Healthy gluten free, dairy free eating at it’s best. I prepared grilled chicken breast with fig skewers. If you are vegan a wonderful meat substitute is cubed portobello mushrooms, it goes so well with figs. I would use the same spices on the mushroom to give it that bold flavor with additional oil to make them moist and delicious. The sweet fig should pair nicely with the spice on the earthy mushroom. I never combined figs with chicken before, I thought it would pair well with the spices on the chicken and it sure did, very nicely. Giving me more ideas on using figs for savory dishes as they are in season now. Hooray! Can you tell I love figs?
I’ll be posting our lentils w fennel and mint and babaganoush w crispy rice chips, which will go together in preparation for our Meddetaranian dinner tonight.
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients:
12 black mission figs, halved
6 boneless skinless organic chicken breast (about 8 ounces each), cut into 1 inch pieces
2 tablespoons grape seed oil
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons crushed black pepper
2 tablespoons sweet paprika
1 teaspoon smoky paprika
1 1/2 tablespoons ground coriander
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
about 20 wooden skewers soaked in water for 30 minutes
Excluding the kosher salt and pepper, combine all the spices in a small bowl. Set aside. Place cut chicken pieces into a large glass or stainless steel bowl, season with salt and pepper. Season the chicken with all of the spice mixture, toss the chicken well, making sure all the pieces are fully coated. Refrigerate for 1 hour or longer.
*Make sure to wash hands after handling raw chicken to avoid cross-contamination.
Take it out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before cooking. Meat should not be cold when cooking for better cooking and tasting results. I take the chicken out of the refrigerator once I preheat the grill. My grill takes 15 minutes to heat, so while it’s heating I skew the chicken and figs. By the time I completed all the skewers the grill is hot and it’s been about 30 minutes. Using your hands to put the chicken on the skewers also warms the meat ensuring moist chicken.
Using 2 skewers at a time, skew into the side of the fig, cut side facing up.
Place 4 – 5 pieces of chicken on a skewer with a little bit of space between each piece for even grilling.
Preheat the gas grill on high, season the grill grates with a little grape seed oil on a dish towel or paper towel. When the grill has reached high (about 550 degrees) place skewers on grill.
Grill on each side about 5 minutes, cook for about 20 minutes, or until the meat feels firm when pressed in with your thumb. An instant digital thermometer should read an internal temperature of 165 degrees for poultry.
In the last five minutes of grilling, add the fig skewers onto the grill, press down gently. Cook for 3-5 minutes until slightly caramelized. Serve hot.
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