Lemon Asparagus Chicken Skewers

Grilled skewers are a great way to serve nearly a whole meal on a single utensil.  They have the added benefit of being easy to make, and they cook quickly too.    By changing up the mixture of meat and veggies (or fruit), you can explore a huge variety of options.  Add a marinade or rub, or even just a light dash of seasoning, and you’ve got endless possibilities.

For this recipe, I opted to keep things simple – a light brush of olive oil, and just a dash of lemon pepper.  This gives each ingredient a chance to show off it’s own specific flavors, aided only by the roasting heat of the grill.

Gather Up:

• 2 chicken breast halves, boneless & skinless, cut into 8 tenders
• 8 stalks asparagus, bottoms trimmed and cut in half
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch squares
• 1 red onion, cut into 1-inch pieces (2 or 3 layers each)
• 8 lemon slices, cut in half
• extra virgin olive oil (about 2 tbsp)
• lemon pepper seasoning (about 2 tsp)
• 8 skewers (I finally got some metal ones!)

Get all of the veggies cut up, then heat the grill up to medium-high heat (375 to 400).  Pierce the ingredients onto the skewers in any order you like… but keep the chicken tender threaded lengthwise in the center.  I opted to put the lemon slices right next to the asparagus (on those I had enough slices for), because lemon and asparagus are just good together.  Once everything is threaded, brush both sides of each skewer lightly with olive oil, then sprinkle lightly with the lemon pepper.  Set aside until the grill is heated up.

Grill for about 12 to 16 minutes, turning once, until the chicken is just cooked through.  That’s it…nothing to it.  Just remember to turn them.  When they are done, pile up on a plate and let them rest for a minute or two before serving.

As much fun as it is to walk around barbarian-style eating straight off the stick, it is often frowned upon at the actual dinner table (unless you’re hosting a theme party maybe?).  So, I served by sliding everything off the skewer onto a plate.  Really you don’t need anything more than two skewers to call it a meal, but you can supplement with the ever-present side salad.  I also decided to top the chicken with a little pistachio pesto (look for this recipe in the next couple of days), just for grins.  So dig in!