We eat grilled meats fairly often around here. Because they are delicious. And because it allows me to delegate. Since moving onto the farm almost three years ago, my father, The Grampie, has has taken on 99% of all grilling responsibilities. It’s not the only reason I love having him here (I could fill pages upon pages with all the beautiful things both Clay’s mom and my dad bring into our lives.), but it is pretty high on the list.
My dad has always been a charcoal guy. We have two Webbers and a barrel smoker. With the twins eating, we have no fewer than eight meat eaters at every meal, so sometimes The Grampie fires up two cookers at a time. Nothing beats the smell of good meats sizzling over a charcoal fire.
Now that we have a freezer full of chicken cut ups I’ve been doing a lot more experimenting with recipes that involve breast meat. Chicken kabobs have quickly become a favorite. I like playing with different marinade flavor combos. The Grampie loves how quickly they cook up on the grill. They are easy to serve to a table full of hungry kiddos. AND the leftovers (always make enough for leftovers) are delicious served cold, on salads or as part of a picnic lunch.
I do the prep and then, two or three times a week, gladly hand over the cooking duties. If Clay or I were doing the grilling we’d have bought a gas grill by now. Way more convenient. So no judgement from me if that’s how you roll.
My current favorite marinade is Grapefruit and Rosemary. It’s a just a little sweet and a lot of yum. You can also replace the grapefruit with and a combination of tangerine/orange and lemon/lime. I like recipes that are a bit flexible.
Grapefruit Rosemary Marinade for Chicken Kabobs
1 cup freshly squeezed grapefruit juice (or some combination of tangerine/orange and lemon/lime)
1/4 cup honey
1/4 avocado oil
1/4 cup diced red onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1 tbsp good salt
2-3 pounds chicken breast, cut into 1 inch pieces
Mix it all up and pour over chicken pieces. The chicken needs at least a couple hours to soak up all that goodness, but is the best after 12 or more. Skewer and grill!