Lunch Box Chronicles: Day Fifty-Four (Lime Marinaded Chicken Skewers)

We were making and baking for a frenzied 12 hours before the first of 50+ guests arrived for Emma's graduation party.  One minor complication was the bagel pizza dough order at the bakery and the untimely but good demo the day before.  Solution?  Make in advance.

LIME MARINADED CHICKEN and VEGGIES KABOBS.

Ingredients and Directions for a crowd:  Five lbs chicken breasts (we buy the Whole Foods Amish Family Farm variety), cut into skewer size chunks, 3-4 limes, 1/4+- EVOO, 5 cloves of garlic (mashed with a mortar and pestle with salt), salt and pepper to taste.  Wooden Skewers.  Zip Lock or other variety sealed plastic bags.  Vegetables for grilling (we used red peppers, onions, and asparagus)

Anytime I get chicken from the market, I clean it with a ton of salt and then rinse off all of the salt.  I learned this from my grandmother and it is a way to kill bacteria.   Visitors are always a little freaked out when they see me pour a half of box of salt on a few pounds of chicken.  I do this in a clean sink then rinse thoroughly.  Inevitably, there is some salt residue so I add less salt to the recipe.

In a large casserole dish, combine and mix all marinade ingredients.  Add chicken.  Cover with plastic wrap.  Put in fridge.   Cut veggies to that they are able to be put on wooden skewers.   Remove chicken from fridge and start making Kabobs.  I alternate chicken with veggies.  Leave a little room so that meat can cook thoroughly on the grill.  You can grill these right away OR for EXTRA TENDER chicken, you can then take the uncooked kabobs and place in large Zip Lock bags with extra marinade.  Sit over night in fridge (in dish so they don't leak).   Grill the next day.

I have only the pictures of the uncooked product, because our family and guests ate these so quickly there was no time to take a picture.  The chicken marinaded overnight was unbelievably tender and tasty.  We would have used the leftovers for lunch, but there were no leftovers.   We served with Spelt Right rosemary focaccia crisps. (Spelt Right focaccia, cut in slices, placed on baking sheet, drizzled with EVOO, baked at 450 until crisp).