Why did the chicken cross the road? To spicy up his life, is why! There is never a reason to have a boring chicken cross your plate. Chickens are very agreeable. They are happy to provide you with a fairly neutral canvas to color upon. These little chicks threaded their way onto sticks since they had been invited to a party! They would be equally happy being served up on a platter as a whole marinated breast. Anyway you slice it, the sweet and salty, slightly zesty marinade makes these chickens thrilled to dance to whatever song your playing, especially when you dress them up in a Spicy Orange Sauce outfit! Remember they do have their own song and “Chicken Dance” already!
Make the Spicy Orange Sauce and refrigerate until ready to use. You can drizzle the sauce over the appetizer or place sauce in a bowl to spoon over the chicken. This sauce is so fantastic you may want to eat it by the spoonfuls!
Combine all marinade ingredients in a small bowl. Tamari is a wonderful substitution for soy sauce and you will please every guest, even your gluten free friends!
Cut chicken into strips and place in a Ziploc bag to pound into an even thickness.
Pound the chicken to about 1/2 inch thick. Place chicken strips into a new, clean Ziploc bag. The one you just used to pound the chicken could have small holes or tears and the marinade will drip out of the bag.
Pour marinade over chicken strips and massage the marinade around until chicken is well coated.
If you are using a whole breast, pound the chicken breast until it is flat and an even thickness. The breast is uneven; thicker at the top end and thinner at the bottom. There is no way the chicken in this state is going to cook evenly and you will have part raw and part very dry. Not a happy chicken!
Place in refrigerator for 1-2 hours if cut into strips and 3-4 hours or up to overnight if using whole chicken breasts. The lemon in the marinade will break down the fibers in the meat so the strips need much less time to marinate.
Soak the bamboo skewers for at least 30 minutes before using. If you use the bamboo skewers without soaking, they will go up in flames on the grill. Usually not the best form of entertainment!
Thread the chicken strips on skewers, weaving the skewer in and out of the chicken strip to secure it.
Grill each side about 2-3 minutes or until the chicken has nice grill marks and juices run clear. The chicken breast, depending on how thick it is, will cook in about 4-6 minutes per side.
TIP: For the chicken breast, use a thermometer, inserted in the middle of the breast and when the temperature hits 155°F, the chicken is done. Remove the chicken from the grill, cover and give the little bird a nice rest. The meat temperature will continue to rise to 160°F, which results in a juicier and more flavorful chicken breast.
Plate the chicken skewers on a bed of spinach or shredded broccoli slaw and drizzle with the Spicy Orange Sauce. On or off the skewers, these are some tasty chickens and they are so happy they crossed the road!
- 1/4 cup orange marmalade
- 1/8 cup water, or less to thin mixture
- 1 tsp Sriracha, more or less depending on how spicy you like it
- 2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce or Tamari Sauce (gluten free)
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (1 medium lemon)
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large shallot, minced
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 4 chicken breast halves
- Spicy Orange Sauce: Combine orange marmalade, water and Sriracha and mix until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use. You can drizzle the sauce over the appetizer or place sauce in a bowl to spoon over the chicken.
- Combine all marinade ingredients in a small bowl.
- Pound the chicken to about 1/2 inch thick. Place chicken strips into a new, clean Ziploc bag. The one you just used to pound the chicken could have small holes or tears and the marinade will drip out of the bag. Pour marinade over chicken strips and massage the marinade around until chicken is well coated.
- If you are using a whole breast, pound the chicken breast until it is flat and an even thickness. The breast is uneven; thicker at the top end and thinner at the bottom. There is no way the chicken in this state is going to cook evenly and you will have part raw and part very dry. Not a happy chicken!
- Place in refrigerator for 1-2 hours if cut into strips and 3-4 hours or up to overnight if using whole chicken breasts. The lemon in the marinade will break down the fibers in the meat so the strips need much less time to marinate.
- Soak the bamboo skewers for at least 30 minutes before using. If you use the bamboo skewers without soaking, they will go up in flames on the grill.
- Thread the chicken strips on skewers, weaving the skewer in and out of the chicken strip to secure it.
- Grill each side about 2 minutes or until the chicken has nice grill marks and juices run clear. The chicken breast, depending on how thick it is, will cook in about 4-6 minutes per side.
- For the chicken breast, use a thermometer, inserted in the middle of the breast and when the temperature hits 155°F, the chicken is done. Remove the chicken from the grill, cover and give the little bird a nice rest. The meat temperature will continue to rise to 160°F, which results in a juicier and more flavorful chicken breast.
- Plate the chicken skewers on a bed of spinach or shredded broccoli slaw and drizzle with the Spicy Orange Sauce.
- FDA recommends 165°F for cooked chicken but a little less results in juicier chicken and I have never had a problem with it. Please cook to the temperature you feel comfortable with.
