Monday, September 26, 2011

Grilled Chicken Kabobs with Bacon


I love the Secret Recipe Club!  I've been lucky enough to meet yet another wonderful blogger through my club assignment, and this month I almost feel as though I've met a soulmate (she just doesn't know it yet!).

Chris, from The Cafe Sucré Farine, is a delightful wife, mother and grandmother with a flair for food and photography.  My first visit to her site had me printing recipe after recipe and she is a girl after my heart with her mouth watering grilled dishes.  Immediately catching my eye was the Tequila Citrus Chicken with Grilled Peach and Raspberry Salad.  However, just a few scrolls down I switched gears and found the Peach and Cherry Scone Shortcake quickly followed by a Yeasted Belgium Waffle.

Having taken Spanish while in high school, my understanding of the title of the blog was left as, "Something foodie with coffee and sugar...".  Chris' story however is far more interesting as it is simple.  A set of canisters in her kitchen with the French words for Tea, Coffee, Sugar and Flour (Thé, Café, Sucré, and Farine) led to a family friend (and frequent lucky "enjoyer" of her treat filled kitchen) to say, "That's it, Mrs. S! The name of your restaurant -The Café Sucré Farine"!  After reading much of her blog,  I'm here to say that's a restaurant I'd visit any day.  Chris' smile and friendly way of writing has you feeling like you have been welcomed into her warm kitchen and you are eagerly awaiting the next treat fresh from the oven while enjoying a nice afternoon chat.

With an ever growing stack of printed recipes our choice was narrowed when we got to planning dinner and I stumbled upon a recipe entitled Fabulous Grilled Chicken Kebobs.  The title alone caught my eye, but it was her photo that pushed me over the edge and got to cooking.

At this point I have to admit that I am not really a fan of bacon, however my family adores the cured meat whether it's a simple crispy/chewy piece of bacon or featured in a dish.  The smell alone does me in, but I especially don't like the "feel" of  the uncooked bacon.  This recipe pushed me to the edge with a requirement to actually puree, yes... puree, the bacon and then rub it over the chicken.  Strange and I didn't really like doing it , but after the first taste, I deemed it absolutely and totally worth it!

Two strips of uncooked bacon are indeed pureed with a little sugar, smoked as well as sweet paprika and salt.  Rubbed over the sliced chicken and then threaded onto skewers, the kabobs are then grilled and brushed with BBQ Sauce for a delicious finish.

Tender, juicy, and simply exuding flavor, these kabobs were indeed fabulous.  The entire family reached for seconds and mommy was the star of the evening (I love those kind of nights!).  Most enjoyable though, was watching my dog salivate as I chopped up a little leftover piece to mix in with his kibble.  He literally leaped to his bowl and within minutes had licked it clean.


Chris, what a treat it has been to "meet" you!  I will forever be an ardent follower of The Café Sucré Farine and I look forward to more delightful dishes coming from your kitchen.



Grilled Chicken Kabobs with Bacon
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Tender and extraordinarily flavorful chicken sure to be a hit at any gathering.  Simply exuding flavor the kabobs are good fresh from the grill, or packed in a basked for a picnic.

2 pounds boneless chicken breast, or skinless chicken thighs or breasts, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1-inch cubes (see note)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
4 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
2 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
8 10-12-inch wooden skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes (or longer) before using
1 cup barbecue sauce, your favorite, we like Sweet Baby Ray's Hickory and Brown Sugar

1. Toss chicken and salt in large bowl; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.

2. Heat gas grill to medium high,

3. Divide barbecue sauce, 1/2 for grilling and the other 1/2 for passing at the table.

4. While grill heats, pat chicken dry with paper towels. Combine sweet paprika, sugar, and smoked paprika in small bowl. Process bacon in food processor until smooth paste forms, 30 to 45 seconds, scraping down bowl twice during processing. Add bacon paste and spice mixture to chicken; mix with hands or rubber spatula until ingredients are thoroughly blended and chicken is completely coated. Thread meat onto skewers, rolling or folding meat as necessary to maintain 1-inch cubes.

5. Place kebabs on grill, turning one-quarter turn every 2 to 2 1/2 minutes until well browned and slightly charred, about 8 minutes for breasts or 10 minutes for thighs. Brush top surface of kebabs with ¼ cup sauce; flip and cook until sauce is brown in spots, about 1 minute. Brush second side with remaining ¼ cup sauce; flip and continue to cook until brown in spots and instant-read thermometer inserted in center of meat registers 160 degrees for breasts and 175 degrees for thighs, about 1 minute longer. Remove kebabs from grill and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve, passing reserved barbecue sauce separately.

Serves 4

Adapted from Cooks Illustrated
Note:  The only change I made was to use Trader Joe's Steak Sauce in place of the BBQ Sauce - simply due to my lack of planning, but a light brushing of the sauce worked wonderfully with the recipe! 

Secret Recipe Club 



37 comments:

  1. Oh my, how can you go wrong with grilled meat and bacon! I'll be trying this one soon. I'm glad you spoke openly about pureeing the bacon because you've given me the confidence to do it, too!

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  2. The kabobs look mouthwatering. This is my first time here and I can't wait to see the rest of u'r blog. Nice meeting u thru SRC. And I must day, thats one really adorable little doggie u have!

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  3. Kim,
    What a lovely post you have written, it just about made me cry, it is so sweet....... thanks for your kind words and I'm so glad that you have enjoyed The Café! I will enjoy discovering your blog as it does seem that we just might be two peas in a pod when it comes to cooking - oh, and family too - you have a beautiful family! :)
    Thanks again,
    Chris

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  4. Oh, and one other thing, Kim - I can't take responsibility for any of the photography, my husband is the genius behind the lovely photos!

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  5. I love the flavor smoked paprika gives to things. Those kabobs look fantastic! You have a great SRC group!

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  6. These kabobs look amazing! Only a little more time here in the East to make these kinds of things since it is getting chiller. I will have to fire up the grill one more time to make these!

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  7. This looks like a fabulous recipe. Anything with pork is good!!!! Great SRC post.

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  8. Such a nice post! And, these kabobs look amazing. Really bacon makes everything even better!

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  9. These Kabobs look absolutely incredible! I am so happy you picked these for SRC, printing now!

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  10. I think this is an interesting recipe too. We eat a lot of chicken for dinner so it's nice to put something a little different on the table;-)
    I'm going to check out your new friend from the SCR, thanks for sharing and hope you're enjoying your week, so far;-)

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  11. For a not lover of bacon, you sure were brave, glad you ultimately enjoyed it. As for me, put bacon in or on it and I love it. Nice background talk on your SRC, I enjoyed it.

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  12. Whoa, this looks delicious! I've never heard of such a thing, puree-ing bacon to rub over another meat...it's intriguing. Thanks for sharing - sounds too cool!

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  13. What a great pick! I love anything with bacon, but these sound especially yummy (and easy, too). I'm hoping to squeeze in a few more dinners on the grill before it gets too cold to cook outside, and I think this recipe just jumped to the top of the list of things I still want to make.
    Thanks so much for the intro to Chris' blog. I can see how you had trouble choosing! :)

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  14. I am intrigued with the bacon paste - I will definitely be trying this one. Looks GREAT!

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  15. I love this recipe, a little different and unique. Anything is better with bacon. Do you think that you could use the turkey bacon?

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  16. Chicken and bacon are a good combo for sure! These kabobs look tasty and your pup is adorable!

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  17. Everything is great with bacon. WHat a great recipe you picked for the SRC. Thanks for sharing with us.

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  18. Ooh! I got Chris's blog last month and loved it! These kabobs are a great pick for your SRC post and look outstanding!

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  19. What a fabulous post for SRC! This looks delicious! :)

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  20. Great SRC post! Bacon, sugar and herb rubbed chicken - to good to be true! thanks for sharing I'm making this one soon!

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  21. This secret recipe club looks so much fun. You certainly can't go wrong with this chicken - had no idea you're not keen on bacon but no wonder you gave in with this dish. Looks so tasty, Kim!

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  22. I DIE! You sealed the deal with your description of the pureed bacon with sugar and paprikas--I can just imagine all those flavors with the chicken and now I have to make this! Great job--looks fantastic!

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  23. You had me at bacon... That chicken looks and sounds delish.

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  24. Yum! I could go for one of those chicken kabobs NOW :)

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  25. Love the twist with bacon in these kebabs!
    Awesome to be in the Secret Recipe Club with you. Here is my post from group C - http://su.pr/2rtACr

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  26. The kabobs looks absolutely delicious! The sound of bacon with chicken sounds so perfect together! Great post!

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  27. that recipe looks like a keeper!! mm bacon hee hee

    Glad to be in Group C with you!

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  28. Love this...need to go check out this blog for sure! Always looking for yummy chicken recipes, and bacon? Well it's one of my favorites...cholesterol be damned!

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  29. Pureeing bacon does seem a little off putting but the results look wonderful! I love all the other flavors too like the smoky paprika. I'd be licking my bowl too!

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  30. oh my goodness. That is a gorgeous dish! Love it!!!

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  31. Love this recipe and the chicken looks wonderful! We will have to try this at our next kabob meal! Great SRC pick!

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  32. Never ever would have thought to puree bacon, what a great idea! I bet it adds so much flavor.

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  33. I made this tonight and we LOVED it! A refreshing change from our usual Indian food. Thx for sharing such a great recipe!

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  34. Its hard to keep on typing when you're all drooling over the keyboard. Your dish looks delicious.

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