Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Mediterranean Grilled Chicken Kebabs

I hope everyone had a great weekend. We sure did. I drove up to my sisters house, just outside of Washington, DC, last monday, and we spent the week having a ton of fun. My hubby was able to fly up and join us for the weekend and we really enjoyed the fireworks from our seats right in front of the Washington Memorial. It was a blast. We ate lots of great food, which I am excited to share in a couple weeks, once we get settled into our house.

This recipe is actually one I found when I was looking for a kebab for Fathers Day. I noticed that it called for Pomegranate Molasses in the sauce and thought back wistfully to my delicious Pom Molasses that I had to leave in Utah. I guess I could have carried it with us, across the country, but truthfully, that was the last thing on my mind when we moved.

I left my Pom Molasses with my parents, so I emailed them immediately with the recipe and told my 17-year old brother to take pictures and email them back to me.
These are his pics.

My family said the sauce was amazing, but they would have liked the kebabs better if they had used chicken breast instead of thighs.

Back here in GA, we ended up using this kebab recipe from epicurious.com and at least tripled the recipe. I made a frittata, and other delicious dishes with the leftover chicken and veggies.

So, here is a guest photography post and recipe that was made by my family in Utah. Enjoy!




Mediterranean Grilled Chicken Kebabs



If you have any leftover dressing, serve it as a dipping sauce.


1 cup Pomegranate-Orange Dressing, divided
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
2 large oranges
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

Combine 1/2 cup Pomegranate-Orange Dressing and chicken in a large zip-top plastic bag. Seal and marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes, turning bag occasionally.

Prepare grill to medium-high heat.

Cut each orange into 8 wedges; cut each wedge crosswise into 3 pieces.

Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Thread chicken and orange pieces alternately onto each of 16 (10-inch) skewers. Sprinkle evenly with salt and pepper. Place kebabs on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 5 minutes on each side or until chicken is done, basting occasionally with remaining 1/2 cup Pomegranate-Orange Dressing. Place kebabs on a platter; sprinkle with mint.

Pomegranate-Orange Dressing


Look for pomegranate molasses in Middle Eastern markets and health-foods stores. Its strong flavor makes this dressing better suited to pasta salads than green salads. As a marinade, it's best with pork, dark-meat chicken, and salmon.
1 cup fresh orange juice
2 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
2 teaspoons grated orange rind
2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup extravirgin olive oil

Combine all ingredients except oil, stirring with a whisk. Gradually add oil, stirring constantly with a whisk until well combined.

Note: Refrigerate dressing in an airtight container for up to five days; stir well before using.


Coming Next- That quinoa I promised

10 comments:

  1. Love your kebabs! I am always looking for a new twist!

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  2. I am bookmarking these ones - so clever :)

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  3. Mary Ann! I was going to Facebook you, but this is the recipe I made with the pomegranate molasses, and I used the recipe from your blog (your anniversary post!) I used breasts instead of thighs because that's what I had. We really enjoyed this, and come to think of it, I have some molasses left over, so I'll need to make them again. Yours look beautiful!

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  4. P.S. Glad you had a fun trip to D.C. Sounds like a great time!

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  5. Ah the power of the internet...those kebabs look GREAT!!! From Utah to Georgia all in one piece. Amazing!!!

    My son goes down to D.C weekly. He just LOVES it there. So glad you had the best time!

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  6. Glad you had a great trip! Your kabobs look so yummy!

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  7. How perfect is that - watching fireworks at the Washington Memorial. I'm jealous! The kebabs look delicious!

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  8. This looks fabulous. I bet that orange is amazing on a kebab. Something different than the usual pineapple that I put. Thanks so much for sharing this!

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  9. You went down to the mall on the 4th of July? You are much braver than me. In fact, we got out of the city for the whole weekend. It's always so crazy here.

    Where we used to live downtown, we got a great view of the fireworks from the roof of our building - so much so that we'd get covered and ash and smoke... it really is an amazing show.

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Thank you for taking the time to make a comment on my blog! I appreciate you checking out my creations and leaving your thoughts. I will try to get back to you, through comments here or by visiting your blog. Thanks again!
Mary Ann