Ranch, Rosemary, and Lemon Chicken Kebobs

In a whirlwind trip to Michigan lasting just forty-eight short hours, I managed to do a little antiquing, go kayaking with my nephew, spend time at the beach, watch an unexpected fireworks show over the lake, go out on a morning photo expedition on a boat, stop at a blueberry farm, pick up some souvenirs and gifts, run four miles, picked up some incredible smoked salmon and sturgeon, and drive to one of the lighthouses on the shore of Lake Michigan. But the best part of the trip was being able to spend time with my sister, brother-in-law, and the kids. Now that my niece and nephew are all grown up and each live a thousand miles away, any time spent with them is time treasured. The weather could not have been more perfect. Which meant the time spent worrying about the rain forecasted for one of the days was for naught. I managed to bring up a bottle of wine my wine-connoisseur sister thought was AMAZING (and what a vindicating relief that was!). And as hectic as my travel day going up to the lake was (baking chocolate chip cookies, packing clothes and the cooler, and cheering on friends at Fourth of July race before making the four hour drive), it was an incredibly relaxing, re-energizing couple of days. Just being near water feels zen.

My sister and I have had the same conversation every year for the last twenty years I come up to the lake. It goes something like this. Me: "What can I bring?" Her: "Nothing, just yourself." Me: "Are you sure?" Her: "Yes, we have plenty of food."  What makes this predictable dialogue so hilarious is we both know I am not going to listen or take 'no' for an answer. So this year, in addition to bringing up these chocolate chip cookies, this hummus, and the wine, I decided I would pack up everything needed to make Ranch, Rosemary, and Lemon Chicken Kebobs. Considering my brother-in-law is the grill master in the family, they were destined to make for the most perfect Fourth of July dinner. Well perfect is a relative term in my family as everyone is a food critic. A rating of 8 or above on a 10 point scale is what one hopes for as giving anything a 10 would be akin to finding a unicorn. But in all honesty, these kebobs should become one of the weeknight meal traditions at the lake going forward. Note to self: Buy my sister some metal skewers for Christmas this year.

If you are someone who loves chicken, especially grilled chicken, you are going to flip over these Ranch, Rosemary, and Lemon Chicken Kebobs. They are incredibly flavorful, tender, moist, mouthwatering bites of pure deliciousness. They have the potential to become habit forming. 

The secret to chicken kebob's moistness and flavorfulness is the marinade. A mixture made with olive oil, (bottled) ranch dressing, kosher salt, black pepper, sugar, white vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and freshly chopped rosemary. Skinless, boneless chicken breasts cut into 1" to 1.5" cubes soak in the marinade for four to six hours. Using a ziplock bag for the marinating process makes clean up so easy. Note: Out of convenience, I assembled the marinade before I made the four hour road trip, putting it in the cooler along with the boneless, skinless chicken breasts (not yet cut up). Once I arrived at the lake cottage, I cubed the chicken and added it to the marinade. 

When buying boneless, skinless chicken breasts, look for ones on the larger size. If the Ranch, Rosemary, and Lemon Chicken Kebobs are going to be the main course, plan on half-pound servings for normal appetites and three-quarters of a pound for heartier appetites. Cut each chicken breast lengthwise into strips, then cut each strip into cubes. Note: I was able to get three strips from each chicken breast.

Thread the marinated chicken cubes on a metal skewer and place on a medium-high heat grill. Cooking time for the kebobs ranges from 10-14 minutes or until the inside of the chicken is no longer pink. Turn the kebobs over once so there are grill marks on both sides of the chicken. Grill slices of lemon while the grilled kebobs are resting. The lemon slices will grill up quickly. Keep them on the grill only until you have grill marks on either side of the slices. Arrange the Ranch, Rosemary, and Lemon Chicken Kebobs on a large platter and garnish with the grilled lemon slices and some sprigs of fresh rosemary.

Either this Lemony Potato Salad or this Calico Coleslaw would be a great compliment to the kebobs. Open a bottle or two of your favorite wine and you have a perfect, stress-free family and/or friends dinner. We are talking seriously perfect entertaining food.

Recipe
Ranch, Rosemary, and Grilled Lemon Chicken Kebobs (slight adaptation to a recipe on Allrecipes)
Serves 6-8

Ingredients
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup good quality bottled ranch dressing
3 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 Tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
6 large skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1" to 1.5" cubes (approximately 3 3/4 to 4 pounds)
2 lemons
Several springs of fresh rosemary (optional)

Directions
1. In a large ziplock bag, combine the olive oil, ranch dressing, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, salt, vinegar, pepper, and sugar. Seal bag and shake to combine.
2. Add chicken cubes to the marinade and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours.
3. Thread 5 to 6 pieces of chicken on each skewer (recommend using 12" metal skewers). Discard marinade.
4. Heat grill to medium-high. 
5. Grill chicken skewers for 10-14 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in the center.
6. Cut lemons in half inch slices. Place lemon slices on grill. Grill until there are grill marks on each side of the lemon.
7. Place cooked skewers on a platter. Garnish with grilled lemon slices and rosemary sprigs. Serve immediately.

Notes: (1) Highly recommend using metal versus wooden skewers. However, if you use wooden skewers make sure you soak them in warm water for 20-30 minutes to prevent burning. (2) If any leftovers remain, remove the grilled chicken from the skewers and store in a sealed container. The chicken heats up beautifully in the microwave. (3) If making these kebabs for 3 to 4 people, cut the recipe in half. (4) I used Hidden Valley Ranch dressing in the marinade. 

Petite Point Au Sable Lighthouse (Little Sable Point Lighthouse) as sunset approached. Mears, Michigan, constructed in 1874 (July 2018)