Grilled Honey Lime Chicken Skewers

Saw this recipe originally on the blog Cooking Classy.  I adapted it for the skewers since I love using them for tailgates since it means no plates or utensils needed.

Loved the taste of these.  They went down very smooth and the chicken was really tender.

The original recipe can be found here.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast halves
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice (I used the lime juice in the little green container so I guess I cheated a little)
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil  (Iused plain olive oil since I was out of EVOO)
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp packed light-brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder or 1 clove finely minced garlic
• 1/8 - 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (I used a little less than 1/8 tsp but I don't like spice)

 

Directions:

 

Cut the chicken into strips.  Soak wooden skewers if using them.  If metal ones are used no need to soak in water so carry on! :-)

 

 

 

Throw ingredients and chicken into ziploc bag and marinade for 30 minutes.

 

 

 

Take chicken out and thread onto skewers.

 

 

 

Cook on grill on low heat for approximately 10 mins or until cooked through.

Asian Flank Steak Skewers

I love love this recipe.  I found it on the blog for Skinnytaste.  Everyone loved this!

This will be great for tailgate because anything on a stick is easy and doesn't use plates or utensils.

The original recipe is located here.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs flank steak (sliced it to about 1/4 inch)
• 1 1/2 cups reduced sodium soy sauce (make sure it reduced sodium or you will have a salty mess on your hands...believe me I did that the first time and it was gross)
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 tsp fresh ginger (I used the powdered from the pantry)
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 lime juice

Directions:

If you are using metal skewers ignore this step.  If you are using wooden skewers then make sure you soak in water for 30 mins.  If not you're going to have a hot mess on your hands and the skewers will catch fire part way through the cooking.  And they you'll char your hands trying to get them off the grill.  Can you tell I've forgotten this step and done that several times before??? :-)

Cut the steak in the strips.  Mix all the other ingredients together and put the steak and the ingredients in the ziploc bag.  Squish it all around until its coated. 

Let marinade for 30 mins or more.

Take out of bag and thread onto the skewers.

Cook on grill in direct heat on a low setting for about 10 mins give or take until they are cooked to your liking.

Sunday Night Football Menu

For the Sunday night football game against the Patriots it was a treat because I was able to cook during the day and bring almost all of it down to the tailgate hot and just throw in the chafing dishes.

On the Menu....

Slow Cooker/Grilled Baby Back Ribs
Baltimore Style Pit Beef
Pit Ham
Philly Cheesesteak Dip
BBQ Chicken Wings

The pit beef and pit ham I cooked on the grill and sliced before I left.  Transported in the cooler and put in the chafing dishes.

The Baby Back Ribs and BBQ Chicken Wings I cooked in slow cooker all day.  Right before leaving I cooked it on the grill for 5 mins then put in the cooler and threw in the chafing dish.

Finally I brought a smaller round chafing dish and threw in all the dip ingredients right at tailgate.  Let it melt right then and there.  It was delicious...yum!!!!

7UP Grilled Chicken

I saw this recipe on food.com and thought it was interesting.  7UP in a chicken marinade...hmmmm...I was curious.  The original recipe is here.

I modified it since soy sauce always seems to make it too salty for my taste.

The results were a grilled chicken that was moist and yummy.  It didn't dry out on the grill like a lot of chicken breasts do when cooked.

 

Ingredients:

• 4 pieces of boneless skinless chicken
• 1 can of 7UP or other lemon-lime beverage
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 cup of soy sauce (original called for 1/2 cup but I didn't want all the saltiness)
• 1/2 cup of canola oil

Directions:

Preheat grill.

Throw all the ingredients and chicken into a bag and marinate for 30-60 minutes (or longer).

  

Throw the chicken on the grill and grill until cooked without any pink inside.

 

 

Grilled Italian Chicken Skewers

While we were camping I was loving grilling things on sticks.  I used a tried and true recipe.  Its so simple and tastes great.

I've done these many times for tailgate.  I just marinate everything ahead of time and throw it on the grill when we get there.  Super easy!

Ingredients:

• Bottle of Italian dressing
• 4-5 boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into strips)
• Wooden Skewers

Directions:

2-3 hours before grilling time.  Take the chicken strips and marinate them in the Italian dressing.

Preheat the grill

Thread chicken on to wooden skewers.  It will help if you soak the skewers in water for a bit before grilling so they don't burn.

Cook on grill until done.

**NOTE:  The picture shows the Peanut Dipping Sauce for another recipe.  The Italian skewers are the ones at the top of the picture on the right. **

Grilled Pesto Shrimp

So I was in super grill mode on Sunday and decided to make a week's worth of leftovers for lunch in one day.  One of the things I'd been wanting to try is Pesto Shrimp.  I found a recipe from the Skinny Taste blog and decided to give it a whirl.  The link to the orginal recipe is here.

Trying to find basil in the store was a challenge.  No basil at all in the little packages.  But I found a basil plant for $1.99 that I bought.  Worked out great.  I picked what I needed and its still in the window and growing more!

These turned out great.  The orignial recipe called for skewers but I just did it in a grill basket and that worked out fine.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 1 clove garlic (I used the minced garlic in the jar)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 lbs jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
•  salt and fresh pepper to taste

Directions:

In a food processor pulse basil, garlic, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper until smooth. Slowly add the olive oil while pulsing.  I used the mini food processor from Cuisinart.  This little thing is nothing short of amazing.  Its tiny, easy to clean and gets the job done for small projects.  It was also only $20 on Ebay.

Combine raw shrimp with pesto and marinate a few hours in a bowl.

Heat grill to 350 degrees.  Place shrimp in grill basket and grill until they are pink and cooked.  Do not burn.