Chicken kabobs

Raise your hand if you have ever cooked chicken kabobs on the grill that were so dry and tough you could throw them through a wall? They were so dry and tough that the only way you could eat them was to bury them in BBQ sauce?

Put your hand down. I feel your pain. We have all been there.

But, dear reader, stay the course, relief is on the way.

First. Always use good quality chicken. Get the "all natural" chicken such as Publix's Greeewise or the chicken sold at Earthfare.

Second, and very important, brine the chicken. All lean meat such as duck, venison, pork and chicken, all benefit from brining before cooking.

Third, to give the chicken a smoky grilled taste and also to help the meat stay moist, is to rub the chicken with a bacon paste.

So here is the whole recipe:

2 lbs of boneless chicken breasts (you may want to substitute boneless chicken thighs) cut into 1 inch cubes.
Brine the chicken in 2 quarts of cold water with a quarter cup of salt and a quarter cup of light brown sugar dissolved in the water. Place in the refrigerator for one hour.

While the meat is brining, combine:

Two tablespoons: Sweet Paprika
Four teaspoons: sugar
Two teaspoons: smoked paprika

After the chicken has brined, discard the brine and pat the chicken dry.

Cut two slices of bacon into 1/4 inch pieces and process the bacon in a food processor until it forms a paste. Mix the spices with the bacon.

Rub the spiced paste on the chicken and place the chicken on skewers.

Grill the chicken over a medium heat turning every couple of minutes and cook until the breasts register 160 degrees.

Now, right before they are cooked, I baste the chicken with a homemade bbq sauce I make with ketchup, brown sugar, chopped onion, worcester sauce, and other ingredients. I'm keeping this one for now but I suggest you can use any sauce you make or buy that is dark brown and slightly sweet.

Don't use much sauce. The chicken won't need it.

That's it! What you will have will be a tender and wonderfully seasoned piece of chicken. I usually cut squash, bell peppers and onions, skewer them and grill them along side the chicken. Once cooked you can eat them as they are or try this:

Cook a cup of Basmati rice according to instructions and set aside. When the squash, peppers and onions are cooked, coarsely chop them. Stir them into the rice along with two tablespoons of melted butter. Stir over low heat to re-warm. Once warm serve the rice along side the chicken. Pass some crusty french bread with a good quality olive oil for dipping and you got something! I think you will be amazed at how tender the chicken will be.

What am I pouring with this?

There is an inexpensive vin de pays from France called QES. It is made by Jerome Quiot from Chateauneuf du Pape. It is a light and fruity red that will go well with the chicken.

A more expensive choice would be the cru wines from Beaujolais. Look for the 2009 vintage which was outstanding. These red wines are a great food wine especially for grilled foods like chicken or pork.

What about a white wine? After all, it is chicken. Trust me these reds stand up to it better but if you have to go white, stick with a white burgundy, dry and un-oaked. Or, since it is summer, a dry crisp Rose' from Cote du Provence.

Need a source? Brian de la Volpe at the Gourmet Shop located in Five Points in Columbia. 803.799.3705