Get me to the Greek!

How to make the best BBQ kebabs in town.

Courtesy of Mushy Pony

It’s Summertime and thus time to put your BBQ skills to test. But before you go stocking up on frozen burgers and Oscar Meyer dogs, consider this exciting recipe that’s a little more health-conscious: Chicken Kebabs with Tzatziki sauce. The Tzatziki’s easy – just head to Loblaws and pick some up along with pita bread to toast. Now let’s focus on Greekifying that Chicky.

Kebab Ingredients:

2 pounds of chicken breast, de-boned and de-skinned (or mix with thighs)
Lemon, 2 cups buttermilk, dried oregano, finely diced small onion, and 2 cloves garlic.

For the Kebabs, you’ll need a plastic bag or Ziploc and skewers. We’ve found metal skewers work better since the wood ones need to be soaked 30 minutes first to prevent the meat sticking (and can also burn on the grill). You will also need a fine grater to get the zest off the lemon. Remember, don’t grate the white part of the peel as it is sour.

Courtesy of Mushy Pony

Courtesy of Mushy Pony

Courtesy of Mushy Pony

Chop the chicken into 1½” cubes and pop them into the bag. Add 2 tablespoons of dried oregano, zest and juice of 1 lemon, buttermilk, chopped onion, garlic and pepper. Place in the fridge for 24 hours. This will marinate the meat and the acid in the lemon and buttermilk will break down the fibres to tenderize it.

The next day, (hopefully you’ve read this prior to your BBQ) take out the chicken pieces and thread 8 at a time on the skewers adding a pinch of salt.

Cook on an oiled grill at high for a few minutes then turn the temperature down to medium. Turn the kebabs every few minutes – they should not stick if they have been left long enough to form a crust. They will take about 15-20 minutes and can be cooked while the guests are there. Don’t overdo them or all your work with marinating is lost and you will have dry chicken.

For your Greek salad, mix: 1 diced cucumber with the seeds removed, 6 diced large tomatoes, a handful of pitted olives, 1 small piece of Feta cheese diced, a sprinkle of dried oregano, 2 splashes olive oil and 1 splash white wine vinegar, then add salt and pepper.

Courtesy of Mushy Pony

The salad will have been mixed together just before the guests arrive. There can be hummus and Babaganoush dips with pita chips for appetizers. If you’d like to get fancy, grill some fruit (pineapple slices, pear, peach, apricot sprinkled with brown sugar) and serve with  honey-sweetened Greek yoghurt. Serve with a lovely dry Greek white wine and you are done!

–The Cowgirls.