Chicken Spiedini
This easy skewered chicken is so quick to throw together – it’s equally great for a weeknight meal, or an alfresco dinner on the weekend. The marinade adds tons of flavor to the chicken, but what really takes these over the top is the diced pancetta (or slab bacon!) on the skewers as well. In Italian, “spiedini” simply refers to skewers or kebabs – basically everything on a stick is spiedini!
To complete the flavorful Italian meal, serve this up with my lemon spaghetti, pan-fried zucchini, or a simple mista salad.
Chicken Spiedini
Serves:
4 people
Cooking Level: Beginner
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Inactive Time
Total Time
30 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts just over 1 pound total (cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional `
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest from 1 lemon
- 1/3 pound piece of pancetta or slab bacon cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 lemon cut into wedges (optional)
- 11 8inch skewers
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Preheat a grill pan over medium heat.
- Place the cubed chicken in a medium bowl. To the bowl, add the oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, olive oil and lemon zest. Toss well to coat the chicken in the seasonings. Working one skewer at a time, thread one piece of chicken, followed by a piece of pancetta, then chicken, pancetta and lastly chicken. Continue with the remaining chicken and pork.
- Place the skewers on the hot grill pan and cook for 4 minutes per side, or until the chicken is browned and cooked through and the pancetta is golden brown and warmed through, 12 to 16 minutes. You can cover the skewers with a upside down rimmed baking sheet if desired to ensure they are cooked through Remove to a platter and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with lemon wedges if desired.
NUTRITION:
Calories: 293kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 757mg | Potassium: 321mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 105IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1mg
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Photo Credit: Elizabeth Newman
Another winner from Giada! Just the right amount of kick with the red pepper flakes, this chicken spiedini is a great recipe. Only issue was that it made a mess on my stove, given the grease from the pancetta/bacon splatters all over the place (even with a frying pan grease cover). Also, my metal skewers were too big for my grill pan. Had to grill in batches and place the rest on "hold warm" in the oven. Tastes amazing, though, and worth the effort!