Grilled Chicken Kebabs

It's the Easter weekend and since we get a break on Friday, it just makes the weekend even longer. Yippee!! And so, it's time to change my hat! As an amateur cook of course ;) So today I decided to make 3 dishes where of which, I will submit one of my posts to IHCC. Our theme for the week is potluck where we either 'bring' a dish of Nigel Slater or any other previous IHCC celebrities to the potluck :):) Ooh, I love potlucks!! We never know what other people may bring and I look forward to potlucks because everyone seem to bring food that is just so yummy.

Today, I'm going to bring Mark Bittman's grilled chicken kebabs to the potluck. This recipe is from his 'How to Cook Everything' book. Aww, this book is really interesting, I might just keep this book on my to-get list ;P See my modifications in blue.

Ingredients:

About 11/2 pounds boneless chicken thighs or legs, cut into 11/2-inch chunks I used 6 chicken thighs
2 large onions
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon minced garlic
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 bay leaves, crumbled
1 tablespoon fresh marjoram or oregano leaves or
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Lemon wedges or ground sumac (available in Middle Eastern stores)

Method:

1. If you’re using wooden skewers (you’ll need at least 8) I used 2 satay sticks for each chicken thigh, soak them in warm water while you prepare the chicken. When you’re ready to cook—if you choose not to marinate the meat—heat a charcoal or gas grill or the broiler to moderate heat and put the rack about 4 inches from the heat source.
2. For the marinade, chop one of the onions and combine it in a large bowl with the oil, lemon juice, garlic, some salt and pepper, the bay leaves, and the marjoram; taste and adjust the seasoning. Marinate the chicken in this mixture for at least a few minutes or an hour or so at room temperature or longer—even overnight—in the refrigerator.
3. Cut the remaining onion into quarters, then separate it into large pieces. Thread the chicken and onion alternately onto skewers, leaving a little space between pieces.
4. Broil or grill, turning once or twice, until the chicken is cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes (to check for doneness, cut into a piece with a thin-bladed knife; the center should be white or slightly pink). I put the chicken in my oven on the grill settings for about 28 minutes at 180 degrees celsius. Serve with the lemon wedges or sprinkle with a bit of sumac.

I didn't manage to marinate these chicken kebabs but I must reassure you that despite not doing that, the chicken turned out rather flavourful. The trick is, you shouldn't trim off any fats from the chicken thighs. *GULPS* Yeah, I literally just string the chicken thighs as it is. I must say that if you are cooking these kebabs in my mum's kitchen, these fatty chicken thighs are a big taboo. Yes, I've been trained like that - to remove all fats from the chicken before cooking. Haha. This time round, I didn't and the chicken tastes perfectly moist and flavourful with the light seasoning of sea salt and chilli flakes.

Check out my next 2 posts for my remaining dishes of the night.

After seeing my dish, are you keen on checking out what my fellow IHCCers have brought for potluck? Check us out at IHCC.

I'm also submitting this to Cook-Your-Books#11 organized by Joyce of bakingflavours.