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Close up view of green sauce on Moroccan chicken skewer with a couple roasted potatoes.

Moroccan Chicken Skewers with Crazy Good Green Sauce

Yield: 6 servings
Prep Time: 2 hours 25 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 35 minutes

Ingredients

Chicken:

  • Zest of 1 lemon, 1-2 teaspoons
  • ½ cup fresh lemon juice, from about 2-3 lemons
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 3 to 4 cloves garlic, finely minced (or 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
  • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger or ginger paste (see note)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon salt, I use coarse, kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground coriander
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 1 /2 to 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1-inch cubes

Green Sauce:

  • 1 cup fresh cilantro, lightly packed to measure
  • ½ cup fresh mint
  • ¼ cup chopped green onions or chives
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • Zest of 1 lemon, 1-2 teaspoons
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • Pinch of coarse, kosher salt
  • ½ jalapeno, seeded and coarsely chopped (leave seeds in for more heat)

Instructions 

  • For the chicken, in a small bowl or liquid measuring cup whisk together the lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, ginger, cumin, turmeric, salt, coriander, and pepper. Place the chicken pieces in a shallow dish (preferably with a lid), pour the marinade over and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours (if marinading longer than that, the lemon juice might "cook" and toughen the meat).
  • For the sauce, in a blender or food processor add all the ingredients and puree until desired consistency. Season to taste with additional salt, if needed.
  • Preheat grill to medium-high. Brush grill grates with oil (I don't usually do this on my pellet grill, but I recommend doing so if chicken is prone to sticking on your grill). Thread the marinated chicken pieces onto wooden or metal skewers.
  • Grill for 6-8 minutes, turning once or twice, until cooked through. Serve the chicken skewers with the sauce.

Notes

Ginger: ginger paste is easily and widely found in grocery store produce sections near the fresh herbs/salads. However, keeping fresh ginger on hand is easy...cut fresh ginger into 1-inch pieces and store in the freezer. When ready to use, it can be grated on a box grater straight from the freezer (no need to peel!).
Lemons: remember to zest your lemons before juicing! You'll probably need about four lemons total for this recipe.