Game Day Chicken Kabobs w/ Greek Yogurt Dip

If you're like me, you're watching your weight in the new year, so you may be looking for something to serve on Super Bowl Sunday that won't completely ruin your diet. This Chicken Kabob appetizer is perfect. It's made with low-fat chicken tenders and the base of the dip is Greek yogurt which has so many health benefits. It's the kind of dip you can pile on your plate and not feel guilty because it's actually good for you.

The chicken is also healthy but packed with flavor. You may notice that some of the spices for the chicken marinade are a bit exotic but using all of these ingredients is what makes this chicken so good. Though if you don't have them on hand or have time to pick them up, you could sub in 3 tablespoons of curry powder to replace the cumin, coriander, turmeric, and cinnamon.

Either way I hope you give this a try! Your taste buds and waistline will thank you!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Vegetable Oil or Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 lbs. Chicken Tenders

1 tablespoon Cumin

1 tablespoon Coriander

1 tablespoon Turmeric

1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon

1 teaspoon Oregano (or Italian Seasoning)

2 teaspoons Garlic Powder

2 teaspoons Salt

2 teaspoons Coarse Black Pepper

1 cup Greek yogurt (low-fat or non-fat)

1/4 cup chopped mint leaves

1 garlic clove

Juice of half a lemon

salt and pepper to taste

For the Chicken:

This chicken is best when marinated overnight but if you can't, I suggest making it at least 3-4 hours in advance. If you are using wooden skewers, you also want to soak them in water at least 3-4 hours in advance to prevent burning. Small skewers work best, but I used large and they were fine.

In a large bowl add the oil, cumin, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon, oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Use a whisk to mix the spices with the oil; it will become a thick paste. Add the chicken to the bowl and using a large spoon, thoroughly mix the chicken with spice mixture until all the chicken is covered. (You may be tempted to use your hands here, but tamarind will stain your nails! I learned the hard way.) Next, cover the bowl with saran wrap and marinate in the refrigerator.

About 20 minutes before you are ready to cook the chicken, take the bowl out the refrigerator to let the tenders come to room temperature. Then, thread each tender onto the top of a skewer. (see picture>>>)

Now you can cook these using a grill pan (preferred method) or broiler. Either way you want to make sure the broiler or the grill pan is preheated; broiler should be set to high and the grill pan should be on very high heat so that it's almost smoking. Then cook the tenders for 6 minutes on 1 side and 5 minutes on the other side. You can serve immediately with the Greek Yogurt Dip, but these kabobs are tasty even at room temperature.

For the Greek Yogurt Dip:

Just like the chicken, this dip gets better the longer it sits, so feel free to make it as early as a day in advanced.

In a small bowl, add the yogurt, chopped mint, and lemon juice. Using a Microplane, grate in one clove of garlic and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste and cover and refrigerate until ready to serve with the chicken.