SUMAC & LEMON CHICKEN SKEWERS
Sumac and garlic chicken skewers with lemon and herbs
So so simple, and really delicious. We don’t use a recipe for this one – it’s all about how it looks. Does it look flavoursome?
The title kinda says it all, but let’s break it down a little further, just for fun:
Chicken thigh fillets, let’s go at least one fillet per person. Cut it into 2 or three strips – whatever size you want skewered. Throw the strips into a bowl.
Add roughly 1 tbsp minced/crushed garlic for every 4 fillets. Same goes for the sumac*. And same goes for some canola oil while you’re at it.
So to recap, for every 4 chicken thigh fillets:
1 tbsp crushed/minced garlic
1 tbsp sumac*
1 tbsp canola oil. Actually, wait make that a good lug of canola oil… Sorry, it’s a visual thing… You want the chicken to look glossy and nicely covered in sumac and garlic. But you don’t want it to be swimming in oil, and you don’t want so much excess garlic and sumac that it’s just left in the bowl.
Now, skewer the chicken and lay it out flat on a tray. Wait, before you do that, get a pan on the heat – sit it on low-medium heat so it’s ready to cook with as soon as you’re done skewering.
As you were… finish skewering the chicken.
Oil the hot pan so it’s well coated – canola or olive are equally good here.
Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
Sear on high heat, seasoned side down. It should sizzle loudly on contact with the pan. If it doesn’t, take it off and wait til you have a hot pan.
While the chicken’s searing away, season the top side of your skewers.
Check oil levels and top up if needed – don’t let any dry areas form on the pan’s surface.
Peak at a skewer, you want it slightly charred in places, and mostly golden. If it is, flip.
Keep cooking until the chicken is fully cooked. Poke test the largest piece – it should feel firm to the touch. Slice the large piece down to the skewer and get a visual just to be sure.
Just as the chicken is cooked, squeeze in some lemon. About 1 lemon for every 4-6 thighs should do the trick. Swish around the lemon juice in the pan, coating the chicken in the lovely glossy sauce. Plate up and finish with fresh herbs (we use lemon thyme – a real favourite here). and drizzle over the juices from the pan. Yummo.
*You’ll find sumac at any well stoked grocer. We source our spices from Triton Wholesale Foods in West End – they’re open to the public and they’re awesome They’re also a hop skip and jump from here in Milton, so really handy for last-minute supplies.
