Balsamic Fig Glazed Chicken Skewers

31 Aug

I have three favorite times of the year: 1. Christmas season 2. football season 3. fig season. Yes, figs. You know that fruit – seemingly boring looking on the outside but interesting pop-of-color and texture inside. Figs are so much more than those nasty sandwich newton cookies you had as a kid.

So whenever I see a pretty little package of my fresh favs at Trader Joe’s, I bust out my happy dance.

After I got home and popped a few in my mouth, I thought, “what else can I do to incorporate these into a meal?” So the experiment began….What about a fig balsamic glaze for grilled chicken skewers? Bingo.

One small problem, I’ve never grilled before. Like, ever. I LOVE being in the kitchen, but when it comes to that big, intimidating, shiny, hot thing outside, I leave that up to the hubby. Unfortunately, when I’m feeling inspired, I cannot wait. And he wasn’t home. So I dared to grill, for the first time in my life. Overcoming fears people. #risktaker

I won’t bore you with details (and saving myself the embarrassment), but I’ll put this disclaimer out there – when you turn on the gas, open the lid before you push the ignite switch. Let’s just say I’m really lucky I still have a face. Moving on…

What I love about these skewers is the light flavor of the fig/balsamic combo. The taste is subtle yet gives a hint of neutral sweetness. And the skewers are SO tender! These are sure to impress and super easy to make. Prep takes around 10 minutes and grilling is another 10-12 minutes (unless you burn off your face or fingers, then it will probably set you back a few). In less than 25 minutes you have dinner, lunch, snack, appetizers, whatever!

To start, wash and cut around six figs into fourths. Then in a small pot or saucepan, cook the figs, coconut oil, balsamic vinegar, water, and salt on medium high heat for a few minutes. The figs should start to slowly break down and get nice and mushy.

Next, pour the mixture into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. If the mixture is too thick, you can add more water. Reserve half the mixture and dump the other half in a sealable bag with 6-8 raw chicken breast tenders.

Let the chicken marinate for at least a half hour (the longer the better). When you are ready to cook, turn the grill on medium/high heat and poke a wood or metal stick in to the chicken. Lay the chicken skewers on the grill and coat with the reserved balsamic fig mixture. Let the chicken cook around 6 minutes (depending on the thickness) and then flip, coat the other side with the glaze and cook another 6 minutes or so.

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Be sure to get those nice char marks. Because nothing says, “I’m an experienced griller” more than char marks.

Time Saver Tip

Make a batch of the fig balsamic glaze a few days before you plan on serving and keep refrigerated in a glass mason jar. If you have any of the mixture leftover, it makes a great addition to oatmeal. Or add a little olive oil for a great salad dressing.