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Truth, lemons are a fairly new food group to me.
Sure, I have been drinking lemonade since I can remember, but other than that I can’t think of a time when I used lemons or knowingly consumed lemons.
I know that sounds so weird since lemons are probably one of the most used ingredients in all kitchens, but up until a year or so ago I never knew just how awesome lemons really were.
Also, I have seen all these awesome looking grilled lemons floating around in magazines and such, but when I go to grill mine, they turn out all funky looking. I mean really? What’s up with that?
Anyway, when I started to branch out, in terms of flavors and the dishes I was making, I realized that things like lemons, limes and herbs can make a HUGE difference. Meaning that they can MAKE a meal.
Mint is totally newish to me too. I definitely prefer it in savory dishes to sweet, but it can add just the right amount of coolness. Especially to a spicy dish.
These skewers definitely have a little kick to them so the minted goat cheese yogurt is the perfect touch. Everything about this meal is super simple, but simple is sometimes just soo good.
Switching gears.
You know what is so frustrating?
Town building departments and all their dang codes.
FYI, building codes totally suck.
Basically, they are telling me what I can and cannot do to the barn and it is so annoying.
So I had to get creative… maybe even a little sneaky, but it’s all gonna work out.
You’ll see soon!
Alright, that’s all for today. My mind is doing that thing where nothing creative or even remotely interesting is being produced. I think I need some drama or something to share.
Although, no drama is always good too.
Spring Veggie + Lemon Moroccan Chicken Skewers with Minted Goat Cheese Yogurt.
Ingredients
Moroccan Chicken
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken, cut into bite size cubes
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled + roughly chopped
- 2 teaspoon dried chile de arbol, seeds removed (or 1/2 -1 cayenne pepper)
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 tablespoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 small to medium lemons, grated + juiced
- 1 ounce jar marinated artichoke quarters, 6
- 1 bunch asparagus, cut into fourths
Lemon Herb vinaigrette
Minted Goat Cheese Yogurt
- 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt, I use 0%
- 2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 2-3 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
Instructions
- Place the chicken in a gallon size ziplock bag or medium size bowl.
- To the bowl of a food processor add the garlic, ginger, dried chile de arbol (or cayenne), cilantro, parsley, smoked paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Process 1-2 minutes or until everything is finely chopped. Stream in 1/2 cup olive oil. Stir in the lemon zest + juice. Pour the marinade over the chicken and toss well. Place in the fridge for at least 2 hour or overnight.
- Meanwhile make the vinaigrette. Add the lemon zest and juice to a small sauce pot. Bring mixture to a simmer and simmer, about 1 minute or until the zest absorbs the juice. WATCH CLOSELY, you do not want the zest to get burnt to the pan. Spoon the zest out of the pot and into a small bowl. Add the olive oil, parsley, salt, honey and lime juice. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
- To make the minted goat cheese yogurt mix together the greek yogurt, chopped mint, crushed red pepper flakes, lemon juice and a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir in the crumbled goat cheese. Place in the fridge until ready to use.
- Preheat the grill or a grill pan to medium-high heat and lightly oil the grates. Thread the chicken, asparagus and artichokes onto metal skewers (or wood skewers that have been soaked in water). I alternated with asparagus+ artichokes and then chicken, repeat. Place the chicken on the grill until the chicken is golden and no longer pink in the center, about 5 minutes each side. You may also cook the chicken in a skillet if needed. Serve the chicken with the the lemon herb vinaigrette and the minted goat cheese yogurt.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
As is grilling on a warm spring night… that is IF it happens to be warm, and not snowing where you are.
Hi Teighan. I have made this recipe many times and have gotten rave reviews. We just love it! The only thing I can’t seem to figure out is the vinaigrette. Mine doesn’t have much flavor, just tastes like olive oil. Is one tablespoon of salt the right amount? I only put in a fraction of that since it seems like too much. Could that be my problem? Thanks so much!
So happy you love this recipe! It’s actually 1 teaspoon salt and yes, that might be the issue. The salt helps to bring out the other flavors. Hope that helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions. Hope you love this recipe! 🙂
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Love this recipe! It was a hit at a BBQ I hosted yesterday. Just ate the leftovers, cold, on a green salad for dinner tonight. Quick question. In your ingredient list you include cinnamon however it’s not included in the recipe instructions. I didn’t add it because I wasn’t sure. Can you clarify? Thanks!
Hi Debra, so sorry! That is a typo. No cinnamon in this. SO excited you loved this, THANKS!! 🙂
Wanted to report back on the end result – delicious! We all really enjoyed it. thanks for such a great recipe. Wanted to point out that there also might be a mistake in the amount of salt listed for the vinaigrette – recipe says 1 tablespoon, which seemed like an awful lot. I used about 1/2 teaspoon & that seemed like plenty. Thanks again!
Was just starting to get ready to cook the chicken but couldn’t figure out what to do with the “two lemons juice & zest.” Read through the comments and found out they were supposed to get added to the marinade . . . oops. you really should make that change! I’ll add the lemon now; have a couple of hours until dinner so it should be OK. It’s confusing because the lemons are listed AFTER the asparagus and the asparagus does not go in the marinade . . .
Hi Eve,
I am really sorry to confuse you. I just fixed the recipe. Thanks for letting me know of the problem. Hope you enjoy the chicken!!
I like looking through a post that will make people think.
Also, thank you for allowing for me to comment!
Hi there! I made dinner for my family the other day, and when I finally served these up (without asparagus or artichoke because those are not in season here and perhaps not quite to the tastes of our family), I got some amazing comments! I have to pass these on to you because it’s the most incredible recipe! I got “heaven on a plate” and wishes for many, many repeats of the recipe… So thank you! I’m only 15 and it was so cool to have a great recipe to work from! This is the second recipe I’ve tried from this blog and both have been amazing, thank you so much 😀
Hey Emily!!! I am beyond excited you loved this!! TAHNK YOU!! Also, 15!?! That makes me so excited! GO YOU!
Thanks so much for this recipe! I made it for Easter lunch and it was a hit. So delicious! The spices on the chicken were perfect and the yogurt sauce was a great complement. Just one question – under the chicken part of the recipe you mentioned ” 2 small to medium lemons, grated and juiced” but it wasn’t mentioned in the recipe so I didn’t add it to the marinade. Was I supposed to? It was EXCELLENT without it. Thank you again!
Hey Anne!! So excited you love this!! Sorry about the lemon not being in the recipe, you are supposed to add, but no biggie! I will head an fix the recipe. Thanks again!
Oops! Thanks! I’ll have to try it again with the lemon juice. It was so delicious without it, I can’t imagine how good it’s going to be with it!
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I marinated these two days ago and grilled them up with yogurt and nan last night. Amazzzzing! Thanks for sharing
So happy you loved this. THANKS!