cook like james

This is a relatively easy recipe that can be prepared quickly and results in incredibly flavorful chicken. It is from the cookbook - Milk Street: Tuesday Nights: More than 200 Simple Weeknight Suppers that Deliver Bold Flavor, Fast. It’s filled with easy to follow recipes that are simple enough for the middle of the week, but still deliver big, bold flavors. Timing is everything with this recipe, so prep your ingredients, and start your grill just as you begin to marinate the chicken. Any leftover chicken works great in a wrap or on a salad the next day.

Download Milk Street’s Moroccan Ginger-Lemon Chicken Skewers recipe

3 lemons

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve

2 garlic cloves, grated

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon ground coriander

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

3 tablespoons honey, divided

1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs

¼ cup minced fresh cilantro, flat-leaf parsley or mint (or combo of all 3)

1. With a Microplane rasp grater, use 1 lemon to grate 1 tablespoon of zest and squeeze 2 tablespoons of juice into a large bowl and then add the olive oil, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper and 2 tablespoons of the honey; stir ingredients together and set aside.
2. Cut each chicken thigh crosswise into 3 strips. Add the chicken to the marinade, toss and set aside for 15 to 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, prepare a grill for direct cooking over medium-high heat. For a charcoal grill, spread a large chimney three-quarters full of hot coals evenly over the grill bed; open the bottom grill vents. For a gas grill, set all burners to high. Heat the grill, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes, then clean and oil the cooking grate. If using gas, reduce the burners to medium-high just before adding the chicken.
4. Thread the chicken onto four 12-inch metal skewers, scrunching multiple pieces onto each skewer. Cut the remaining 2 lemons in half. Grill the chicken and lemon halves (cut side down) until the chicken is well charred all over, 10 to 12 minutes, turning halfway through. Remove the lemons once their cut sides are nicely charred.
5. Transfer the skewers and lemon halves to a platter. Drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon of honey over the cut sides of the lemons. Squeeze the juice from 1 lemon half over the chicken, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with cilantro, parsley or mint. Serve with the remaining lemon halves on the side.