Yogurt-Marinated Chicken Kabobs with Mint Quinoa

Yogurt-Marinated Chicken Kabobs with Mint Quinoa

Posted by admin on Monday, March 29, 2010

You are going to love me for this one! It's my new favorite for sure. It is a combination of a couple of different recipes I've found from Cooking Light and Sunset magazine. I altered it a bit using herbs from my garden and a few extra veggies... of corse.

The smoky char flavor that the chicken, onion and peppers get from the grill pair wonderfully with the tangy yogurt-feta sauce. I am in love with garam masala right now! It is a very popular spice used in India in all kinds of dishes. It is a mix of cumin, coriander, cardamom,  black peppercorns,  cinnamon, whole cloves,nutmeg and saffron. It isn't as pungeant as a curry. The cinnamon, cloves & nutmeg make it very mouth watering, especially as a rub on chicken.

 

SERVES 6  TIME 45 minutes 
Ingredients:


10-12 metal or wooden scewers
2 cups plain fat free yogurt, divided

3 tsp garam masala

1 tsp Madras curry pwdr

2 garlic cloves, minced
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
2 red bell peppers, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 small yellow onion, cut into 1 inch pieces

1/3 cup crumbled low-fat feta

3 TBSP minced red onion
1 tsp grated lemon zest
2 TBSP chopped mint leaves, divided

1 cup quinoa

Directions:

1. If using wooden scewers, soak them in water for at least 20 minutes so they don't burn on the grill.

Meanwhile, combine 1 cup yogurt, garam masala, curry and garlic in a zip lock bag. Add chicken, seal bag and shake to coat. Let sit at room temp for 20 minutes.

2. In a small bowl, stir together remaining yogurt, feta, onion, lemon zest and 1 TBSP mint. set aside.

3. Bring 2 cups water to boil in a pot. Rinse quinoa very thouroughly in a seive to rinse off the naturally "soapy" coating it has. Bring quinoa to a boil, turn down heat to a simmer and cook covered for 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Remove lid, stir, cook for about another 5 minutes. Cover when done and remove from heat.

4. Prepare grill for medium-high heat. Thread chicken, onion & bell peppers onto scewers. discard marinade. Grill kabobs, turning only once ( it's easier to pick them up with a large tong in the middle, not by the stick.) cook till juiced run clear, 10-15 minutes.

Pile quinoa on platter, sprinkle with mint ( I used parsley too) serve with kabobs and sauce.

PRINT THIS RECIPE

This is a very flavorful, mouthwatering dish! Enjoy!