After weeks of being house bound due to the arrival of Covid-19, I am really enjoying the arrival of warm weather. It is great being able to go outside and garden, take care of my chickens, and to simply enjoy getting fresh air and get out of the house.

With the arrival of summer, I always use our outdoor grill a lot more. If I do turn on the grill, I will usually plan my entire menu for the barbecue, including appetizer, main course, and vegetable sides. I recently made these tasty chicken skewers that I marinated in a spicy pesto sauce for my husband. They turned out great, and I served the cooked skewers with the leftover pesto as a sauce.

I used chicken breasts for this dish, but chicken thighs would work just as well if you prefer. This pesto can be made as spicy as you like, and in fact, you could leave the Calabrian chili pesto out of the sauce if you didn’t want any heat.

Buon Appetito!
Deborah Mele 

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Grilled Chicken Skewers With Spicy Pesto

Yield: Serves 4-6

Prep Time: 3 hours

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 3 hours 10 minutes

Chicken is marinated in a spicy pesto sauce before being grilled on skewers until golden brown in this easy summer main course.

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Ingredients

• 4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, Cut Into Chunks
• 1/3 Cup Lightly Toasted Pine Nuts
• 1 1/2 Cups Chopped Roasted Red Peppers
• 2 Tablespoons Calabrian Chili Pesto
• 1 Cup Fresh Basil Leaves
• 1/4 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 2 Large Garlic Cloves, Peeled
• Salt & Pepper To Taste
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Instructions

1. Place the pine nuts, peppers, chili pesto, basil, parmesan cheese, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor.
2. Process until blended, pouring in enough olive coil to make a thick sauce.
3. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Place the chicken chunks into a casserole dish, and spoon enough of the pesto sauce on top to coat.
5. Toss the chicken to coat evenly, and cover with plastic wrap.
6. Place in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours, or overnight and spoon the remaining sauce into a small bowl to serve with grilled skewers.
7. Take the skewers out of the refrigerator for 2 hours before you intend to grill them.
8. Preheat grill to medium heat.
9. Thread the chicken chunks onto skewers.
10. If using bamboo skewers, be sure to soak them in water for at least an hour first.
11. Spray the grill with an oil spray.
12. Grill the skewers until cooked through and caramelized, about 4 to 5 minutes per side.
13. Serve warm with reserved pesto.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 450Total Fat: 27gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 19gCholesterol: 113mgSodium: 387mgCarbohydrates: 8gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 44g

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