Pesto Chicken + Veggie Skewers
Author: 
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: about 18
 
Ingredients
  • 1 summer squash, chopped
  • 1 zucchini, chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped [any color of bell pepper will work great]
  • 1 orange bell pepper, chopped [any color of bell pepper will work great]
  • 1 red onion, chopped
  • 2 small sweet potatoes, skin scrubbed, chopped
  • 2 cups fresh pineapple chunks [canned will work, but fresh tastes so much better!]
  • about 1.5 pounds organic chicken thighs or 6 thighs [large pieces of fat removed], chopped into bite-size pieces
  • about 1.5 cups homemade basil pesto, halved
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil, for veggies
  • pinch sea salt + black pepper, for seasoning veggies
  • about 18 wooden skewers, soaked in water for at least one hour
Instructions
  1. Add skewers to bowl of water and let soak for at least one hour to prevent burning when placed on the grill.
  2. Make homemade pesto [directions above].
  3. Add chopped chicken thighs into bowl and add ½ of pesto mixture. Stir to coat all chicken well, cover with lid and let marinate in fridge for one hour. You can marinate overnight as well.
  4. Store other half of pesto in fridge until ready to use.
  5. Add washed sweet potatoes to boiling pot of water for 10-15 minutes until softened. Set aside and let cool.
  6. Wash + chop the following into similar bite-size pieces: summer squash, zucchini, red and orange bell pepper, red onion.
  7. Once sweet potatoes are cooled, chop into similar bite-size pieces.
  8. Add all veggies, sweet potatoes and pineapple chunks into large bowl and drizzle with olive oil, sea salt + pepper. Stir to coat and season all veggies. Set aside until ready to assemble skewers.
  9. TO ASSEMBLE:
  10. In any order that you prefer, add chicken and veggies to skewers, leaving about 2 inches at the bottom of each skewer for handling. Make sure to puncture ingredients as close to the middle as possible to prevent them from falling off the skewer when cooking.
  11. TO GRILL:
  12. Add skewers to hot grill. Baste one side of the skewer with leftover pesto mixture. Grill for about 10 minutes. Flip skewers, baste second side of skewer with additional pesto. Let cook for another 8-10 minutes. Chicken should be cooked through and veggies slightly softened. Remove from grill and enjoy!
Recipe by Angela Freed at https://www.angelafreed.com/pesto-chicken-veggie-skewers/