Greek Chicken & Vegetable Kabobs

I can't tell you how happy I am that the weather is getting warmer and grilling season is upon us.  There are two things I love the most about grilling.

1)  CA does the grilling which means less work for me 
2)  Grilling means less dishes (this should be #1)

This meal is perfect for warm weather, easy to make and healthy to boot!  One of the things that makes this recipe so easy is that you use the same marinade for both the chicken and the vegetables.  Plus it's made with dried spices and other stuff I usually have on hand... olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, dried oregano, dried dill and onion powder.

Once you whisk the marinade together, half of it gets tossed with the chicken.  The other half is destined for the veggies.

I eat a lot of vegetables!  I have portion control issues and eating a ton of veggies is how I manage not to overeat on the less healthy parts of dinner.  It's not unusual for me to eat at least two normal people's share of veggies.

CA looked at the amount of veggies I was cooking and swore we had enough for six people.  I say it's enough for four normal people, but we managed to eat more than our fair share.

I love a good sauce.  90% of the reason I love french fries is because I can dip them in ketchup.  Salsa, BBQ sauce, sriracha, hummus... it's all about the dip.

This one is made with Greek yogurt, tiny bits of cucumber, dill and lemon juice.  It's similar to Greek Tzatziki sauce, but that sauce traditionally doesn't contain dill.  I'm a huge dill fan and it really freshens up this dip. I actually planted a few dill plants this year and am hoping they survive so I can make more dilly things - I'm not the best when it comes to keeping plants alive.

Have I told you how I make just about everything with Greek yogurt?  I have a serious mayonnaise aversion so if something calls for mayonnaise, I usually replace it with Greek yogurt or a combination of Greek yogurt and sour cream.  It is much healthier for you than mayo and it doesn't taste like weird, creamy eggs or activate my gag reflex.  Full disclosure that I grew up on miracle whip and will put a generous slather of that stuff on a turkey sandwich with some big, thick slices of sweet pickle and be in heaven.  I don't know why mayonnaise grosses me out but miracle whip does not- it's a food mystery.  CA is the complete opposite and is grossed out by miracle whip which means more jars in our fridge.

The kabobs get grilled to perfection (not by me - the best part!).  You can serve this with rice or pita bread if you want to, but quite often, we skip the starch.  I enjoy it as much as the next guy but for a weeknight meal, I can do without it... especially if it means I can replace those calories with a glass of wine and a sweet treat.  It's all about priorities!

CA and I enjoyed our kabobs on the porch this evening with a glass of white wine.  Perfect!

Julie


Greek Chicken & Vegetable Kabobs

Ingredients:

Marinade
Juice of 2 Lemons (approx.1/3 cup)
2 T Olive Oil
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
1/2 tsp Dried Oregano
1/2 tsp Dried Dill
1/4 tsp Onion Powder
3 cloves of Garlic, minced


Kabobs
1 1/2 lb Chicken Breasts, cut into 1 1/2 " cubes

6 oz. Baby Bella or Button Mushrooms
1/2 pint Cherry Tomatoes
1/2 large Onion, cut into 1" chunks
1 large Zucchini, cut into 1" rounds
3 Bell Peppers, cut into 1 1/2" - 2" chunks

Yogurt Sauce
1 cup Greek Yogurt
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
1 T chopped Fresh Dill
3/4 cup finely diced English Cucumber
1/2 tsp Salt
1/8 tsp Pepper

Optional: Rice or Pita Bread

Instructions:
Whisk together all the marinade ingredients in a small bowl.

Place the cubed chicken in a bowl, add half of the marinade (about 1/4 cup) and toss to coat.  Place the cut vegetables in a gallon size plastic baggie and add the remaining marinade.  Seal the bag and toss to coat.  Refrigerate the chicken and vegetables in the marinade for at least two hours.

Combine the yogurt ingredients in a medium bowl and mix together thoroughly.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Preheat the grill on high heat.  Meanwhile, put all the chicken and vegetables on skewers.  Place the skewers on the grill and reduce the heat to medium.  Grill the kabobs for 20 minutes, turning once, until the chicken is cooked through.  If you like your vegetables softer and more well done, skewer them separately from the chicken and put them on the grill 10 minutes before adding the chicken.

Serve the skewers with the yogurt sauce on the side.


My post is linked up on Fine Craft Guild - click here to see it there!

Julie