Summer Fresh Recipe Series: Chicken Fajita Kabobs

Tender juicy chicken breasts coated with spicy Latin flavors mixed with bites of zesty onions and peppers all grilled to perfection.  Served with warm tortillas and some rice makes for one heck of a dinner. 

 

Summer is going strong and we are grilling a lot.  One of MGG favorite dishes is kabobs so we tend to make all sorts of variations of the traditional Persian kabobs.  This is my 12th installment of my Summer Fresh Recipe Series for easy recipes using summers fresh produce.   You can find additional recipes from this series down below.  

Today we are focusing on the abundance of peppers that are available right now, so on the menu is a a fun variation of the kabob using the flavors of Mexico.  We're making Chicken Fajita Kabobs!

Fajitas whether they are beef or chicken are a favorite around here and are typically made on the stove but also contain the perfect ingredients to turn into kabobs. All you need to do is thread chicken, onion, and peppers on a skewer and you are set.  Now my version of Chicken Fajta Kabobs bring a little zip to the dish by using a fajita seasoning paste on the chicken and spicing up the peppers by using both red bell pepper and zippy green poblanos.  Add in some red onion for good measure and you have an excellent kabob combination that will fill you with wonderful Latin flavors!

Imagine tender juicy chicken breasts coated with spicy Latin flavors accompanied by bites of onion and peppers all grilled to perfection.  Served with warm tortillas or even Lavash and some rice makes for one heck of a dinner.  I also served it with my Refreshing Melon Salad as a side dish and it was the perfect cool compliment to the spicy chicken dish.  This is dinner one to make over and over again.  Fire up that grill!

Enjoy!

Summer Fresh Recipe Series

• Refreshing Melon Salad
• Peach Blueberry & Ginger Crisp
• Grilled Sirloin Steak with Garlic Herb Vinaigrette
• Grilled Vegetable Platter
• Sirloin Steak topped with Herb Salsa with Roasted Potatoes & Carrots
• Lemon Blueberry Scones
• Grilled Honey Ginger Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Apricots & Brocollini
• Lemon Raspberry Dutch Baby
• Simple Mediterranean Salad
• Grilled Chicken Kofta
• Greek Cobb Salad

Chicken Fajita Kabobs

yields: 4-6 skewers

3 chicken breasts, cut into chunks

olive oil

1 - 1 1/2 Tbsp fajita seasoning

1 red bell pepper

2 poblano pepper

1 yellow pepper

1 red onion

Optional sides

Lime wedges

Flour tortillas or Lavash Bread

cooked rice

Fajita Seasoning (place remainder in a jar - stores up to 6 months)

2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

NOTE:  If using wooden skewers - soak skewers in water for 20-30 minutes to prevent burning.

Preheat and outdoor grill to medium-high heat.

Place the chicken pieces in a medium bowl.  Set aside. 

In a medium bowl add all the spices for the fajita seasoning mix and blend well.  Add 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of the seasoning mix to the chicken and pour about 2 tablespoons over the top.  Mix well to create a paste and make sure that the chicken is covered in the paste.  Set aside

Remove the seeds from all the peppers and cut them into large squarish pieces. (about 2x2) you want them big enough so they don't fall apart when you skewer them.   Peel the onion and remove some of the outer layers and cut them into large square chunks as well. 

Assemble the kabobs by adding a piece of chicken, yellow bell pepper, poblano pepper, red onion, and then the red bell pepper.  Repeat this order ending with a piece of chicken at the end of the skewer.  Continue making skewers with all the remaining ingredients. 

Place the skewers on a heated grill and cook  10 minutes (or until cooked through) turning once after 5 minutes.   Serve immediately with lime wedges, rice, and warm bread if desired.

Summer Fresh Recipe Series: Refreshing Melon Salad

Refreshingly cool, sweet melons mixed with onions and feta top a bed of baby spinach and doused with the most flavorful citrus garlic vinaigrette make one heck of a side dish!

In the summer when the heat has you beat and it's too hot to even think about cooking, I've got a solution to the side dish dilemma!  A nice, easy salad is in order.  But let's mix things up a bit and make this salad that is both tangy and sweet, cool and crisp, and oh soooo refreshing!

REFRESHING MELON SALAD

This dish is my 11th installment of my Summer Fresh Recipe Series and this one is another winner.  Quick and easy is the name of the game, and using summer's fresh produce it what it's all about with this recipe.  The feature here is fresh melon.  I used watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew, but you could use any melons you choose.  To give this a more "salad" feel I included a bed of baby spinach and sprinkled in some red onion and feta cheese. All this is doused with a wonderful citrus garlic vinaigrette  which is made from orange juice and lime juice with some added flavor from the garlic and sweetness from some honey.  Then we top off the entire salad with some torn mint leaves which brings out the fruit flavors so well.

This is a side dish that goes along with just about anything you like.  Fish, chicken, beef, and pork will all be perfect entrees.  This can be eaten cold or at room temperature.  You can make this ahead just leave off the dressing and the mint until you are ready to serve.  

Enjoy all the fruit that summer has to offer.  We just can't enough!  Take a look at my other installment from my Summer Fresh Recipe Series below.

Enjoy!  

Summer Fresh Recipe Series

• Peach Blueberry & Ginger Crisp
• Grilled Sirloin Steak with Garlic Herb Vinaigrette
• Grilled Vegetable Platter
• Sirloin Steak topped with Herb Salsa with Roasted Potatoes & Carrots
• Lemon Blueberry Scones
• Grilled Honey Ginger Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Apricots & Brocollini
• Lemon Raspberry Dutch Baby
• Simple Mediterranean Salad
• Grilled Chicken Kofta
• Greek Cobb Salad

Refreshing Melon Salad

serves 4

Ingredient Checklist

2 cups baby spinach

1/4 cup red onion, sliced thinly 
1 cup watermelon, sliced

1 cup cantaloupe, sliced

1 cup honeydew, sliced
1/4 cup feta cheese (2 oz.), crumbled

1 Tbsp fresh mint, torn into small pieces

Dressing:

2 Tbsp. orange juice
1/2 Tbsp. fresh squeezed lime juice
1/2 Tbsp. honey
1 clove garlic, minced
pinch of kosher salt and ground black pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil

On a small platter arrange spinach so that it forms a base and covers the platter.

In a small bowl add sliced onions and cover with water.  Allow to sit while you prepare the rest of the salad.

Arrange melon slices over the spinach.  To make the dressing:  Add to a small bowl, orange juice, lime juice, honey, garlic, salt & pepper, and olive oil.  Whisk until emulsified.  Set aside.

Remove onion from the water, draining off any excess moisture.  Add on top of the melon.  Spread around crumbled feta cheese.  Drizzle with dressing and then add the torn mint leaves.  Serve immediately.

adapted from:  Triple Melon Salad

Summer Fresh Recipe Series: Peach Blueberry & Ginger Crisp

Nothing tastes more like summer than juicy sweet peaches with bursts of tart blueberries laced with ginger, all topped with a crunchy buttery topping.  

We made it to August! Can you believe how this summer is flying by.  Since I love summer, I really would like it to slow down a bit so I can savor the long evenings.  But the dog days of August are around the corner and they are typically our hottest weather.  We're topping 100 degrees today already.

Today I'm presenting my 10th installment of my Summer Fresh Recipe Series of quick and easy recipes to make using summer produce.  Today we are talking desserts.  Summer desserts remind me of fresh fruit pies, cobblers, and crisps, along with a big scoop of ice cream for good measure!  So today I am featuring peaches and blueberries as our main ingredient.  What would summer be without them?

PEACH BLUEBERRY & GINGER CRISP

This really is an easy dessert to throw together and you can use the recipe as a base recipe for all sorts of fruit variations, just follow the recipe and adjust the sugar up or down (1/2 - 3/4 cup should work) depending on how sweet your fruit is.  I chose peaches and blueberries because I love the flavor combination, and added ginger for a little warmth.  

The topping is a typical crisp topping of oats, flour, brown sugar, and butter, with the addition of some cinnamon and almonds for warmth and crispy bites.  This can be used as a base topping for all your crisp.  Don't like almonds, switch to pecans, or leave them out completely.  This makes a really crumbly butter topping that is hard to resist.

Eat this straight from the oven, all warm and bubbly with a heaping scoop of vanilla ice cream.  Or make it early in the morning to beat the heat, then reheat portions of it in the microwave or eat it cold.  Any way you service it this dessert will be the hit of the menu!

Kitchen Note:  Our peaches here in California are not quite ripe yet so I used frozen peaches.  If your peaches are ripe, by all mean use them. They are the best!  

Enjoy!



Summer Fresh Recipe Series

• Grilled Sirloin Steak with Garlic Herb Vinaigrette
• Grilled Vegetable Platter
• Sirloin Steak topped with Herb Salsa with Roasted Potatoes & Carrots
• Lemon Blueberry Scones
• Grilled Honey Ginger Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Apricots & Brocollini
• Lemon Raspberry Dutch Baby
• Simple Mediterranean Salad
• Grilled Chicken Kofta
• Greek Cobb Salad

Peach Blueberry & Ginger Crisp

serves:  4-6


Topping:
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
6 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cubed

Filing:
1 1/2 lbs. frozen peaches (or fresh peaches)
1 pint blueberries
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp lemon juice
4 tsp cornstarch

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Prepare topping.  In a medium bowl add oats, almonds, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt.  Cut in 6 Tbsp cold butter with a pastry cutter or 2 forks, until mixture is crumbly.  Set aside.

To a large bowl add your peaches and blueberries.  Top with the sugar and ginger and stir until coated.  Add lemon juice and cornstarch and stir until all combined.

Place mixture in a pie pan or an 8x8 baking dish.  Top with crisp topping and pop it in the oven to bake for about 40-45 minutes, until peaches are tenders and fruit is bubbling.  You may need to cover the top with foil about 30 minutes in to prevent over browning of the topping.  

Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool.  Serve with ice cream if desired.