I love this dish equally when made with bone in thighs, and skewers made with boneless breasts. As a weeknight dinner, thighs win every time. For a party, skewers are the perfect finger food, and who doesn’t love meat on a stick!? Either way, the tartness of the lemon, heat of the ginger and garlic and depth of spices balance each other out perfectly.
I love to serve this as part of a large lunch spread, when I’m catering an event that is hosting a variety of food preferences. Paired with a large Greek salad, assorted olives, quinoa tabbouleh and hummus, and it’s a spread that will make the vegans and the primal folks happy. And that’s no easy feat!
As part of a finger food party, these skewers are a great alternative to the classic satay that is often paired with too-sweet peanut sauce. (stay tuned for a new take on that!)
It might seem strange to throw whole peeled lemons into a blender, but it works, and adds the perfect tartness to the finished dish.
If you cut off the top & bottom of the lemon and score with a knife it makes for easy lemon peeling
Lemony Moroccan Chicken Thighs
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, or bone-in, skin-on thighs
2 lemons, peeled like oranges and cut in half
3/4 t cumin
3/4 t coriander
1/2 t tumeric
1 t sea salt
1/8 t cinnamon
1 T honey
3 quarter sized slices fresh ginger, peeled
4 cloves garlic, smashed
- If using bamboo skewers, soak them in water for one hour to prevent them from burning. Slice the chicken into long thin strips.
- Combine the remaining ingredients in a blender and puree.
- Reserve 3 T of the marinade, and add the rest to the chicken in a glass dish. Marinate for one hour if using breast meat, two if using thigh (much longer, and the chicken will begin to cook in the citrus).
- Thread chicken onto skewers, if applicable
- Heat your grill to medium. Grill skewers for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. If you’re serving these at a party, you can undercook them a bit and finish in the oven so you’re not a slave to the grill.
- If grilling thighs, cook for about 10-15 minutes on each side, or until cooked through.
Serve with Spiced Yogurt, if desired:
Combine the reserved marinade with 1 C full fat plain yogurt*. Stir to combine.
*depending on how you’re serving the dish, you can use either thick Greek yogurt, or the thinner European variety. It’s good either way, and totally up to you.
