Asian Chicken on a Stick

I served this at a large function a few weeks ago and it was a big hit. Don't worry about the measurements as marinades are more about ratios and less about measurements. What you end up with should be very strong in flavor as the flavors will get more muted during marination and cooking.

Meat on a stick, yeah...

Asian Chicken Marinade:

1 clean jar with lid (about 8 or 12 oz)
1/3 of a jar of veg oil
1/3 of a jar of soy sauce
3 tbsp of lime juice
2 tbsp of garlic salt
1 tbsp of black pepper
1 tbsp of chopped ginger
1 tbsp of chopped garlic
1 tbsp of honey or sugar
1 teaspoon of mustard powder
1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper

Put everything in the jar and snug the lid. Shake it until well blended. (Re-shake before using.) You can adjust the spices as this is a pretty forgiving marinade. I was serving 20 people of varying degrees of food temperment, so I kept the heat down, a little. Other great additions: chopped green onion, red onion, use a different juice instead of lime, or some more native asian peppers.

Asian Chicken Sticks:

8 pounds of chicken (or about 1/3 pound per person)
2 1-gallon size zip bags
40 bamboo skewers (I like #12 size)

In a zip-up plastic bag, put in about 4 pounds of chicken that has been sliced in to chunks about 1/2" x 1/2" x 3" (like about the size of your thumb, but double the length) and pour in 1/2 of the jar of the shaken marinade and zip the bag. Massage the marinade into the chicken and squeeze out the air. Refrigerate for at least an hour.

When you're ready to cook, slide the chicken onto the skewers covering most of the skewer with chicken. Don't bother soaking the skewers in water in advance. The ends will probably burn off, anyway, and the chicken will keep the rest from burning up. Give yourself some time to do this. 8 pounds will take about 30 minutes to skewer.

Grill for about 2 minutes, then rotate. Repeat until you've cooked all 3 or 4 sides and the chicken has a nice char and some browning, but don't overcook it (it will dry out pretty quickly, especially if you are using breast meat). When you squeeze it with your tongs, it should still give a little, but not be squishy at all. You should shoot for an internal temperature of 155 degrees. Carry-over cooking will take that to a safe 160 degrees.

Serve as is or on rice. Goes well with a peanut dipping sauce made with peanut butter, soy sauce, peppers, and garlic.