I love making these marinated grilled chicken skewers in spring and summer when the abundance of mint in our garden needs to be used! We were in need of something fresh, light and green and had this craving for something with mint. So after a quick marinade, we bundled up, grilled these kabobs outside in 36 degree weather (the things we do for good food) and thoroughly enjoyed them with a minty slaw and basmati rice. Here’s the recipe:
Makes 6-7 skewers
For the mojito marinade / sauce
- 1-1/4 C fresh organic mint, stems removed and rough chopped
- 1/4 C fresh organic Italian parsley, stems removed and round chopped
- 1/4 C extra virgin olive oil
- 4 T white rum
- 1/3 C fresh lime juice
- 4 T agave syrup
- 1 medium shallot, minced (approximately 2 tablespoons)
- 1/2 tsp Kosher salt or sea salt
In a blender or food processor, add all ingredients and pulse until fully incorporated. Pour into a medium size mixing bowl and set aside until ready for marinating chicken.
For the chicken and veggies
- 3 medium size boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-1/2 inch pieces
- 2 medium organic green bell peppers, cut into 1 inch squares or rounds
- 2 medium size organic zucchini, cut into 1 inch rounds
- 1 large white or red onion, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
Reserve 1/3 cup of the mojito marinade for saucing skewers after grilling. In a medium size mixing bowl, add cut chicken and pour remaining marinade over the pieces. Toss to make sure all are fully covered. Let sit for 30 minutes or up to 3 hours. Once marinated, line a sheet pan with parchment, skewer chicken and veggies and lay skewers out on sheet pan. Pour chicken marinade (not marinade reserved for saucing) over everything. Set your grill to medium-high and grill skewers for 7 minutes, turn and grill an additional 5-6 minutes. Serve on a large platter, drizzle with reserved mojito sauce and sliced lime wedges. Accompany with your favorite salad and / or basmati rice with extra chopped mint and parsley.
COOK’S NOTES:
- You can totally omit the rum from the marinade if you’d prefer
- Adding fresh garlic to the mojito marinade is really good
- Vegetables are totally a flexible ingredient ~ grill what you love most
- Fresh fish or lamb would be a really good substitute for chicken. Grill time would vary for these substitutions. A little less time for the fish and 8-10 minutes per side for lamb. I would also marinate the lamb for at least 4 hours.
- You don’t. have to grill outside in ridiculously cold weather – under the broiler or if you have a grill top stove are totally fine.