Reading Time: 3 minutesEveryone loves handheld food, especially kebabs, and taking on a healthy-eating perspective makes for a great time for breaking free of the “bun” mentality. Kebabs aren’t just a great way to get an easy meal of meat and vegetables in one bit, they’re a great way for everyone to get exactly what they want.
Here are two recipes for some awesome pork and chicken kebabs. But don’t forget, you can have a great kebab buffet! Just put out a variety of fixin’s and let everyone skewer their own. Are you in or are you in?
Pork Kebabs
Ingredients
- 1 pound pork fillet cut into cubes
- 1 orange pepper cut into 1.5” pieces
- 1 yellow pepper cut into 1.5” pieces
- 2 red onions quartered
- 8 baby plum tomatoes
- Bay leaves
- Oregano fresh or dried
- Thyme fresh or dried
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Juice of half a lemon and a small amount of the zest
Instructions
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Into a large bowl, place the pork, peppers, onions, (split the layers up a little) and the plum tomatoes.
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Drizzle with olive oil, lemon juice, and zest. Add a sprinkling of oregano and thyme, then mix everything together until well coated.
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Allow to marinate for at least half an hour, but longer is fine.
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Starting with the pork, thread onto the skewers, then build up with orange pepper, onion, bay leaf, tomato, yellow pepper, bay leaf, onion, pork, then carry on like this until the skewers are full, ending with the pork, as this contracts onto the skewer and holds everything on, where vegetables can slide off.
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Cook on the barbecue, or under a hot grill, for about 15-20 minutes, turning so the kebabs are evenly browned.
Mediterranean Chicken Kebabs
Ingredients
- 1 cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes reduce to 1/2 teaspoon if you don't like heat
- Zest from one lemon
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice from one lemon
- 1.75 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- 2.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs or 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of any excess fat and cut into large bite-sized pieces
- 1 large red onion cut into wedges
- Vegetable oil for greasing the grill
Instructions
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In a medium bowl, combine the yogurt, olive oil, paprika, cumin, cinnamon, red pepper flakes, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and garlic.
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Thread the chicken onto metal skewers, folding if the pieces are long and thin, alternating occasionally with the red onions. Be sure not to cram the skewers. (Note: You'll need between 6-8 skewers.)
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Place the kebabs on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Spoon or brush the marinade all over the meat, coating well. Cover and refrigerate at least eight hours or overnight.
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Preheat the grill to medium-high heat. To grease the grill, lightly dip a wad of paper towels in vegetable oil and, using tongs, carefully rub over the grates several times until glossy and coated.
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Grill the chicken kebabs until golden brown and cooked through, turning skewers occasionally, 10 to 15 minutes.
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Transfer the skewers to a platter and serve.
Recipe Notes
The original recipe is available at Once Upon a Chef.
He graduated from UCLA with a BA in philosophy as well as a degree from the Southern California School of Culinary Arts, and feels food is one of the most important parts of a life - it can nourish, heal, and bring people together.
Michael believes health and well-being are as much a state of mind as they are a state of the body, and when it comes to fitness, food, and life in general, he thinks slow is much better than fast (most of the time). Stopping regularly to examine things is the surest way to put down roots and grow.
He knows he will never be done with his own work, and believes the best thing you can do for your well-being starts with loving and working from what you’ve got right now.
