GRILLED CHICKEN AND VEGGIE SKEWERS

The other night I wanted something different I went on Our Best Bites and found
these Grilled Chicken and Veggie skewers.  We don't have a grill so I put them
 in the oven and baked them then finished them on my stove top grill pan.
They were good and satisfied that grilled chicken crave.  The family liked the change up.
Its nice to have a husband and 2 girls that will eat what I decide I want to eat.
Hmmm would be nice to have food placed in front of you for dinner each night, oh the
excitement to see what the mom  has cooked up each night.  Yah, well sometimes its
not all that great and they wonder what I've been doing all day:)
Stuff you know I got stuff to do too:)

www.ourbestbites.com/2009/07/grilled-chicken-and-veggie-skewers/

They will smell fantastic–the smell and flavor, strangely, is actually very reminiscent of Churrascorestaurants like Tucano’s or Rodizio grill. Pop off one of those GLORIOUS mushrooms as soon as they’re cool enough to handle and serve with some cubed watermelon and Brazilian Lemonade for a fabulous summer feast!

Grilled Chicken and Veggie Skewers1 lb. chicken breasts, cut into small, bite-sized pieces

1 each yellow and green zucchini squash, cut in half (if large) and sliced

8 oz. small whole mushrooms, stems removed

1 red, yellow, or orange bell pepper (or combo of 2 or more), chopped into bite-sized pieces

1 small red onion, carefully cut into bite-sized chunks (try to keep as much of the pieces in tact as possible, but don’t stress it if they start to fall apart)

Sweet cherry tomatoes

1 recipe of Zesty Italian Dressing (below) or 1 bottle of Berenstein’s Italian Dressing

Prepare Zesty Italian Dressing:

1/4 c. white vinegar

1/4 c. lemon juice

2 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. dry mustard

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. seasoning salt

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes (this really doesn’t add much heat; it’s better with it!)

1/4 tsp. black pepper

4 cloves garlic

1 c. canola oil

1/3 c. Parmesan cheese (either fresh or from a can)

3/4 tsp. Italian seasoning (add more if needed)

In a blender, combine vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, mustard, salt, seasoning salt, black pepper, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Blend. While blender is running, slowly add oil in a steady stream. Turn off blender and add Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese. Pulse blender 2-3 times to combine herbs and cheese. Remove 1/2 c. of dressing for basting during grilling and set aside.

Place cut-up chicken in a shallow dish and pour a little less than half of the remaining dressing over the chicken. Place in refrigerator for 2-3 hours or until ready to use.

Place chopped veggies in a dish (a 9×13 pan works great) and pour remaining dressing (except for reserved 1/2 c.) over the veggies. Toss gently to combine. Set aside.

If using bamboo skewers, soak in water for about 30 minutes.

When chicken is done marinating, skewer veggies and chicken (you’ll have far more veggies than chicken, so keep that in mind when assembling your skewers; I use about 3 pieces of chicken per skewer, but as many vegetables as I can get on there).

Preheat grill and then cook skewers for about 10-12 minutes over medium heat until chicken is cooked through and veggies are tender-crisp, turning at least once.

Our Best Bites is awesome place to go thank-you