Lemony Moroccan-Style Chicken Kebabs

Paul made these for dinner last Sunday to go with his Moroccan Quiona salad. It was a bit of work to get it all ready but definitely worth it. We loved the marinade and sauce! The layering of spices was divine without any one being particularly overpowering - as you would expect with Moroccan food.

The recipe is from the good folks at Fine Cooking, originally published in 2005. I suspect given the fact that preserved lemons are relatively easy to find today the recipe could be updated by just adding a preserved lemon or two for the marinade and decreasing the salt. We'll be trying that next time.

If you're looking for a delicious recipe to add some flavour of Morocco to the table you won't go wrong with these kebabs.

Lemony Moroccan-Style Chicken Kebabs

2 lemons
6 cloves garlic, peeled
2 1/8-inch-thick slices peeled fresh ginger
1 tsp. dried marjoram
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
Pinch saffron threads
1 tsp. light brown sugar
2-1/2 tsp. kosher salt
2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbs. olive oil

2-1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 2-inch chunks
1 sweet onion (like Vidalia), cut into 1-inch pieces
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch squares
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1-inch squares
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley for garnish

1 seedless cucumber, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 cups plain whole-milk yogurt
Kosher salt

Make the marinade:

Cut four deep, lengthwise gashes, equally spaced, into each lemon. Put the lemons and garlic cloves in a small microwavable container. Cover and microwave on high until the lemons are soft and juice has exuded from them, about 4 min. (If not soft, continue to microwave in 30-second intervals). Strain the juice into a small container and let the lemons and garlic cool briefly. When the lemons are cool enough to handle, separate them into sections. Scrape the pulp and most of the white pith away with a spoon; discard. Put the scraped lemon peels, garlic, lemon juice, and remaining marinade ingredients in a blender and purée to make a coarse, soft paste. Set 2 Tbs.aside to use for the yogurt sauce.

Marinate the chicken:

Put the chicken into a 1-gallon zip-top bag; scrape in the remaining marinade. Massage the bag to coat all the chicken pieces and marinate for 1 to 2 hours in the refrigerator.

Grill the kebabs:

Build a medium-hot charcoal fire or heat a gas grill to medium high. Dump the chicken into a bowl, but don’t scrape off any excess marinade. Put the onion and peppers in the marinade bag and massage them to coat with the marinade (it’s fine if the onion pieces break apart). Transfer to another bowl. Thread the chicken onto skewers, positioning a piece of onion and pepper between the pieces of chicken. If there’s extra pepper or onion, thread them onto separate skewers, if you like.

When ready to grill, oil the grill grate. Grill the kebabs over direct heat (uncovered for charcoal; covered for gas), turning the skewers every 2 to 3 min. until the chicken is firm and shows no redness when cut into, about 10 to 15 min. Check several pieces of chicken to be sure.

Make the sauce:

Combine the reserved 2 Tbs. marinade with the cucumber, cilantro, yogurt, and 2 tsp. salt. Mix well. (Make the sauce no more than an hour before serving or it will be too watery).

To serve:

Remove the chicken and vegetables from the skewers and serve them in a mound with the yogurt sauce on the side.

Comments

[Amy]

Oh, this is calling my name.

[Kayte]

There has been some talk at MKMW that Morocco will be our next destination...may have to come back over here and steal Morocco from you and Paul if you aren't going to post them there. These look and sound delicious, yes they do!!

[JDeQ]

You should make these Kayte - they'd be perfect for the country of the month.

I relaly enjoy citrus with chicken so these were perfect for me Amy.