One of my favorite things to grill is chicken skewers with a side of zucchini-heavy veggie skewers, but because of the different cooking times, they have always been separate endeavors. But no more. These Squash Ribbon Chicken Skewers let you thread everything onto the very same skewer in a way where everything comes out cooked to perfection. And they do it with delectable herby, lemony Greek-inspired flavor. These are a go-to grilling recipe for sure!
The magic here is in how you’re cutting your ingredients. You want your chicken to be bite-sized (about one-inch chunks) and you want your squash in ribbons that are thin enough to bend, but not so thin that they fall apart. A vegetable peeler or the slicing side of your box grater work well. Your chicken will hang out in a marinade of olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, and dill for about half an hour, while your squash only needs a drizzle of olive oil before you assemble the skewers. Thirty minutes is perfect for the chicken to marinate, but because of the lemon juice don’t let it sit longer than two hours or it will start to affect the texture of the meat. (No one wants mushy chicken!)
Assemble your skewers by alternating a piece of chicken with two or three ribbons of squash and then grill over a medium-high grill until they’re cooked through. (About five minutes per side.) The chicken comes out nice and moist (and so flavorful thanks to that lemon and garlic!) while the squash is wonderfully tender. I just love the texture of the delicate ribbons instead of the usual giant hunk of squash — the smoky flavor of the grill makes it all the way through.
And I can’t leave you without mentioning the tzatziki! It’s the perfect component to these skewers and it works for so many other things too, so don’t be afraid to make a big batch. You’ll want to give it a little time in the fridge for the flavors to meld, so make it when you pop the chicken into the marinade so it has time to sit too. Again, thirty minutes is enough… and thirty minutes of prep time for a dinner like this is SO well worth it.
Squash Ribbon Chicken Skewers
Allergens: Milk
Diet: Gluten-Free Diabetic
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts or tenders
- 2 medium yellow squash or zucchini
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
For the marinade:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
For the tzatziki:
- 1/2 medium seedless cucumber
- 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, plus more to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Wooden skewers
Preparation
- Place wooden skewers in a shallow dish of water to soak. Set aside.
- Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces. In a medium bowl, make the marinade by whisking together the olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, garlic, oregano, and dill. Season with salt and pepper. Add chicken, stir to combine, cover, and chill at least 30 minutes.
- While chicken marinates, make the tzatziki:
- Peel cucumber and shred using a box grater or a food processor. Place in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze out any excess liquid. Transfer to a medium bowl.
- To the cucumber, add the yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, and dill. Stir together, season to taste with salt and pepper and add more lemon juice as needed. Cover and chill until ready to use.
- Trim ends from squash and zucchini, then shave into thin ribbons using a mandoline or box grater. They should be thick enough to hold their shape, but thin enough to bend. Drizzle squash with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper.
- Heat grill to medium-high and assemble skewers.
- Add a piece of chicken to a skewer, then fold one of the squash slices into a ribbon and slide it onto the skewer. Repeat with 2-3 more slices of squash/zucchini before adding another piece of chicken. Continue building skewers, alternating between chicken and squash, using 4-5 pieces of chicken per skewer.
- Grill skewers until chicken is cooked through, 5-7 minutes per side. Let rest 5 minutes before serving with tzatziki. Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Must Love Garlic.