Ingredients
3 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 tsp. fresh rosemary, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1T lemon zest
¼ cup lemon juice
¼ cup olive oil
Salt & pepper
1. Cut the chicken thighs into 1½-inch pieces. Place them into a medium-size bowl and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, add the rosemary, garlic, lemon zest, juice, and olive oil. Mix until combined. Add the chicken and toss until well coated. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours (no more than 2 hours).
3. Preheat your BBQ Grill to medium/medium-high.
4. Remove the chicken from refrigerator. Pour off any remaining marinade. Thread the chicken onto the skewers, making sure not to overcrowd the chicken pieces. Using a paper towel, pat the chicken dry. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Place the chicken on the hot grill. Close the lid. Grill the chicken to 5-8 minutes on one side to get a nice brown color. Open the lid, turn the skewers, and close the lid for about 5 minutes. Repeat until chicken is golden brown and cooked*. Total cooking time is about 12-15 minutes on “medium” heat.
* Note you may need to remove the pieces of meat at the tip first, as they may cook faster than the pieces near the handle. Slide the pieces near the handle toward the tip as the tip pieces are removed.
6. Remove the meat from skewers and place on a platter. Serve warm.
TIPS & TRICKS
• I remove any large pieces of fat from the thighs, but don’t remove all of it. It adds flavor and will be rendered off in the cooking process.
• Don’t marinade the cubes thigh meat more than 2 hours because the lemon juice will start to “cook” the chicken, making the flesh mushy.
• If you wish you can keep the thighs whole. Just marinade and grill them.
• A little fresh rosemary goes a long way.
• This chicken is fantastic cold. You can add it to a green salad, pasta, or even to the orzo salad recipe from this class.