Pesto Chicken Skewers w/ Caramelised Brussel Sprouts
Skewers and Sprouts: Creamy, Tangy and Juicy.
(GF/VEG)
I had an epiphany: BBQ sticks aren’t just for the weekend. Hallelujah.
Pesto Chicken Veg skewers are ridiculously tasty. I love the Pesto creaminess with juicy veggies all on one stick! Bonus points because it’s also pretty easy to make.
For the side dish, I made Caramelised Brussel Sprouts with Quinoa. Tangy and filling, it’s a warm salad worth remembering.
Ingredients
250g of Chicken Breast
190g Barilla Pesto Sauce (or any other brand)
1 Zucchini
1 Red Onion
10 Baby Tomatoes
300g of Brussel Sprouts
1/3 cup of Quinoa
Fresh Parsley
Spices and Condiments
Spices: Olive Oil, Paprika, S&P, Mixed herbs.
Condiments: Garlic, Red Onions and Maple Syrup.
Optional: Pinenuts and Pomegranate.
Method
CUT Zucchinis, Onion and Chicken Breast into about 3cm wide pieces (I prefer thicker pieces on the skewers).
PRE-HEAT oven on grill at 180 deg.
MARINATE zucchinis, onions, chicken and baby tomatoes in pesto sauce. You might not use the whole jar of pesto, so start with a couple of big tablespoons first. Let it sit for 15 mins. (Optional to add extra garlic)
Step 3: Marinate with Pesto and let it sit for 15 minutes.
Step 5: Assemble Skewers.
Step 6: Grill Directly on Tray.
4. PREPARE Brussel Sprouts by cutting them in half and seasoning them with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and S&P. Pop them in the oven, bottom shelf. Brussel Sprouts will need in total 35-40 mins. in the last 10 minutes, drizzle maple syrup on top of the sprouts. (Note: Brussel Sprouts need longer grilling time than Skewers)
Lightly Toasted Pine Nuts for the Skewers and Salad.
5. ASSEMBLE the skewers with the pesto mix. I added more onion pieces to ‘hold’ the veggies in place. Otherwise you just alternate each piece (eg. zucchini, tomato, red onion, chicken, repeat).
6. ROAST the skewers by putting them directly on the grilling tray. Make sure to place some foil on the below tray for the dripping pesto. Grill for 30 minutes.
7. COOK the quinoa while the skewers and sprouts are in the oven. In a pan on low-medium heat, pour boiling water onto the pan (double the amount of quinoa). Stir in the quinoa, add some olive oil, mixed herbs, paprika and S&P. It takes around 10-15 minutes for quinoa to cook, keep stirring every 5 minutes and taste test until it’s the fluffy texture you want.
8. PLATE the salad with quinoa as the base. Then add some Brussel Sprouts on top and garnish with fresh parsley and pomegranate. For the skewers, let them cool on the tray in the oven but leave the door open. Serve on a plate when ready to eat and sprinkle some pine nuts on top.
Brussel Sprouts Salad with Quinoa.
After
It might seem there’s a lot of moving parts to cooking this dish. If I were to summarise, the process would be:
Marinate Chicken Skewers
Roast Brussel Sprouts
Roast Chicken Skewers
Cook Quinoa
Plate up.
This was a great mid week experiment. I can tell you since this I made this, I have tried to stock up on Pesto sauce anytime I’m at the supermarket. It’s an easy recipe to make when you’re stuck for dinner ideas. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
Tips
Use extra large BBQ sticks.
Make sure zucchini pieces are thick, otherwise they will fall off the skewer.
Try not to use frozen Brussel Sprouts, they have the tendency to go quite soggy (or maybe I’m not doing it right).
Brussel sprouts will turn crispy if you raise the heat to 200-225 degrees for the last 5-8 minutes. If you want, after the chicken is ready, you can crank up the oven for another 5-10 minutes and grill the sprouts separately.