Jerk Chicken Skewers with Pineapple Yogurt Dip
Kick off summer with spicy Caribbean jerked chicken and cool the heat with a sweet and refreshing yogurt dip. For a delicious dinner or as easy party food, this healthy Jerk Chicken Skewers with Pineapple Yogurt Dip recipe is perfect for the season.
So, just two posts ago with my Pesto Chicken with Basil Tomato Cream didn’t I say that I had not given you a chicken breast recipe in like years? And here I am doing another? Yesss! Because these easy skewers are so great and so right to make today.
All indications are that summer is on the way, right? The weather is awesome. My husband is winning the biological warfare with our pool – I looked out this morning, and the water is actually blue again. Bugs …swallowed a couple of those on my run this morning. And my Facebook feed is no longer filled with doom and gloom about snow and cold. …Summer is not quite here yet though – aka the kids are still in school and life is busy busy. Which is precisely why we need simple recipes like this in our lives.
Alright, so Pino Grigio. I am a pino girl. I will always be a pino girl. So why am I working with Arbor Mist here? If you are unfamiliar, Arbor Mist is a line of fruity wines – these are not traditional wines. And they come in fun flavors …I mean, Blackberry Merlot, hello. And when I see Arbor Mist, I actually think of my mom.
Yes, my mother.
See, my mom knits. And we are not talking the occasional scarf. We are talking full-in, makes-her-own-yarn kind of knitter. If she had a bigger yard, she’d-have-her-own-alpacas kind of knitter. For the fur. Goes on knitting trips, reads knitting books, has knitting friends, she is that kind of knitter.
So, one time I was home visiting and she had a box with a few bottles of Arbor Mist. She called it “Knitting Wine”. Still does to this day …because Arbor Mist has less alcohol than conventional wine, she and her knitting friends can sit around and knit all day, chatting it up, enjoying their drinkity drinks …and not get sloshed in the process.
{Happy Mother’s Day Mom! Don’t get mad at me for this post – I love you!}
This was coming from my mother. …and why I had to do this post. You get it. I know you do.
The Arbor Mist Pino Grigio Island Fruits wine inspired this recipe. And what says summer more than Caribbean food, right? First, we make up a jerk paste and marinate the tenders (I took photos of the chicken in the paste, but honestly …it ain’t pretty). No need to buy jerk seasoning because it is easy enough to just make up a blend at home. I like mine spicy, but not inferno. About as spicy as a buffalo wing. I also like mine heavy on the Jamaican allspice. Looove allspice.
This chicken is just so fantastically flavorful and cooks up super fast. Take a bite and all that allspice and cinnamon and garlic and cumin, mmmmm – then the heat hits. But wait, we’ve got a sweet and cooling Greek yogurt dip with pineapple and lime to tame that heat right down. It all comes together perfectly and is soooo so yummy.
So pour yourself a glass and enjoy a toast to summer, cuz it’s almost here. And while we’re waiting, it is that time of year to get our grill on and enjoy some of the finer things. Wine. Food. Family. …and yummy jerked chicken with an awesome sauce.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken breast tenders
For the Jerk
- 2 tsp Jamaican allspice
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 4 large cloves garlic minced
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- ¼ tsp fresh cracked pepper
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ½ tsp cumin
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- 2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
- zest of half a lime
For the Pineapple Yogurt Dip
- 4 oz plain Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup crushed pineapple drained
- ½ tsp cumin
- 1 tsp fresh lime juice
- zest of ~1/4 lime
- pinch kosher salt
Instructions
- In a bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the Jerk forming a paste. Add the chicken and toss to coat evenly. Put in the fridge to marinate 4-8 hours. Put bamboo skewers to soak in water (1 skewer for every chicken tender).
- Heat the grill to high heat. While grill is heating, combine the ingredients for the Pineapple Yogurt Dip.
- Skewer the chicken satay-style. Grill, covered, 6-8 minutes or just until chicken is cooked through, flipping once mid-way. On my cheap grill, 3-1/2 minutes per side was just right for juicy, tender chicken. Serve with Pineapple Yogurt Dip. Yields: 6 dinner servings (3 tenders each) or ~18 appetizers.
