teriyaki chicken kebobs

finally! dust off your grills and stock up on charcoal. it's finally time to fire up the grill!

not that we haven't been for the last couple weeks. it's just that the weather in may is so fickle. the one thing you can count on is that the good weather won't last and you can't really plan for anything. which stinks if you want to grill after work. especially if you want to marinate something in the morning and grill it that night.

but june. june is different. the first half of june is all rain. rain in the middle of the night. rain in the middle of the day. while i love it for my garden, i hate it for keeping me held hostage inside.

last week we had a break from the rain. and i took full advantage of it.

i was already sick of burgers on the grill. and hot dogs aren't worth all the fuss. i love grilled onions, and since jason loves anything and everything asian, these teriyaki chicken kebabs fit the bill perfectly.

i mixed up the marinade and cut up the chicken into bite sized pieces the night before i planned to grill them and let the chicken marinate for about 20 hours. i know, i know, most cookbooks suggest three to six hours. but really, who is home in the middle of the day during the week to put their chicken in the marinade? not me. and it was perfectly fine after almost a day.

and really i only made a few slight changes to the recipe. i didn't have any open white wine, so i substituted water. easy exchange. like the original poster, i also keep a good sized piece of peeled ginger in my freezer. ginger is cheap, but i always forget to buy it when i need it. this way i always have it. but instead of thinly slicing it, i grate it with my fine microplane (the zester). works perfectly every time. i also didn't pour the marinade over the chicken (or baste it) as the kebabs were grilling. i avoid basting cooked food with liquid that had raw meat in it. it freaks me out (and probably doesn't help that on the next food network star last season someone, i don't remember who, got in big trouble because they suggested basting meat with a marinade).

see those perfectly caramelized chicken pieces and sweet onion slices? i may have put them together, but it was jason who pulled it off by cooking them perfectly. i gotta give credit where it's due.

i can't wait to use the marinade on grilled chicken breasts. or as a stir fry sauce.

teriyaki chicken kebobs
find the original recipe at Sortachef
30 minutes active time, serves two

for the teriyaki marinade:
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon white vinegar
2 teaspoons minced or grated ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced

for the kebabs:
~1 pound chicken breasts or chicken tenders, cut into bite sized pieces
1 medium sized yellow onion (i bet red would be good too)

1. at least three hours and up to 24 hours before you plan to grill, make the teriyaki marinade by combining all ingredients. place the marinade in a zip top bag and place the chicken inside. seal the bag and make sure the chicken is evenly distributed and each piece is in the marinade. refrigerate until you're ready to grill.
2. on grill day, heat your grill to medium high.
3. slice the onion into relatively large slices. skewer the chicken and onion (be sure to soak wooden skewers in water for about an hour ahead of time so they don't catch on fire on the grill).
4. grill about 7 minutes, flip and grill an additional 7 or until the chicken is cooked all the way through.