Thai Chicken Skewers: More Grilling Bliss!

While searching for more delicious recipes for the smoker, we came across a recipe for Thai Chicken Skewers on the Traeger site. I was sold immediately on the name alone. Rachel encouraged me to research further, but research and my personality do not mix. More on that another day.

Thai Chicken Skewers

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 1-inch piece fresh ginger, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Your favorite Asian peanut sauce for serving


Slice the chicken lengthwise into 3/8-inch wide strips; easier if chicken is partially frozen first. Place the chicken strips in a Ziploc bag. In a food processor, combine the cilantro, coconut juice, lime juice, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, curry paste, cumin, and pepper; blend until smooth. Pour over the chicken strips and refrigerate for at least one hour. Drain the chicken and discard the marinade. Thread the chicken strips onto bamboo skewers. When ready to cook, turn grill on high. Arrange skewers directly on the grill. Slip a piece of aluminum foil under the exposed end of the skewers to prevent them from burning. Grill the chicken until cooked through, turning once, about 4-6 minutes per side.

You notice that even though this is a Traeger recipe, we did not cook this on the Traeger grill. This is due to the short cooking time which is not conducive to the smoker. Each time we would open the lid to re-arrange the skewers, all the heat would escape and it was 10 more minutes to get back up to cooking temperature. After one batch, we switched everything to the propane grill.

This dish received rave reviews. One party attendee even had more chicken skewers for dessert. The marinade was perfect but I did tone it down. I gave Rachel a taste test and it was far too strong. We added some brown sugar and more unsweetened coconut milk.

The absolute best part of the skewers: when you make 75 of them, you get a lot of leftovers for breakfast, lunch, brunch and midnight snack.


Happy Eating.