Sesame Chicken Kabobs

Photo from
Damn Delicioius

On Sunday, I decided to do a little meal prep for the week. And by "little meal prep," I mean I cooked one extra chicken breast so I'd have an easy lunch waiting for me later in the week.

That chicken became this Sesame Chicken, and unfortunately, it just didn't wow me. Today I paired it with my current food obsession—this cucumber salad—and sat down expecting a lunch packed with flavor.

Maybe part of the problem was that I ate the chicken cold, but I was still hoping for a bold sesame punch. Instead, the flavor felt pretty muted and left me a little disappointed.

The good news? The cucumber salad completely stole the show. Again. Crisp, tangy, refreshing, and packed with flavor, it was easily the best part of the meal. At this point, I'm finding excuses to make it almost every day.

Not every recipe can be a winner, but at least this lunch had one shining star.

Sesame Chicken Kabobs

Recipe from Damn Delicious

Serves 4

• ⅓ cup reduced sodium soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons ketchup
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 ½ tablespoons canola oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

In a medium bowl, combine soy sauce, ketchup, honey, sesame oil, Dijon, vinegar, ginger and garlic. Reserve 1/3 cup and set aside.

In a gallon size Ziploc bag or large bowl, combine soy sauce mixture and chicken; marinate for at least 2 hours to overnight, up to 8 hours, turning the bag occasionally. Drain the chicken from the marinade.

Thread chicken onto skewers. Brush with canola oil; season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Preheat grill to medium heat.

Add skewers to grill, and cook, turning occasionally, until the chicken is completely cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 10 minutes. Brush skewers with reserved soy sauce mixture, cooking for an additional 1-2 minutes.

Serve immediately, garnished with green onions and sesame seeds, if desired.