As summer approaches, the craving for classic hot-weather barbecue cookouts get stronger every day. This year, you can ditch the hot dogs in favor of something brighter: Asian-inspired grilled skewers. All the effort goes into preparation, then the grill does the rest of the work. I have only used a barbecue a handful of times before, so for this dish I enlisted the help of my father (grill included). These turned out incredibly delicious and are great to make when entertaining because a lot can be made in advance and they don’t take very long to cook.
*Tip for success: if you are using wooden skewers, you will need to soak them in water for 30 minutes to an hour before assembling the skewers. This will keep them from burning completely when grilling.
Ingredients
- Ginger ~1” square chunk
- 4 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 tbs sesame oil
- 2 bell peppers
- ¾ lb. mushrooms
- Half of a large onion
- 1 lb. chicken breast
Tools
- Mixing bowl
- 6-8 skewers
- Grill
- Tongs
- Basting brush
Steps
- Into a medium sized bowl, crush the garlic using a garlic press
- Grate ginger into the bowl, then add the soy sauce and sesame oil into the bowl
- Cut the chicken into about 1-inch cubes and add to the marinade
- Let marinate for 30 minutes to an hour
- Cut the onion into about 1-inch chunks
- Remove the stem and seeds from the bell peppers and cut into 1-inch chunks
- Remove the stems from the mushrooms, leaving the caps whole
- Begin skewering the vegetables, alternating between the different vegetables and the chicken. Save the marinade for later
- Heat the grill to medium-high heat.
- Once the grill is ready place the skewers on.
- Grill for a total of 10-15 minute or until the chicken is completely cooked though. Turn the skewers occasionally and brush on the leftover marinade.
- Remove from the grill once the chicken is cooked though and the vegetables have started to char and soften.
- Enjoy!
All images provided by Eliot Gentiluomo / the Watchdog.
