Lemongrass Ginger Chicken Skewers

I believe skewers to be the ultimate summer time appetizer. I basically grew up eating lamb kebabs at every outdoor BBQ or gathering up until I was 18. Once I moved out I usually always get a craving for meat on a stick at least once every two months. I usually try to make a different marinades as much as I can because you really can rarely go wrong with meat on a stick.

The most recent marinade I’ve made over and over again is a combination of Lemongrass, ginger, garlic, and honey. All the different flavours compliment each other so well that I’m positive you’ll want to make these more than once as well.

Lemongrass itself is used most often in Vietnamese cooking, which means it’s usually the least expensive in Chinatown where the turnover is better. However, lemongrass can also be found in the majority of grocery stores already in paste form in a squeeze tube or in stalks in the organic section. For this recipe, I used the stalks just because I wanted it to be as fresh as possible, but you can’t find any, the squeeze tube version works perfectly fine! If you end up getting the stalks, I found the best way to mash it up to release the most flavour is to mince it up as much as possible, then mash it using a mortar and pestle.

Switching up the protein in the recipe is 100% doable, hell I’d even recommend it. I’ve made it with chicken and shrimp so far and I honestly can’t tell which one I like more. I can imagine this marinade would be great with beef, pork, or even extra firm tofu. I baked mine in the oven because I can’t have a BBQ at my current apartment, however grilling them would most likely make it taste even better! Making the skewers themselves is super simple and make for a killer appetizer for you and or your friends!

Let’s get started on what you’ll need and how much it’ll cost you.

Ingredients & Costs

• 1 Chicken Breast ($2.33)
• 1 Lemongrass stalk (or 3 Tbs of Lemongrass Paste) ($0.89)
• 1 Tbs Ginger (minced or paste) ($0.01)
• 1 Garlic clove ($0.02)
• 1 ½ Tbs Honey  ($0.21)
• 1 Tsp Dark Soy Sauce ($0.01)
• 1 Tsp Sesame Oil ($0.07)
• 1 Tsp Canola Oil ($0.02)
• 1 ½ Tsp Lime Juice (or half a lime) ($0.05)
• ½ Tsp Turmeric ($0.001)
• ½ Salt ($0.01)
• 1 Thai Chili Pepper (optional)

Serves 2, takes 30 Minutes

Total Cost = $3.62* for 4 skewers!

Compared to the $10-15 at restaurants with Satay!

*Depending the cost of the ingredients in your area, the cost may be more or less. I live in a fairly inflated part of town, so chances are your cost will be less.

Need the proof? Head down to the bottom of this page!

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DIRECTIONS

First things first, turn your oven on to 400°F (or get your grill ready if you’re using a BBQ). Next, mince up your lemongrass and crush it with the salt. If you’re using the store bought paste, you can skip this step.

Once the lemongrass is in a paste-like form, chop up your garlic, ginger, and optional Thai Chili and throw it in the mortar and begin crushing again! This is basically the funnest part of the recipe so take your time and mash it up as much as possible!

After a couple minutes of crushing, your paste should look something like this, feel free to add in some canola oil if you want it to be more paste-like.

Finally, chop up the chicken breast into cubes and put the marinade together. This includes the paste you just made, canola oil, sesame oil, soy sauce, honey, lime juice, turmeric, and I added some freshly ground pepper.

Now it’s time to mix it all together, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it sit in the fridge for about 15-20 minutes.

After that, it’s time to put them on the skewers. I used metal skewers, so if you are as well, make sure you oil them before putting the chicken on. If you’re using bamboo or wood skewers, make sure you soak them for at least an hour or two (this was a mistake I made many skewers ago).

Place your skewered on a rack and make sure that it’s elevated with the tray or roasting not touching the chicken, this is to make sure the skewers don’t get soggy on the bottom.

Let them cook for about 15-20 minutes then turn the broiler on high to caramelize the skewers for about 3-5 minutes. Turn the skewers over and do the other side. The honey in the marinade should allow them to caramelize fairly fast.

And there you have it! A super easy and delicious appetizer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you end up making these, I sincerely hope you enjoy them! Any feedback & comments are definitely appreciated 🙂

INGREDIENT COSTS

I’m referring to a Loblaws (a generic grocery chain in Canada) weekly flyer and their website.

Pack of 4 Chicken Breasts – $9.33
2 Lemongrass Stalks – $1.79
Garlic – $0.88/100g
Ginger – $0.43/100g
500 g Farm Boy™ Pure Ontario Honey ($4.99) – $0.99/100g
500 ml Rooster Superior Dark Soy Sauce ($1.99) – $0.40/100ml
946 ml No Name Brand Canola Oil ($4.19) – $0.44/100ml
443 ml LKK Pure Sesame Oil ($6.99) – $1.59/100ml
1kg Windsor Table Salt ($1.69) – $0.17/100g
125 ml Realime Single Strength Lime Juice ($0.99) – $0.79/100ml

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