How to make grilled chicken skewers with chimichurri sauce

This versatile sauce, originally from Argentina, brings a zesty feel to a classic dish

(Beverley Hicks)

Grilled chicken skewers with chimichurri sauce

Originally from Argentina, chimichurri is a zesty vibrant green sauce typically served with grilled steak but works equally well with chicken. This versatile sauce made with fresh herbs, garlic, lemon and red wine vinegar can be used as a marinade, drizzle or even a dip.

Ingredients (makes 4-5 servings)

12-15 wooden skewers
1 kg chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
2 medium courgettes, cut into thick half moons
1 leek, cut into 1cm rounds
2 large red onions, cut into chunks
2-3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
3 fat cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp dried oregano
Himalayan pink salt
Freshly ground black pepper

For the chimichurri sauce

2 large banana shallots, finely chopped
1 large packet (50g) flat-leaf parsley, thicker stalks discarded, roughly chopped
1 tbsp (5g) chopped fresh oregano leaves (or 1 tsp dried)
3 fat garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp Himalayan pink salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp red pepper flakes
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
5 tsp red wine vinegar

To make the sauce

Finely chop the shallots and leave to one side. Add the remaining sauce ingredients to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until well chopped but not pureed. Add the chopped shallots and mix well. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Cover and put to one side.

To make the chicken skewers

Put the chicken, courgettes, leek and red onions into a large bowl and drizzle over the coconut oil. Add the garlic, oregano, salt and pepper and mix well to ensure all the chicken and vegetables are well coated.

Remove the skewers from the water and carefully thread the chicken and vegetables on to them until you have used up all the ingredients.

Preheat your oven to 350F/180C/Gas 4.

Put a large griddle pan on a high heat, you will not need to add any oil as the skewer ingredients are already coated in the garlic and oregano oil. Cook about 5 skewers at a time, turning once, until the chicken and vegetables have taken on the griddle pan marks and are golden brown. When you have cooked all the skewers in this way, transfer them to a foil lined oven dish and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through but still moist.

Serve 2-3 skewers per person, drizzle over lots of the chimichurri sauce and sprinkle with some red pepper flakes. You can also put a bowl of sauce on the table for your guests to dip into.

Any remaining sauce can be frozen for up to a month. The sauce will be cloudy when removed from the freezer but will return to its vibrant green colour when back to room temperature.

Follow Beverley @littlechelseakitchen