Mike's Chicken Shish Kebabs & Tzatziki Sauce
Mike's Chicken Shish Kebabs & Tzatziki Sauce

Hello everybody, it is Brad, welcome to my recipe page. Today, I’m gonna show you how to make a special dish, mike's chicken shish kebabs & tzatziki sauce. One of my favorites. For mine, I am going to make it a little bit tasty. This is gonna smell and look delicious.

Mike's Chicken Shish Kebabs & Tzatziki Sauce is one of the most well liked of recent trending meals on earth. It’s easy, it’s fast, it tastes delicious. It’s enjoyed by millions daily. They are fine and they look fantastic. Mike's Chicken Shish Kebabs & Tzatziki Sauce is something which I’ve loved my entire life.

To begin with this particular recipe, we have to prepare a few ingredients. You can cook mike's chicken shish kebabs & tzatziki sauce using 46 ingredients and 22 steps. Here is how you cook that.

The ingredients needed to make Mike's Chicken Shish Kebabs & Tzatziki Sauce:
  1. Prepare ● For The Meat
  2. Make ready 3 Pounds Fresh Chicken Breast [de-boned - fat trimmed - 1.5" cubed]
  3. Make ready ● For The Brine
  4. Take 1/4 Cup Sugar
  5. Take 1/4 Cup Salt
  6. Prepare 6 Drops Liquid Smoke [+ reserves for marinade]
  7. Make ready 1 tbsp Granulated Onion Powder [+ reserves for marinade]
  8. Get 1 tbsp Granulated Garlic Powder [+ reserves for marinade]
  9. Take 1 tbsp Red Pepper Flakes [+ reserves for marinade]
  10. Get 1 tbsp Italian Seasoning [+ reserves for marinade]
  11. Prepare 1 tbsp Ground Cumin [+ reserves for marinade]
  12. Take 1 tbsp Ground Pepper [+ reserves for marinade]
  13. Get 1 tbsp Each Dried Cilantro, Dried Chives & Dried Parsley [+ reserves for marinade]
  14. Get 1 tbsp Paprika [+ reserves for marinade]
  15. Make ready 1 tsp Lemon Pepper [+ reserves for marinade]
  16. Get ● For The Fresh Vegetables
  17. Get 3 LG Vidalia Onions [quartered - reserve 1 for chicken scewers]
  18. Get 1 Purple Onion [quartered]
  19. Make ready 1 LG Yellow Bell Pepper [1.5" chop]
  20. Make ready 1 LG Red Bell Pepper [1.5" chop]
  21. Make ready 2 LG Green Bell Peppers [1.5" chop]
  22. Prepare 2 Boxes LG Mushrooms [left whole - white & brown]
  23. Prepare as needed Fresh Cilantro Leaves [for serving]
  24. Get 1 LG Zucchini [1.5" chop - optional]
  25. Get 1 LG Eggplant [1.5" chop - optional]
  26. Get ● For The Bread Options
  27. Get as needed LG Fresh Garlic Naan Bread
  28. Prepare as needed LG Fresh Thick Flour Tortillas
  29. Get ● For The Tzatziki Sauce [DILL-ICIOUS!]
  30. Prepare 2 EX LG Garden Cucumbers [peeled - de-seeded - shreaded]
  31. Prepare 1 tsp Course Sea Salt [to help drain cucumber fluids]
  32. Get 2 tbsp Fresh Dill [+ reserves for garnish]
  33. Take 24 oz Fresh Sour Cream
  34. Take 1/2 Cup Fresh Greek Pain Yogurt
  35. Take 1/4 tsp White Pepper
  36. Make ready 1 1/2 tbsp Fine Minced Garlic
  37. Get 1 tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice [+ 1 tbsp Lemon Zest]
  38. Take 1 tbsp Fresh Chives [minced]
  39. Get 1 Small English Cucumber [for garnish]
  40. Make ready ● For The Additions & Utensils
  41. Make ready as needed Olive Oil [for coating chicken]
  42. Take as needed Pam Olive Oil Spray [for vegetables]
  43. Get as needed Metal Scewers
  44. Make ready as needed Cheese Cloth
  45. Get 2 LG Serving Trays [to keep chicken separate from vegetables]
  46. Take 1 Pair BBQ Tongs
Steps to make Mike's Chicken Shish Kebabs & Tzatziki Sauce:
  1. Two extra large 2 lb chicken breasts pictured below. ● Authors Note: When purchasing raw chicken, choose firm, never frozen, nicely pink colored, fat and bruise free, organic plump breasts for best results every time.
  2. Rinse your chicken and cut off anything unsightly. Place in a large bowl and fill with whole ice cubes.
  3. Heat up 3 cups water and add everything in the Brine section. Mix well and regularly until all salt and sugars are fully dissolved. Allow brine to cool off before adding it to your chicken and ice mixture.
  4. Mix brine with chicken and ice. Add enough ice cold water to fully cover chicken. You'll want your temperature consistently between 35° and 40°.
  5. Seal tightly and place in fridge for 4 hours minimum - 8 hours maximum.
  6. While waiting - create your Tzatziki Sauce. Peel, then half your cucumbers lengthwise. Spoon out all seeds and disgard them.
  7. Shread and place cucumbers in a strainer with 1 tsp course sea salt. Mix well. Let cucumbers set in the sink for at least an hour - stirring and pressing occasionally. The salt will help to sweat and drain the copious fluids within your cucumbers.
  8. Rinse, dry and chop your vegetables into 1.5" cuts. Try to be consistent with chop sizes for grilling continuity. ● Authors Note: When cleaning your mushrooms, gently wipe them down with a damp cloth or paper towel. If you rinse them under water, know they'll absorb all of that fluid and you'll end up with a soggy mushroom mess!
  9. After an hour - place your shreaded cucumbers in [preferably] cheese cloth or, several sturdy clean paper towels. Squeeze tightly again and again until all fluids are strained. If not, you'll have a runny sauce. Add everything in the ● Tatziki Sauce section together, mix well and chill for an hour minimum. It's best at 2+ hours. Know that as it sits and chills in the fridge, it will take on another delicious flavor all together. Stir your sauce occasionally. Serves 10.
  10. Following brine - pull chicken from ice water, drain fluids and place in a dry bowl. Using paper towels, gently dab your chicken strips dry.
  11. ● Cut chicken breasts into 1.5" pieces. ● Place chicken back in bowl. ● Mix in just enough olive oil to fully coat chicken. Then, season [to taste] with your reserve spices listed above in the ● Brine section. ● Allow chicken pieces to marinate for an hour + in the fridge. I put mine into a Ziplock Bag for space sake but, it's your choice ● Stir or massage chicken occasionally. ● I'll marinate my chicken pieces overnight for fullest flavor.
  12. Feed your fresh garden vegetables onto your scewers.
  13. Lightly spray vegetables with an olive oil spray and season [to taste] with your reserve spices listed in the ● Brine section. Then, spray again to seal on dried seasonings.
  14. Thread your marinated chicken on to your metal scewers with a 1" piece of onion in between each chicken cube. This is an important step for #1: flavor and, #2: even grilling. Lightly season chicken again if desired.
  15. Clean, spray and fire up your grill.
  16. Ready your meat, vegetables and breads. Place your chicken on direct heat and your vegetables on the higher rack away from direct flames. ● Turn chicken regularly. Grill 20 minutes then, turn up the heat and char your chicken and vegetables. Know that brined meat is harder to char so, turn your heat up to at least 500°. Be careful not to burn.
  17. Meat on flames - veggies on top rack.
  18. Charred chicken and vegetables served in a large bowl. "communal style."
  19. Extra large Garlic Naan Breads. They come 2 per pack. You'll need 5 packages. One per person should be enough to fill them up. Especially with a garden, or wedge side salad.
  20. Lightly spray your bread of choice on one side with spray Pam. To taste - lightly sprinkle on Cumin, Granulated Garlic and Onion Powder, Italian Seasoning and White Pepper. Then, spray again to seal in those delicious spices. Place on hot grill until bread is slightly charred. Charred, not burnt.
  21. Serve chicken and veggies hot on warmed, seasoned and charred Naan Bread. No garnishes are needed other than maybe some fresh Cilantro and of course, your creamy chilled Tzatziki Sauce. Oh, and you don't want to forget the ice cold beer! Enjoy!
  22. It's so cool to get your kids to WANT to eat their veggies! Here's proof positive. My students wake at midnight only to reheat their Vegetarian Style Kebabs wrapped in warmed tortillas with their chilled Tzatziki Sauce! With that, GO TEAM MIKE!

Foods That Can Make Your Mood Better

Most of us have been trained to believe that comfort foods are bad and to be avoided. Sometimes, if your comfort food is made of candy or other junk foods, this holds true. Other times, though, comfort foods can be altogether nourishing and it’s good for you to consume them. There are several foods that, when you consume them, can better your mood. When you are feeling a little down and need an emotional pick-me-up, test out some of these.

Eggs, believe it or not, are fantastic for helping you battle depression. You need to see to it, however, that what you make includes the yolk. The yolk is the part of the egg that matters most in terms of helping elevate your mood. Eggs, the yolk particularly, are high in B vitamins. These B vitamins are great for helping to raise your mood. This is because they help your neural transmitters–the parts of your brain that control your mood–run better. Try to eat an egg and feel a lot happier!

Put together a trail mixout of various seeds and nuts. Almonds, cashews, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, etcetera are all great for raising your mood. This is because these nuts are loaded with magnesium, which helps to boost serotonin levels. Serotonin is the “feel good” natural substance that tells your brain how you feel at all times. The higher your levels of serotonin, the better you are going to feel. Nuts, in addition to raising your mood, can be a super protein source.

If you would like to fight depression, you should eat some cold water fish. Tuna, trout, mackerel, herring and wild salmon are all rich in omega-3s and DHA. Omega-3 fatty acids and DHA are two things that improve the quality and the function of your brain’s gray matter. It’s the truth: consuming tuna fish sandwiches can really help you battle your depression.

Some grains are really wonderful for repelling bad moods. Quinoa, barley, millet, etc are fantastic at helping you have a happier mood. They fill you up better and that can help elevate your moods too. Feeling starved can actually bring you down! The reason these grains elevate your mood is that they are easy for your stomach to digest. You digest these foods faster than other foods which can help promote your blood sugar levels, which, in turn, helps make you feel better, mood wise.

Green tea is wonderful for moods. You knew green tea had to be in this article somewhere, right? Green tea is loaded with an amino acid called L-theanine. Research has proven that this amino acid induces the production of brain waves. This will better your brain’s concentration while simultaneously calming the rest of your body. You probably already knew it is not hard to be healthy when you consume green tea. Now you know that applies to your mood as well!

As you can see, you don’t need junk food or foods that are bad for you just so to feel better! Try a couple of of these suggestions instead.