Pesto Coated Chicken Skewers Food

GRILLED CHICKEN AND MOZZARELLA PESTO SKEWERS

Steps:

• Place the chicken in a bowl. Put the eggplant cubes in a separate bowl and add the peppers.
• Sprinkle the chicken with a third of the orange zest, and some oil, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to taste. Toss well.
• Sprinkle the vegetables with another third of the zest, and some oil, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to taste. Toss well.
• Preheat a grill for cooking over medium-high heat. Build skewers, alternating chicken cubes with vegetables. Lightly oil the grill grates. Grill, turning once, until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are charred and tender, 2 minutes per side.
• Meanwhile, place the mozzarella cubes in another bowl and sprinkle with the remainder of the zest, along with some oil, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to taste. Toss well.
• Thread the mozzarella cubes on the tops and bottoms of each of the skewers. Drizzle with pesto and serve immediately.

PESTO COATED CHICKEN SKEWERS

Steps:

• Thread chicken onto skewers.
• Place in a ceramic dish.
• Combine pesto and 1 1/2 tablespoons oil.
• Spoon over chicken. Turn to coat.
• Refrigerate for 30 minutes, if time permits.
• Preheat barbecue plate on medium heat.
• Place a piece of baking paper on barbecue plate.
• Barbecue skewers on paper for 4 minutes each side or until chicken is just cooked through.

GRILLED CHICKEN SKEWERS

Steps:

• Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium heat.
• To make the peanut sauce, put the peanut butter in a blender with the soy sauce, honey, ginger, red pepper flakes, chili oil and lime juice. Add 1/4 cup very hot water as you blend the mixture. Check the consistency and add a little more hot water if needed to make it very smooth. Transfer the sauce to a small dish, cover it with plastic wrap and set aside.
• Brush the grill with oil. Thread the chicken onto the skewers and grill on both sides until the chicken is done in the middle, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove to a serving platter and sprinkle on the cilantro.
• Serve the skewers with dishes of the peanut sauce and a good-quality barbecue sauce for dipping.

HALOUMI, SAUSAGE AND PESTO SKEWERS

Steps:

• Cook the sausages in a saucepan of simmering water, uncovered, for 5 minutes; remove the sausages and cool for 5 minutes; cut each sausage into four even pieces.
• To make the dressing, combine all the ingredients in a jug and mix well.
• Alternating with each, thread three sausage pieces and two pieces each of capsicum, tomatoes and haloumi onto 12 skewers.
• Heat a large oiled (preferably non-stick) pan over a high heat; add the skewers; cook in batches, brushing with dressing and turning occasionally, for about 5 minutes, or until browned and heated through.
• Arrange the haloumi, sausage and pesto skewers on baby rocket leaves or baby spinach leaves and top with shaved parmesan to serve.
• NOTE: Cooking the sausages in water before grilling or BBQing ensures that they don't burn on the outside before cooking all the way through. If you are using wooden skewers, pre-soak them in water.

TERIYAKI SESAME CHICKEN SKEWERS

Steps:

• Soak bamboo skewers in water for 1 hour to keep them from burning during cooking.
• Mix all marinade ingredients together in a container large enough to hold all of the chicken.
• Cut chicken into 1/2-inch strips and submerge them in the marinade, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 375°.
• Thread 1 chicken strip on each skewer towards end of the stick, and line up on a sheet pan.
• Place in oven and bake for about 30 minutes, or until fully cooked through.
• Sprinkle with sesame seeds before serving.

PESTO MOZZARELLA SKEWERS

Steps:

• Mix pesto, olive oil, salt and pepper.
• Place drained mozzarella balls in a ziplock bag and add pesto mixture.
• Gently squeeze things around in the bag so that all the balls are nicely coated.
• Place a coated mozzarella ball and a cherry tomato on each toothpick.
• To serve, arrange them in a circle on platter and garnish with olives or with fresh basil leaves.

GRILLED CHICKEN SKEWERS WITH RED PEPPER PESTO

Steps:

• Blend first 7 ingredients and 6 tablespoons of oil in a food processor until almost smooth. Add almonds and process until finely chopped, but not ground. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Prepare grill (medium-high heat) or preheat broiler. Brush chicken with remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces. Skewer each piece with toothpick. Arrange on platter and serve with pesto.

GRILLED CHICKEN SKEWERS WITH DECONSTRUCTED PESTO

Steps:

• Build a fire in your grill; when the flames have died down, all the coals are covered with gray ash and the temperature is medium (you can hold your hand 5 inches above the grill for about 5 seconds), you're ready to cook. (For a gas grill, turn all burners to high, lower cover and heat for 15 minutes, then turn burners to medium.)
• Combine the chicken, 3 tablespoons of olive oil and the salt and pepper in a large bowl and toss well to coat, then thread the chicken chunks onto the skewers so they press up against one another but aren't jammed together.
• Put the skewers on the grill directly over the coals and cook, rolling the skewers around every 3 to 4 minutes to ensure all the sides are more or less evenly exposed to the heat, until lightly seared, about 12 to 14 minutes. To check for doneness, make a small cut and peek inside a couple of the chunks to be sure they are opaque all the way through with no pink.
• Slide the chicken chunks off the skewers into a large bowl, add all the other ingredients one after the other, toss well to coat evenly, season to taste if needed and serve.