Karin's Week Twenty-Five Recipe: Marinated Chicken (& Grape Skewers)

This week ended up being a bit of a rush. We were both working quite a bit, which meant that lunch needed to be done quickly. I picked up this recipe at my local Piggly Wiggly while picking up some milk and veggies and cookies. (I know, I should've baked the cookies.) They have weekly recipes at the registers to give people ideas on how to cook in a healthier fashion. Anyways, the recipe is actually for chicken and grape skewers, but even though we had grapes, somehow grilled grapes didn't sound that great. The marinade looked pretty good, so that's what I used for my recipe.

Chicken (& Grape Skewers)

Marinated Chicken:
2 T olive oil
1/2 tsp lemon zest (I used more lemon juice, rather than the zest)
1 T lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp salt
1 lb chicken (whichever parts you like), cut into cubes if you want skewers

For skewers:
8 - 10in skewers, soaked in water
1 1/2 c seedless grapes of any variety
cooking spray
2 T chopped fresh mint leaves
1 lemon, cut into wedges

Combine all ingredients for marinated chicken, except the chicken, in a bowl, and whisk until combined. Add the chicken and marinate for about 20 min. If making skewers, soak in water while marinating chicken.

If making skewers: Thread 4 pieces of chicken and 4 grapes onto each skewer, alternating them. Spray a grill pan with cooking spray and heat over medium-heat, or heat an outdoor grill. Grill the chicken until cooked through. Sprinkle with mint and serve with lemon wedges.

We only used the marinade part, as grapes and chicken just sounded off to us. I also ended up pan-frying the chicken due to time limitations. I used some rather largish chicken breasts, and left them whole. The overall verdict was this marinade was really good, and 20 minutes of marinating time fit our schedules just about perfectly. I think I'll make this again, as it was a bit different than some of the other marinades I used, and with the Penzey's spices had a great flavor.