As for the vegetables, I encourage you to improvise here. I tend to opt for vegetables that taste more like fruit. Tomatoes, red, yellow and orange peppers.In lieu of this, you can create any combination of basil, oregano, marjoram and thyme. You can also throw some chopped garlic or some diced shallots into the mix.
Mix your herbs, lemon juice and olive oil with the chicken cubes, cover it, stick it in the fridge and let that sit. I usually make it in the morning and let it sit until it’s ready to grill that evening. Try to give it at least four hours to get to know itself. When it’s good and ready, you’ll know it because the lemon juice should have started to turn the outsides of the chicken cubes white. Skewer your meat and set it on a cookie sheet or some tin foil. Retain any marinade that’s left in the bowl—you’ll dump that on your chicken while you’re grilling it.
As for the vegetables, I encourage you to improvise here. I tend to opt for vegetables that taste more like fruit. Tomatoes, red, yellow and orange peppers. Sometimes I’ll skewer up some mushrooms. My advice? Just pile up your favorite grillable veggies on skewers and throw ‘em on there. There’s no right answer here—just what you know you’re going to enjoy.
While the grill is heating up, make your yogurt sauce.
The yogurt sauce is key to this meal. It’s the perfect complement to the chicken and whatever vegetables you’ve chosen. Start with plain, non-fat Greek yogurt. I usually go with Fage, but the brand isn’t important. Now, you can flavor it any way you want, but here’s what I do: I take about half a cucumber, chop it up, and push the pieces through a garlic press to create a sort of cucumber mush (along with the cucumber water that comes with it). I mix that in with garlic—the amount of which is determined by how close I want my mouth to get to my wife’s nose later that evening. Add salt and pepper to taste and you should be golden. I use white pepper because it gives it a certain type of bite that black pepper lacks. You can also add a bit of lemon juice, a dash of cumin or curry powder if you’re feeling feisty—but don’t feel like you have to overdo it. The name of the game is simplicity.
It’s tough to mess up chicken on the grill. You can undercook it, which is gross and will likely make your guests think you’re trying to kill them. Or you can burn it. Anything in between is acceptable.
If this isn’t enough food, you can always add some white or brown rice as a side. The rice mixes impressively with the yogurt sauce.
And there you have it—it’s a perfect summer meal, pairs great with white wine or beer, and it’s gluten-free to boot.
