Tropical Chicken Skewers With Mango Yogurt Dipping Sauce Recipe

These tropical chicken skewers with mango yogurt dipping sauce are a huge hit in my household.  I get the whole family involved in the preparation.  It makes a great dish for summer barbecues and it can always be prepared ahead of time and put on the grill later.

 Tropical Chicken Skewers

Ingredients

6-12 inch bamboo skewers soaked in water

Yield: 6 skewers and 1 1/4 cups sauce

Marinade

• 1 cup pineapple juice
• ½ teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 cup orange juice
• ½ cup canola oil
• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 small chipotle pepper

Chicken

• 1 ripe papaya
• ½ small ripe pineapple
• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (5-7 ounces each)
• 12 cherry tomatoes, rinsed
• Mango Dipping Sauce (recipe follows)
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Mango Dipping Sauce

• 1 large ripe mango
• ¼ cup plain yogurt
• 1 small chipotle pepper
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 scallion, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground pepper

Preparation

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Marinade

• Ccmbine the pineapple juice, orange juice, oil, brown sugar, lemon juice, salt, allspice and chipotle in a small saucepan.
• Place over medium high heat and bring to a boil.
• Reduce the heat and simmer for about 25 minutes or until thickened and reduced.
• Remove from the heat and cool thoroughly.

Chicken

• Cut each chicken breast into 8 pieces, giving you a total of 24 pieces of chicken and set aside.
• Be sure to wash cutting board thoroughly before cutting the fruit.
• Peel and seed the papaya and cut into 12 pieces.
• Peel, core, and cut the pineapple into 12 pieces, similar in size to the papaya and chicken.
• Start threading the chicken, tomatoes, and the fruit pieces onto the skewers, alternating as you go.  Make sure to include 4 pieces of chicken, 2 cherry tomatoes, 2 chunks of pineapple, and 2 chunks of papaya on each skewer.
• Lay the finished skewers in a large rectangular pan, deep enough to hold them in a single layer.
• Pour the marinade over the skewers, cover, and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.

Mango Dipping Sauce

• Slice both ends from the mango to determine where the seed is located.
• Peel the skin from the mango with a sharp knife or peeler.
• Cut the fleshy “cheeks” from each side of the mango by cutting it in half lengthwise along the side of the seed.
• Trim around the mango, following the curve of the seed to remove the remaining flesh.
• Transfer the flesh to the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade or to a blender.
• Add the yogurt, chipotle pepper, lime juice, and scallion to the bowl and pulse until smooth.
• Season to taste with pepper and more salt if necessary and pulse once or twice to blend.
• The sauce can be refrigerated up to 2 days.

Grilling

• Prepare a charcoal or gas grill, so that the coals or heating elements are medium hot.
• Remove the skewers from the marinade and season with salt and pepper.
• Grill skewers over medium heat, cooking for 5-7 minutes per side.  Turn as needed until the chicken is cooked through.

*** To peel the pineapple:

• Remove the crown and base of the pineapple.
• Place it base side down and carefully slice off the skin.
• Carve out any of the remaining “eyes” with the tip of a sharp knife.
• Cut 4 large pieces away from the core of the pineapple and then cut those pieces into the desired size.

Serve the skewers, passing the dipping sauce on the side or pouring it into individual dishes for each person.  If you need a scrumptious dessert, you can never go wrong with these Turtle Brownies.  Sure to please…