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!