Basil and Greek Yogurt Grilled Chicken Skewers

When I find a meal that's as delicious as it is pleasing to the eye, inexpensive to make (even for a crowd), and kid-friendly, I'm a super happy girl. The chicken skewer and simple salad recipe I'm going to share here are easy to make, but don't let that fool you -- they pack a flavor punch. These recipes epitomize springtime food and as perfect for a weeknight dinner as they are for entertaining.

I love that there are only a handful of ingredients between both recipes, and they're all easily purchased in larger quantities to double the recipe for company (or, just to stretch one night of cooking into a couple of nights worth of meals during the week).

The chicken skewers can be done on an outdoor grill, or on a cast iron grill pan, indoors. Either way, make sure you get the grill (or grill pan) nice and hot before you place the chicken onto it.

When skewering the chicken pieces, it's important that you don't smoosh the pieces of chicken together. Space them out just a tiny bit to make sure the chicken is able to cook all the way through. You're better off to make more skewers than to try to cram more chicken onto each one.

Once you place the skewers onto the hot grates, resist the urge to move them for several minutes. This will allow the beautiful grill marks to form and caramelization to occur, which is a huge part of what makes grilled food taste so damn good! If you try to turn the chicken and it won't budge, leave it for another 30 seconds to a minute and try again. Once the chicken easily lifts off the grill, it's done.

And here is the toddler version I served to my kiddos! I just swapped the arugula for spinach (because it's less spicy), which I lightly dressed with the same dressing I used on the adult version. I chopped it up, along with the chicken, and served everything separated out on a little plate.

Basil and Greek Yogurt Grilled Chicken Skewers

Makes 6 skewers

Ingredients:

2 Chicken breasts, cut into 1" cubes/chunks

1 Lemon, juiced

5-6 Leaves of fresh basil, thinly sliced

1/4 Cup plain greek yogurt (non-fat or full fat... both are fine)

Salt and pepper

Directions:

Soak 6 large wooden skewers in a container of water for an hour prior to cooking.

In a mixing bowl, add the chicken, lemon juice, basil, and greek yogurt. Season well with salt and several grinds of black pepper. Stir to evenly coat the chicken, and transfer to the refrigerator while the skewers soak. This step can also be done up to 24 hours in advance.

Skewer the chicken, putting about 6 or 7 pieces onto each skewer.

Spray the grill with grape seed oil and heat to medium-high. Place the skewers onto the grill, leaving a room between them so the heat can circulate. Cook, turning occasionally, so that each side of the chicken cubes gets seared, about 15 minutes.

Simple Arugula Salad with Blackberries, Feta and Basil

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 large handfuls of arugula

3-4 Leaves of fresh basil, thinly sliced

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 Lemon, juiced

10-12 Blackberries

1/4 Cup feta, crumbled into 1/2 inch chunks off the block

Salt and pepper

Directions:

Place the arugula and basil into a mixing bowl. Drizzle in the olive oil, and then the lemon juice. Add a pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Toss to coat the leaves with the dressing. Divide the salad onto two plates. Top each one with half the blackberries and half the feta crumbles.