Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Lemon Garlic Chicken Kabobs with Homemade Tzatziki Sauce

If Christine from Cooking with Christine sees this, she'll be thinking "hey, she stole my recipe".  To which I would reply "yes, yes I did."  



I loved this dish and it was pretty easy (for me) since my husband did most of the work on the grill.  The marinade for the chicken gives it a kind of subtle flavor which is good to go with the strong flavor of the sauce.


And that sauce is truly wonderful!  Just don't try to pronounce and sprain your tongue like I did.  I also had my husband throw some pitas on the grill, and served this with some tomatoes and cukes...just delish! 

Here's the recipe:

Lemon Garlic Chicken 

Ingredients:
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Zest of 1 lemon
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 tbsp. minced fresh parsley
1 tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. ground black pepper
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into ¾-inch pieces

Directions:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon zest, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper. Add the chicken pieces to the bowl and mix to coat with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 8 hours.

Prepare a medium fire in a grill. If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for at least 20 minutes before use.

Thread the chicken pieces onto skewers and discard the excess marinade. Lightly oil the grill grates. Place the kabobs on the grill, cover, and cook until the chicken is opaque throughout, about 8-12 minutes, turning once or twice during cooking. Transfer to a warmed platter and serve immediately.

Tzatziki Sauce

3 cups Greek Yogurt
Juice of one lemon (about 3 T)
1 garlic clove, chopped
2 medium cucumbers, seeded and diced
about 1 T kosher salt for salting cucumbers
1 T finely chopped fresh dill (can substitute mint leaves for a slightly different version)
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Peel cucumbers, then cut in half lengthwise and take a small spoon and scrape out seeds. Discard seeds. (If you use the small seedless or European cucumbers with few seeds, you can skip this step.) Slice cucumbers, then put in a colander, sprinkle on 1 T salt, and let stand for 30 minutes to draw out water. Drain well and wipe dry with paper towel.

In food processor with steel blade, add cucumbers, garlic, lemon juice, dill, and a few grinds of black pepper. Process until well blended, then stir this mixture into the yogurt. Taste before adding any extra salt, then salt if needed. Place in refrigerator for at least two hours before serving so flavors can blend. (This resting time is very important.)

This will keep for a few days or more in the refrigerator, but you will need to drain off any water and stir each time you use it.
 

 
And just because it's fun, I'm giving away a few more little cookbooks.  I'm going to drag this out a bit so I glean any recipes out of here first so everyone who wants to has a chance to play.

 


 I'll leave it open until September 3rd, and all you have to do to enter is use the codeword "platypus" in your comment.  I loved the use of "fluffy" that you all came up with in my blogaversary giveaway, so I can't wait to see what you do with platypus :)

 P.S.  I put a couple pictures up of my lunch on my facebook page at one of the places Guy Fieri has visited for "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives"  right here in Glendale AZ.  Check it out!

26 comments:

Cristine said...

Hahahaha! I wish it was my recipe but I stole it, too! :) Glad you liked it so much!

I wonder if I invited a platypus to dinner if he would like it, too?

Katie said...

Yummy, this sounds great! I am in love with Greek-ish food! I will have to try this soon!

The JR said...

That looks very good. I luv the taste of Tzatziki Sauce.

I luvingly (NOT) call my EX "Troll", but come to think about it he does kind of look like a platypus!

MaryMoh said...

I love garlic and I love lemon. This dish is just perfect for me....mmm

♥peachkins♥ said...

I love Tzatziki Sauce on anything!

Jhonny walker said...

This is soo soo sgood! My next to go recipe on grill for sure :)

Monet said...

I love "stealing" recipes too! And I'm sure that she was honored. I can see why you were so tempted, this looks great!

Barbara Bakes said...

I have yet to make Tzatziki Sauce at home. Your version sounds so easy and delicious!

Lunch Buckets said...

You have a Facebook page? Did I know that? What the platypus????


PS. I don't want any cookbooks :)

Joanne said...

I love "stealing" recipes from other bloggers! They are always delicious. This one is no exception!

Tania said...

Mmmm tzatziki is such a wonderful compliment to just about anything ... but I'm not sure about a platypus. Do they have Greek tendencies?

Thanks for the giveaway!

Kim said...

I don't know about platypuses, but I sure love this meal! The warm pita with the chicken and cool creamy sauce - love it!

Ingrid_3Bs said...

Looks good...love garlic and lemon.
~ingrid

Tiffanee said...

Looks and sound delicious!! I think even Perry the platypus would love that for dinner!!

Emily said...

Mmmm, this looks utterly fantastic. And although I don't necessarily NEED anymore cookbooks, my platypus does!

Joyti said...

YUM! Those kebobs sound fabulous. So good I can practically smell the grilling chicken...

Kim @ Two Good Cookies said...

Are there any platypus recipes? If so, could you please let me know where to source one? :-)

Reeni said...

Bloggers have the best recipes! This is a plate full of yum! I hope a platypus doesn't steal one of your kebabs right off the grill!

theUngourmet said...

You sprained your tongue! Hee-hee...too funny! The Farmer's Wife cookbook looks especially fun! Great giveaway! Bob, my pet platypus, loves helping me out in the kitchen. I know he would just love to win! ;D

teresa said...

this dish makes me happy as a platypus, assuming that they are very happy animals! seriously though, you can't beat homemade tzaziki (i know i slaughtered the spelling).

Anonymous said...

Delicious chicken, especially with the tzatziki sauce!

La Bella Cooks said...

The sauce sounds wonderful with those gorgeous kebabs!

scrambledhenfruit said...

Love the chicken and tzatziki! Is the plural of platypus platypi?

tinyskillet said...

I certainly can see why you would want to steal this recipe. It looks tasty and so easy a platypus could make it...or at least man the grill! :) and what a great sauce!

Monica H said...

This looks realy good to me right now and I've not had much of an appetite lately. I don't really want to cook it, but I want to eat it. May the platypus could help me out.

Kathy said...

Yummm!!! Tzatziki is good on anything, maybe even a platypus!!! You're making me hungry!!!!! :O)