Hello everybody, it’s me, Dave, welcome to our recipe page. Today, we’re going to make a distinctive dish, mike's chicken shish kebabs & tzatziki sauce. One of my favorites food recipes. This time, I’m gonna make it a little bit unique. This will be really delicious.
Mike's Chicken Shish Kebabs & Tzatziki Sauce is one of the most popular of recent trending foods on earth. It is appreciated by millions every day. It’s simple, it is fast, it tastes delicious. They’re nice and they look fantastic. Mike's Chicken Shish Kebabs & Tzatziki Sauce is something that I’ve loved my entire life.
To begin with this recipe, we have to first 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 it.
The ingredients needed to make Mike's Chicken Shish Kebabs & Tzatziki Sauce:
- Take ● For The Meat
- Get 3 Pounds Fresh Chicken Breast [de-boned - fat trimmed - 1.5" cubed]
- Get ● For The Brine
- Take 1/4 Cup Sugar
- Make ready 1/4 Cup Salt
- Get 6 Drops Liquid Smoke [+ reserves for marinade]
- Take 1 tbsp Granulated Onion Powder [+ reserves for marinade]
- Make ready 1 tbsp Granulated Garlic Powder [+ reserves for marinade]
- Make ready 1 tbsp Red Pepper Flakes [+ reserves for marinade]
- Make ready 1 tbsp Italian Seasoning [+ reserves for marinade]
- Get 1 tbsp Ground Cumin [+ reserves for marinade]
- Prepare 1 tbsp Ground Pepper [+ reserves for marinade]
- Make ready 1 tbsp Each Dried Cilantro, Dried Chives & Dried Parsley [+ reserves for marinade]
- Prepare 1 tbsp Paprika [+ reserves for marinade]
- Get 1 tsp Lemon Pepper [+ reserves for marinade]
- Take ● For The Fresh Vegetables
- Get 3 LG Vidalia Onions [quartered - reserve 1 for chicken scewers]
- Take 1 Purple Onion [quartered]
- Take 1 LG Yellow Bell Pepper [1.5" chop]
- Take 1 LG Red Bell Pepper [1.5" chop]
- Get 2 LG Green Bell Peppers [1.5" chop]
- Prepare 2 Boxes LG Mushrooms [left whole - white & brown]
- Make ready as needed Fresh Cilantro Leaves [for serving]
- Make ready 1 LG Zucchini [1.5" chop - optional]
- Get 1 LG Eggplant [1.5" chop - optional]
- Prepare ● For The Bread Options
- Take as needed LG Fresh Garlic Naan Bread
- Prepare as needed LG Fresh Thick Flour Tortillas
- Make ready ● For The Tzatziki Sauce [DILL-ICIOUS!]
- Take 2 EX LG Garden Cucumbers [peeled - de-seeded - shreaded]
- Get 1 tsp Course Sea Salt [to help drain cucumber fluids]
- Get 2 tbsp Fresh Dill [+ reserves for garnish]
- Prepare 24 oz Fresh Sour Cream
- Prepare 1/2 Cup Fresh Greek Pain Yogurt
- Make ready 1/4 tsp White Pepper
- Make ready 1 1/2 tbsp Fine Minced Garlic
- Get 1 tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice [+ 1 tbsp Lemon Zest]
- Take 1 tbsp Fresh Chives [minced]
- Take 1 Small English Cucumber [for garnish]
- Take ● For The Additions & Utensils
- Prepare as needed Olive Oil [for coating chicken]
- Take as needed Pam Olive Oil Spray [for vegetables]
- Prepare as needed Metal Scewers
- Get as needed Cheese Cloth
- Make ready 2 LG Serving Trays [to keep chicken separate from vegetables]
- Take 1 Pair BBQ Tongs
Steps to make Mike's Chicken Shish Kebabs & Tzatziki Sauce:
- 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.
- Rinse your chicken and cut off anything unsightly. Place in a large bowl and fill with whole ice cubes.
- 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.
- 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°.
- Seal tightly and place in fridge for 4 hours minimum - 8 hours maximum.
- While waiting - create your Tzatziki Sauce. Peel, then half your cucumbers lengthwise. Spoon out all seeds and disgard them.
- 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.
- 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!
- 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.
- Following brine - pull chicken from ice water, drain fluids and place in a dry bowl. Using paper towels, gently dab your chicken strips dry.
- ● 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.
- Feed your fresh garden vegetables onto your scewers.
- 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.
- 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.
- Clean, spray and fire up your grill.
- 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.
- Meat on flames - veggies on top rack.
- Charred chicken and vegetables served in a large bowl. "communal style."
- 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.
- 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.
- 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!
- 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!
How to Elevate Your Mood with Food
Many of us believe that comfort foods are not good for us and that we must avoid them. However, if your comfort food is candy or junk food this can be true. At times, comfort foods can be perfectly nutritious and good for us to consume. There are several foods that basically can raise your moods when you consume them. If you are feeling a little bit down and need a happiness pick me up, try a few of these.
Eggs, believe it or not, can be truly great at fighting back depression. You should see to it, though, that what you make includes the egg yolk. The egg yolk is the most crucial part of the egg in terms of helping elevate your mood. Eggs, the egg yolks especially, are rich in B vitamins. The B vitamin family can be great for boosting your mood. This is because they help your neural transmitters–the parts of your brain that affect your mood–run better. Eat an egg and cheer up!
Put together a trail mix out of seeds and/or nuts. Your mood can be raised by consuming peanuts, almonds, cashews, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, etc. This is possible since these foods are high in magnesium which increases serotonin production. Serotonin is referred to as the “feel good” chemical substance and it tells your brain how you should be feeling day in and day out. The more of it you have, the more pleasant you are going to feel. Nuts, in addition to improving your mood, can be a great source of protein.
Cold water fish are wonderful for eating if you are wanting to battle depression. Herring, trout, tuna, wild salmon, and mackerel are all full of omega-3s and DHA. These are two things that promote the quality and the function of your brain’s grey matter. It’s true: consuming a tuna fish sandwich can seriously elevate your mood.
It’s not hard to fight your bad mood when you are eating grains. Teff, barley, millet, quinoa, etc are all great for helping you feel happier. They help you feel full as well which can actually help to improve your mood. Feeling starved can truly make you feel terrible! These grains can improve your mood as it’s not at all hard for your body to digest them. These foods are easier to digest than others which helps promote a rise in your blood glucose which in turn brings up your mood to a happier place.
Your mood can actually be helped by green tea. You were simply anticipating to read that in this article, weren’t you? Green tea is rich in an amino acid called L-theanine. Research has proven that this amino acid promotes the production of brain waves. This helps improve your mental energy while at the same time calming your body. You knew green tea could help you feel healthier. Now you know it can help you be happier too!
See, you don’t need to stuff your face with junk food when you want to feel better! Try a few of these suggestions instead.
