Grilled Chicken Skewers with Mint Yogurt Sauce

Like a true Arizonan, I went from bragging about the sunny weather to complaining about the massive heat wave in a matter of, oh, 5 days. As a Phoenix native, I usually stand up for the Valley of the Sun, telling people they will get used to the heat. But then every summer comes around and I'm like, "this is the hottest summer we've ever had" or "ouch! my skin is melting to my black leather seats". So in order to save a few bucks on our A/C bill and to save our sanity, we have stopped using the oven (unless it's to bake delicious cookies, of course), and we are only using the grill to make dinner until we are back under 90 degrees on average. Case in point, these grilled chicken skewers. If you're like me and ham isn't your thing on Easter, try something different this year and serve a hot set of skewers with a cool mint yogurt sauce. Trust me on this one. 

 
Grilled Chicken Skewers with Mint Yogurt Sauce

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breast, cut into 1-2-inch chunks
• 1 can artichoke hearts
• 10 green beans, ends trimmed then broken into 2-inch segments

Lemon Herb Marinade

• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 tbsp. fresh parsley, minced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Mint Yogurt Sauce

• 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
• 2 tbsp. fresh mint, chopped
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 2-3 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
• salt and pepper to taste
• pinch of red pepper flakes

If you are using wood skewers, be sure to soak them in water for a couple of hours before placing food on them so that you don't end up with little pieces of wood in your food!

Preheat your grill to medium-high heat, about 350-400 degrees F.

Place the chicken and veggies on the skewers, alternating them in a pattern. I started with 2 green beans, then an artichoke heart, then a piece of chicken. Repeat until you have about 1-2 inches left on each end of the skewer. Repeat this until you have run out of skewers and or food. I made 4 skewers, but this could easily make up to 5 or 6.

Grill the skewers until the chicken is cooked through, turning them occasionally to cook on all sides, about 2 minutes on each side.

Meanwhile, whip up the lemon herb marinade by whisking all ingredients together in a medium bowl and setting aside. Also make the mint yogurt sauce by whisking all of the listed ingredients together in a separate serving bowl. Place the yogurt sauce in the fridge until ready to serve.

Once the skewers are done cooking, place them into a long baking dish and pour the herb marinade over the top and allow it to set while the chicken rests, about 3-5 minutes. Serve warm with the mint yogurt sauce.

P.S. thanks to my best friends Ashley and Todd for this amazing serving tray!