Barbecued Chicken Kabobs
29
We’ve officially entered the picky eater stage with the toddler. It’s not so much that he’s picky as he is stubborn. It used to be you’d set anything in front of him and he’d devour it. The other day, I set a plate with carrots in front of him (a food I know he loves) and he cried for 10 minutes. Seriously.
Getting him to eat meat has never been all that easy (I am unintentionally raising a pescatarian, apparently), but it’s gotten increasingly harder. He made an exception for these kabobs, though. Oh, sure, at first when he saw the pieces on his plate and it was clear that they were NOT some sort of bread product, he gave me the side eye. But I dolloped a little extra sauce on his and then when he finished his piece he asked for more. For this, and many other reasons, these kabobs are a winner in my book.
Like most Cook’s Illustrated recipes, this one uses an odd method, too (how do they come up with some of this stuff, seriously?). You process bacon until it forms a paste and then toss it with the chicken pieces and seasoning. The bacon paste does not look especially appetizing, but it does wonderful things. Combined with the smoked paprika, the bacon makes these kabobs nice and smoky. Plus, that little extra fat adds more flavor to the chicken and keeps it from drying out.
The sauce comes together in under 10 minutes. You can’t beat that! Made without a lot of hot sauce, it’s a pretty sweet sauce. Normally I’m a spicy sauce girl (which can be achieved by adding more hot sauce, but I didn’t want to overpower it in case Zachary didn’t like it), but it works with these grilled, smoky kabobs. I used less than 2 lbs. of chicken because it’s what we had – probably 1.25 – 1.5 lbs. – but I kept the sauce amount the same and we didn’t have much leftover at all, so you may want to increase the recipe below.
These kabobs were so flavorful, and a real winner in our house all around. So, get thee into the kitchen to whip up some bacon paste, stat!
Barbecued Chicken Kabobs
Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated, via Pink Parsley
Kabobs
skewers
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1″ cubes
2 tsp. kosher salt
2 Tbsp. sweet paprika
4 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. smoked paprika
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 slices bacon, cut into 1/2″ pieces
Sauce
(Note: If you like your chicken saucy, you may want to multiply this recipe by 1.5 or 2. )
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup molasses
2 Tbsp. grated onion
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
hot sauce, to taste
If you are using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 30 minutes.
Toss the chicken with the salt in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, up to one hour.
Mix the paprikas, sugar, and cayenne in a small bowl. Process the bacon in a small food processor, until a smooth paste forms, about 30-45 seconds, scraping down the bowl 1-2 times during processing.
Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, and then toss the chicken with the bacon and spice mixture. Thread the meat onto skewers.
Meanwhile, make the sauce. Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has reached a ketchup-like consistency and has reduced to 1 cup, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat. Set aside 1/2 cup of the sauce to serve with the cooked chicken.
Scrape the cooking grate clean with a grill brush. Leave the primary burner on high and turn off the other burners. Place the kababs over the hot burner and grill, covered, turning one-quarter of a turn every 2 minutes or so, until well browned and slightly charred, 8 to 10 minutes.
Brush the top surface of the kebabs with about 1/4 cup sauce. Flip and cook until the sauce is browned in spots, about 1-2 minutes. Flip again and brush with remaining 1/4 cup sauce. Continue cooking until browned in spots and cooked through, about 1-2 minutes.
Remove from grill and allow to rest 5 minutes. Serve with the barbecue sauce.
I used to be a insanely picky eater. Thankfully I am far past that stage in my life. Delicious looking kabobs!
These kabobs look absolutely amazing. I have never heard of making a paste out of bacon but I am going to give that a try. It sounds delicious! I’m pinning this one to try soon. Thanks!
I am making these before summer and the grill are gone!
These look amazing!!
I am always amazed by the crazy techniques those people come up with! I’m sure this is just some kind of toddler phase and Zachary will grow out of it, but at least until then you have this recipe!
You made these look so pretty! And, it’s hysterical reading your post and then Shawnda’s post in the same day. Just proves that all kids are SO different! I’ve also heard toddlers will go through their picky stages and come back around, so there is definitely hope. Counting on Judah to get stubborn soon. 🙂
Just one more example of how adding bacon to pretty much anything makes it delicious. These look great!
This looks really tasty! I’m always looking for ways to make chicken taste better. And when bacon’s involved, well that’s always a plus!
Those look so good. Question – bacon is put into processor raw or cooked?
Thanks
Leana – the bacon is put into the processor raw.
Thank you
These kabobs look great. I can’t wait to make them. Thanks.
That’s so funny – same thing happened to me. I prepared those on the weekend, not even wasted one thought that my little guy would even attempt to try them. But – he saw them and wanted to have them. Guess food really taste better when it’s on a stick!
Oooh, my girlfriend made these! http://msenplace.wordpress.com/2011/06/01/barbecued-chicken-kebabs/ Soooo good! Although I must admit, the idea of bacon paste still grosses me out. Who would’ve thought anything bacon could gross me out??
We barbecue a lot, and these chicken kabobs sounds wonderfully delicious and a nice change to how we usually just grill chicken breasts. Thanks for sharing.
Ok…the bacon paste has me won over! They look magnificent Elly! CANNOT WAIT to try these!
How many does this one recipe serve? I’m making for a crowd tomorrow!
It really depends on how much people eat. I would say you get about 1/3 of a lb. on each skewer, so you will want to have at least 1 skewer for people, more depending on whether they are big eaters, what other kinds of dishes you will be serving, etc.
thanks! that helps.
Another quick question. I’m making these now. Do you mix the spices together with the bacon paste first or just mix the chicken, paste, and spices together in a bowl? Maybe I’m making this too hard but I’m having 26 for dinner and have never made this before!!!
GH – mix the chicken, paste, and spices together in a bowl.
thanks so much!
I am going to have to try these! My daughter won’t touch chicken. She actually runs out of the room screaming if there is chicken anywhere near her plate (no kidding!) Teachers swear that she will eat chicken nuggets at preschool but I still have to witness this phenomenon…..
They look good and when I read about the bacon I can see why the toddler would like them!
This recipe looks delicious and I am going to make these for a get-together. How many people would this recipe feed approximately? Thank you! Kathryn
Kathryn – roughly 6, but I would definitely err on the side of caution and probably treat it as 4 servings when planning.