take up the extra flavor, and the baste will add moisture and intense flavor before serving. 

This marinade technique works very well with almost any quick cooking meat recipe. It is very important to have good habits when handling chicken. Any time you save part of a marinade, you should be sure to prepare it and divide it before handling the chicken. If your marinade has come into contact with your chicken then it must be heated to 165° for at least 30 seconds. You can easily achieve this by bringing the marinade to a simmer in a small saucepan. 

A Skewer For All Occasions: How to Serve Mediterranean Chicken Skewers

I have used this recipe for years on my catering service, and it has been the star of the show or a delicious add on. I often make this recipe on small appetizer size skewers and it is a delicious, filling addition to a grazing board. It is also a great lunch item to be served in a pita with hummus, and greek salad. Made as shown here, it is an impressive main dish. 

Adding lemon wedges to the skewers isn’t a must for flavor, but it will up your presentation game. Serving these chicken skewers on a plain platter over greens will give you a clean fresh look without much fuss. Grill a few extra lemons cut in half for extra color on the platter. As a bonus, these skewers and grilled lemons will make your house smell amazing. 

Be sure to visit these recipes from Delicious by Design too: 

Pork Souvlaki Skewers

Baby Back Ribs

Find more recipes from Delicious by Design on YumGoggle

Mediterranean Chicken Skewers

Yield: 5 skewers

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Easy and flavorful plus on the table in about 35 minutes.

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Ingredients

• 5 - 10” barbecue skewers, metal or wooden
• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 lemons (1 for juice, 2 for skewers)
• 1 tablespoons coarse salt
• 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon dry parsley
• 1 teaspoons black pepper

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, mix the extra virgin olive oil together with the juice of 1 lemon, salt, pepper, paprika, granulated garlic, and dry parsley. After mixing well, pour half of the marinade into a ziplock bag. Store the remaining bowl of marinade away from raw chicken.
2. Take the remaining two lemons and cut them into thick slices. Then quarter the slices for bite sized pieces for adding to the skewers.
3. Cut the chicken thighs into two inch pieces, and put them into the zip lock bag with the marinade. Seal the bag and shake it to coat the chicken pieces. Make sure pieces are well coated.
4. Load the chicken onto the skewers, alternating chicken and lemon pieces.
5. Heat a large skillet, griddle pan, or barbecue to a medium/high heat. Once the pan is hot, lay the skewers down carefully so as not to overcrowd them. 
6. Once the first side is well browned, approximately 7 minutes, turn the skewer. Cook for another 5-7 minutes. Because the thigh meat is really irregular in shape, you may need to turn three times to get all sides of the skewer to make contact with the pan. 
7. Once the skewers are fully cooked, remove from the pan and brush with reserved marinade. 

Serve with your favorite salad and rice pilaf for a well balanced meal.