Chicken Souvlaki

Walter and I really enjoy Mediterranean food, so I was super excited to find an easy recipe for Chicken Souvlaki. I wanted to try it out on my sister-in-law while she was in town, but forgot to marinate the chicken. Oops! I was able to find a great last minute replacement recipe, which I will post later. But for right now, please enjoy another fabulous recipe from My First Kitchen.

Ingredients:

• two chicken breasts cut into one-inch cubes
• a few glugs of the best extra virgin olive oil you have
• a good palmful of dried oregano (about a tablespoon)
• half as much garlic powder or 3-4 minced cloves
• several good grinds of black pepper
• salt

Directions:

1. Cut your chicken into cubes that are equally sized, and cut thinner pieces large enough to fold into a "cube." Place the chicken in a bowl or plastic container, and cover the pieces in olive oil. Stir in the oregano, garlic (powder), and black pepper. Let that marinate at least a couple of hours but overnight is best.
2. Skewer the chicken on four large wooden skewers (make sure they can fit in your pan without resting on the sides like a rotisserie). You want the chicken to be pretty squished together. Make sure that the pieces are close enough in size that every piece will touch the pan at the same time. This is vital for the chicken being cooked through.
3. I actually skipped this step since Walter and I just threw the skewers on the grill with some veggies (red pepper, zucchini, squash), but if you're doing it in the over this is the way to go: Salt one side of the chicken skewers (if you have a salt aversion like I do, feel free to leave this step out. We did and it tasted just fine), and place the seasoned side down on a hot skillet or grill pan over medium heat for 5-6 minutes on each side. You don't need to oil the pan because of the marinade. Salt the second side before you flip it. DON'T TOUCH THE CHICKEN while it's cooking if you want those yummy brown marks. And you can tell the chicken is done by pressing down on it; if it feels firm, you're good to go. And if you're super worried, pull one skewer off the stove and check a piece.
   

I served this with quinoa and grilled veggies. It was delicious. I think next time, I'll try making a tzatziki sauce to go with it.