Why I chose this recipe:
We eat a lot of chicken so I am always looking for and experimenting with chicken recipes. I have used this recipe for a few years, but only recently prepared it on skewers. I hoped that the pretty presentation and the fun of being served food on skewers would convince our children to embrace the vegetables and chimichurri sauce with open arms. Keep in mind, this is the QCK-take on a chimichurri sauce, since most chimichurri sauces have fresh garlic. (I love that this sauce is without as I am not a fan of garlic that has not been cooked in some way.) Fortunate for me, the family loved the recipe and the new presentation of chicken and vegetables. So next time you are serving chicken to the family or having friends over for a barbeque, whip up this recipe. I predict they will be clamoring for more and you will see that it was easy to .
Margarita Marinade Ingredients
½ cup Tequila
Zest of 1 lime
Juice of 4 limes
2 Tbsp hot sauce
¼ vegetable oil
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup fresh pineapple chunks
1/2 large red onion, peeled, cut into thirds, separated
1/2 large red pepper, seeded and cut into chunks
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Chimichurri Ingredients
1 cup cilantro, minced
½ cup mint, minced
½ cup red onion, minced
1 large jalapeno, seeded and minced
½ cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Directions
Combine all Chimichurri ingredients in medium bowl.
Stir until fully combined, cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator to chill.
If using wooden skewers, place skewers in pan with water and fully submerge skewers until ready to use.
Prepare chicken breasts for skewers by cutting the breasts into one-inch square pieces.
Place chicken into large mixing bowl and add tequila, lime zest, lime juice, hot sauce and vegetable oil to make margarita marinade.
Stir to combine.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 2 hours.
When ready to prepare skewers, remove chicken from refrigerator.
Prepare grill and turn grill onto medium-high heat.
While grill is heating, drain water from wooden skewer and set aside.
Place one slice of onion on a skewer, followed by a slice of red pepper and piece of pineapple. Finally add a piece of chicken. Repeat until each skewer is full, leaving one to two inches at either end of the skewer empty for easy lifting.
Season chicken skewers with salt and pepper.
Place on cookie sheet for easy transport to the grill.
Reduce grill heat to medium and place skewers onto grill.
Turn chicken skewers after 5 minutes. Total cooking time should be between 12- 15 minutes.
When skewers are done, remove from the grill and place onto serving platter.
Spoon delicious chimichurri sauce over skewers.
Serve with any extra chimichurri sauce on the side and with a delicious rice and salad.