Spiced chicken skewers with yogurt sauce

These spiced chicken skewers with yogurt sauce that I bring you today are firm candidates to become the star dish of the summer. In fact, they already are in my house, but I'm sure that they will also become a sure-fire dish in yours... Do you want to know why?

Because they are simple and quick to prepare, because they are just as perfect for a meal for many people in the garden as they are for dinner for two in front of the TV, because they are very tasty and tender and they also have the perfect combination of the intense flavour of the spices, the refreshing touch of the yoghurt sauce and the crunchiness of the vegetables .

Do you need more reasons to love them? Well, I'll give you one more reason, and that is that they are very light , because we are going to prepare them on the grill. What do you think? I have used them for the first time on my new Le Creuset grill , and I promise you that I couldn't have liked the result more... This is going to be my summer love!

Do you want to see the recipe for these delicious skewers? Well, let's go for it!

Pallarès carbon steel knife , Nezumi Tokyo Design Studio ceramic plate , Microplane Premium Zester grater and Le Creuset deep rectangular grill

Ingredients (For approx. 6-8 skewers)

For the chicken skewers:

• 500g boneless chicken thighs (or chicken breast)
• 1 red pepper
• 1 onion
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cayenne
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons of paprika
• Zest and juice of 1 lime

For the yogurt sauce (Tzatziki):

• 1 Greek yogurt
• ½ cucumber
• ½ clove of garlic
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• Juice of half a lemon
• Salt
• A few leaves of fresh mint

Elaboration

For the yogurt sauce

1. We start by washing the cucumber well (you can peel it if you prefer), grate it and let it drain for a few minutes in a strainer with a pinch of salt to remove excess water.
2. Once it has drained, we put the cucumber in a bowl (or in some ramekins , which I love to serve the sauce directly in) and we add the yogurt, the olive oil , the garlic and the mint chopped very finely and the lemon juice.
3. We mix well until all the ingredients are well integrated and let it rest in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes so that the sauce takes shape.

For the skewers

1. First, we will clean the chicken of any skin or any traces of fat that it may have. Then, using a very sharp knife , we will cut the chicken into medium-sized pieces (that are easy to eat in one bite).
2. In a bowl, mix the olive oil, salt, ground cayenne and cumin, paprika and lime zest and juice. Mix until smooth.
3. Place the chicken in a bowl and pour the mixture over it. Stir well until all the chicken pieces are well coated with the mixture and place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes so that the meat absorbs the flavors of the marinade.
4. Once the marinade has rested, we begin to assemble the skewers. To do this, we cut the pepper and onion into cubes of a similar size to the chicken and we stick pieces of chicken, pepper and onion on the skewer alternately, as we like, but so that the quantities of the different ingredients are balanced.
5. Next, we put the Le Creuset grill on the stove, over medium heat and without oil, and let it heat up for a few minutes.
6. To check if the grill is hot enough, sprinkle a little water with your fingers (just a little, we know each other… hehehe). If the water sizzles and evaporates almost instantly, it is ready to use. If it produces steam but does not sizzle, you should let it heat up a little more.
7. Once the grill is very hot, we grease it, using a silicone brush , and place the skewers on it.
8. We let them cook for a few minutes and, when we see that they come off the grill easily, it is a sign that they are well done on that side and we can turn them over.
9. We let them cook on the other side and, when they are ready, we remove the skewers to a plate.
10. We serve them accompanied by the yogurt sauce.

Pallarès carbon steel knife , Nezumi Tokyo Design Studio ceramic plate and Le Creuset deep rectangular grill grate

Grades

• In the recipe I indicate that the skewers can be prepared with either thigh meat or breast meat, but I prefer to make them with thigh meat because it is juicier.
• If the skewers are going to be eaten by children, you can omit the ground cayenne.
• If we are going to use wooden skewers, we should soak them in water for about 10 minutes before assembling them to prevent them from burning when we put them on the grill.
• We don't put the oil on the grill from the beginning because we want the grill to be really hot and the oil can burn.

I hope you are encouraged to prepare these skewers, and that they become the star dish of all summer gatherings.