Whether you are tailgating in a smaller group or you need to feed half the parking lot, Shish Kabobs are always a big hit at tailgate parties. After all, who at a tailgate party can turn down meat on a stick? Shish Kabobs may take a little bit of prep work before you head out to your tailgating spot, the speed and convenience will make up for the leg work you put into making them.
What you’ll need:
10 large mushrooms, cut in half
1 Bell pepper, cut into chunks
1 Red onion, cut into chunks
15 Cherry tomatoes
3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves – cut into chunks
1/2 pound sliced thick cut bacon, cut in half
1 (8 oz) can pineapple chunks, drained
Metal or wood skewers
Marinade:
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 green onions, minced
3 Garlic gloves, minced
In a large plastic bag, mix the soy sauce, cider vinegar, honey, canola oil, and green onions. Place the mushrooms, bell pepper, onion, tomatoes and chicken into the marinade mixture. Make sure to get as much air out of the bag as possible to ensure the chicken is completely coated in the marinade. (An excellent tool to make your marinating bags air tight is the FoodSaver Pro Sport.) Let marinate for at least one to two hours. For a more robust flavor, let ingredients stay in the marinade overnight.
Once marinated to your liking, remove chicken chunks and set aside. Wrap the chicken chunks with bacon, and thread onto skewers so that the bacon is secured. Alternate with mushroom halves, peppers, onions, tomatoes and pineapple chunks. (If using wooden skewers, a good tip to follow is submerge your skewers in water for five minutes before spearing the food. This will prevent the wood from igniting and burning while on the grill later.)
When you arrive at your tailgating spot and you are getting hungry, fire up your tailgating grill using high heat. Lightly oil the grill grate to prevent the food from sticking. Arrange skewers on the prepared grill. Cook 15 to 20 minutes, brushing occasionally with remaining soy sauce mixture, until bacon is crisp and chicken juices run clear.
Serves 6
Suggested wines to go with your Bacon Wrapped Chicken Shish Kabobs include:
* a white zinfandel
* Merlot
* Shiraz/Syrah