Because I am still feeling a bit under the weather, a dish that was equally easy as it was delicious was certainly in order. I love easy. It makes my heart sing. =) I think this idea correlates with what you are trying to accomplish with most tailgate recipes. Something that is easy and delicious is what you are going for with most of these get togethers. Unless you enjoy spending the entire event cooking, then you are picking up what I’m throwing down. Yeah? Yeah. These chicken skewers are perfect to make from the comfort of your own home, or on the tailgate of a 4X4. I love this recipe. A little bit goes a long way with this one, and you don’t have to break the bank to whip some up. Most likely, you have most of these ingredients hanging out in your pantry. Any recipe that involves mostly pantry items is a winner in my book. Obviously, a tailgate wouldn’t be a tailgate without some beer involved, and we have a perfect one for this beer pairing. This may just be my favorite pairing to date!
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Fun stuff:
1. If you will be carting this recipe along with you to your tailgate destination, keep some things in mind. I would definitely start the marinating process before you go. Get everything prepped. In the case that you are preparing out of the back of your truck, I suggest skewering the chicken cubes before you marinate. Place them in a shallow dish once they are skewered, and then pour the marinade over top. Bring this entire dish with you to the tailgate. Once you get there, all you need to do is pop them on the grill! Oh and of course make the peanut dipping sauce ahead of time. I feel this should just go without saying. It will keep for a couple of days refrigerated, so you could even whip it up a day or two before! If you are just cooking these babies in your backyard, then this information is both relevant and not relevant =). You decide.
2. I found that I needed to add a tablespoon more of mayo into my dipping sauce this time around. You may have remembered that I made the same exact dressing/sauce for our Thai-Style Chicken Salad. For the chicken salad, the dressing seemed to be of the perfect consistency. While I was making these skewers up yesterday, I found that the dressing was too thick. If you also find the dressing to be too thick, just add some more mayo to thin it out. You be the judge.
3.If you aren’t going the tailgate route for this recipe, and are just making them for fun, then I think the chicken is great on a bed of greens. It really is the perfect chicken for a fresh chicken salad. It’s even great cold!
So I have to say, I was a bit scared of this beer pairing. Maybe being scared of the pairing isn’t the right way to put it. I was scared of the beer in general. Stone Brewing’s Collaboration R&R Coconut IPA was just released, and I have to say I had my doubts. They whipped up a batch of this brew with Robert Masterson & Ryan Reschan and RIP Current. So yes, it is a collaboration. I normally love collaborations, but I have to be honest I was nervous about this one. When I was trying to decide what to pair with this dish, I immediately thought of an IPA. IPAs go very well with Thai-style food (in my opinion). Coconut ALSO goes with Thai-style foods (and is also IN a lot of Thai-style foods). I decided to give this Coconut IPA a chance. It was pretty spectacular in my opinion! Whew, I was relieved with this, since I didn’t have a back up. Stone usually always provides, and I really didn’t think they would disappoint on this one either. It’s a perfect brew, and it’s great for the summertime. It’s sweeter than your average IPA, but you still get that hoppiness you crave with this style of beer. Don’t be scared. Give this beer a chance, and pair it with these skewers!
Have a wonderful day everyone!
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Chicken skewers are the perfect recipe for game day. This Thai version of a grilled favorite is packed full of flavor and paired up with a peanut sauce.
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- salt
- pepper
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- salt
- pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Place your chicken cubes in a large zipped bag. In a small bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, white wine vinegar, lime juice, honey, fish sauce, soy sauce, garlic, salt, pepper and curry powder. Pour the marinade over the chicken and zip up the bag completely. Massage the chicken with the marinade and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat your grill to medium heat and brush the grates with a little bit of olive oil. While your grill is heating up, skewer your chicken cubes evenly onto 4 metal or wooden (soaked in water for at least 20 minutes before using) skewers. Grill for 10-12 minutes, rotating after every 2 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Remove from grill and let rest for 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with peanut dipping sauce.
- For the peanut dipping sauce, whisk the mayo, peanut butter, fish sauce, apple cider vinegar, honey, salt, pepper and ground cayenne pepper in a small bowl until smooth. Serve with the chicken skewers and enjoy!
Notes
Hardware: * Large Zipped Bag * Sharp Knife * Cutting Board * Whisk * Small Bowl * Grill or Grill Pan * Brush * 4 Metal of Wooden Skewers * Measuring Cups * Measuring Spoons *
