Summer Chicken Skewers with Basil Couscous
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
30 mins
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Cook Time
15 mins
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Total Time
45 mins
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Servings
4 people
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
American
Summer Chicken Skewers with Basil Couscous
Description
Summer Chicken Skewers with Basil Couscous involves marinating cubed chicken breasts and chopped bell peppers, onion, and zucchini with a homemade basil vinaigrette made from fresh basil, garlic, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, and olive oil. The vegetables and chicken are cut uniformly to cook evenly on skewers over high heat, imparting a smoky grilled texture and slightly crisp edges to the chicken and vegetables.
The basil vinaigrette adds a fresh, herbal brightness and a balanced acidity to the skewers. The couscous is cooked to a light, fluffy consistency to serve alongside, soaking up some of the vinaigrette if desired. The combination provides a meal with varied textures: tender meat, crisp vegetables, and soft grains.
This dish suits casual grilling occasions and can be served as a main course with a side salad or extra herbs for garnish. The skewers are visually appealing and convenient for portioning servings at a gathering or family meal.
Ingredients
basil vinaigrette
- 1 cup basil leaves tightly packed
- 1 garlic minced, clove
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ tablespoon red wine vinegar
- salt big pinch, kosher
- black pepper big pinch, kosher
- ⅓ cup olive oil
chicken & couscous
- 3 cups couscous this is 1.5 cups dry, cooked
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
- 2 to 3 bell peppers chopped
- 1 red onion chopped
- 1 zucchini chopped, large
- salt kosher salt
- black pepper kosher salt
- garlic powder
- basil for serving, fresh
Instructions
basil vinaigrette
- Add all the ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Store any extras in a sealed container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
chicken & couscous
- Preheat the grill to the highest setting. If you haven’t cooked the couscous, cook it now. This only takes about 15 minutes!
- Make sure to chop the vegetables to be roughly the same size as the chicken pieces - in larger chunks. This helps the skewers stay uniform in size and helps everything cook roughly around the same amount of time.
- Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper. Make 5 to 6 chicken skewers: skewer a few pieces of vegetables first, then a chunk of chicken, more vegetables, a piece of chicken and so on. I do about 4 to 5 pieces of chicken per skewer, but this is totally up to you! Do as many as you wish.
- Once all the skewers are ready, place them on a baking sheet. Pour some of the basil vinaigrette in a bowl and brush the skewers all over. Season with salt and pepper and a sprinkle of garlic powder.
- Place the skewers on the grill. Close the lid and grill for 5 minutes, then use grill tongs to gently turn them and grill for a few more minutes. Turn again once or twice more. I find these take about 10 to 12 minutes total - but make sure you chicken is at 165 degrees F when the internal temp is taken.
- While the chicken is grilling, add ¼ cup (or more if you wish) into the cooked couscous. Add in a few pieces of fresh basil.
- Serve with the chicken skewers over a plate of the basil couscous. Drizzle the entire thing with more basil vinaigrette. Enjoy!
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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