Glazed Grilled Chicken Skewers with all recipes

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Glazed Grilled Chicken Skewers

Why this recipe works: we love the way the sweetness of the kecap manis, or sweet soy sauce, turns this marinade into a delicious sweet and savory glaze. You can make your own sweet soy sauce if kecap manis is not available. Simply bring ½ cup sugar, ¼ cup soy sauce, and ¼ cup water to a boil in a small saucepan, turn the heat down to low, and simmer the mixture until it is thick and syrupy, about five minutes. Be sure to select plums that are ripe yet still firm; if they’re overly ripe, they’ll be too soft to effectively skewer. Plus, the plums look nicer in the salad when they’re not mushy. When choosing sesame seeds, buy them already toasted. If you need to toast them yourself, put them in a dry pan over medium – low heat until they turn slightly golden and have a toasted aroma, about five minutes.

Ingredients: 4 serving

¼ cup honey

2 tablespoons sweet soy sauce

3 tablespoons lime juice

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1½ pounds), cut into 1½ inch chunks

6 plums, stones removed, 4 plums sliced into quarters, 2 plums sliced into ¼ inch wedges

   Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 bunches watercress, trimmed

Procedure:

1. whisk honey, soy sauce, 2 tablespoons lime juice, and sesame oil in large bowl. Transfer half of glaze to small bowl and set aside. Toss chicken and plum quarters with glaze remaining in large bowl. Thread four 14 – inch metal skewers with marinated chicken and plums, reserving glaze. Transfer skewers to plate and season with salt and pepper.
2. Grill skewers over hot fire until chicken is just cooked through, about 8 minutes, brushing frequently with reserved glaze from large bowl. Transfer skewers to platter. Sprinkle skewers with sesame seeds and tent with foil.
3. whisk remaining lime juice and vegetable oil into reserved small bowl of glaze and season with salt and pepper. Toss watercress and remaining plums in dressing. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with chicken and plum skewers.

Smart Shopping: Sesame Seeds

Sesame sees are considered to be the world’s first recorded seasoning, mentioned in Assyrian records from 300 B.C. The seeds were brought to America by African slaves, and they subsequently became popular in Southern Cooking. Sesame seeds come in a variety of colors, from creamy white to black, through the creamy white ones, and the toasted versions of them, are more common in our supermarkets. When they are used whole in cooking, their high oil content contributes a rich, nutty flavor; they are also sometimes ground into a paste, such as tahini. Sesame seeds also yield sesame oil commonly used in Asian cuisines. When used whole, they can be baked into or onto foods, such as hamburger buns, or sprinkled on top as a garnish. Because of their high oil content, sesame seeds turn rancid relatively quickly. They can stored in an airtight in a cool, dark place for up to three months, refrigerated for up to six months, or frozen for up to a year.