Even though the calendar has opened the door up on the upcoming fall season with the turn to September, there’s still plenty of grilling days remaining for most of us around the country.
This Grilled Moroccan-Inspired Chicken is one we’ve had in the files for years, and to be honest, I was sure I’d already posted it before but never did.
It’s another one of those handy recipes that is easy to throw together, is incredibly flavorful, can be stretched to serve a crowd, and is a great break from the standard grilled chicken that we all tend to reach for during the summer and fall grilling seasons.
Don’t skip grilling the red onions, they’re slightly sweet when grilled up and a perfect accompaniment to the chicken. My lovely wife can’t imagine eating this recipe (or simply living life actually) without a great tzatziki sauce to go along on the side.
Throw ‘em in a pita or flour tortilla or just make a pile of all the vegetables on a plate and top with the tzatziki (or a garlicky greek style dressing) alongside a pile of this chicken and you’ll be asking where has this recipe been all summer.
3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts in 2” pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
2/3 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped fine
1 generous tbsp cumin
1 generous tbsp paprika
1/2 to 1 tsp crush red pepper flakes
1 tsp kosher salt2 medium red onions, each cut into 8 wedges
To serve
Warm pita bread (or flour tortillas)
Fresh tomatoes, chopped
Fresh cucumber, chopped
One more small red onion, chopped
Tzatziki sauce
Fresh mint, chopped
Combine the olive oil, minced garlic, parsley, cumin, paprika, red pepper flakes and salt in a large bowl, mix well. Dump in the prepped chicken, stir to coat well, then pour into a resealable plastic bag (scrape all the marinade / spice coating into the bag); throw in the fridge for a minimum of two hours.
When ready to cook, fire the grill and prep the red onions (for the grill). Thread the chicken and red onion wedges onto skewers while the fire burns down.
Grill for roughly 8-12 minutes, turning per your routine, until just cooked through.
Serve hot, piled on warm pitas or tortillas with whatever of the fixin’s above float your boat.
Enjoy.
