When preparing for the Easter Raclette I run across an interesting chicken skewer recipe that not only makes for a good Raclette dish but also for a really good BBQ dish. Not that it is already summer in Seattle, we are far away from that but I am already freaking out about the same old same old BBQ dishes. Don’t get me wrong, I love BBQ and I love that my husband is doing most of the cooking in summer but I can only eat so many burgers, ribs and steaks and chicken really is not my favorite meat choice for the BBQ. BUT this chicken recipe is awesome and it will become a staple for my summer BBQ! I would suggest to put the skewers in a fish or veggie basket so that the Mango and Bananas don’t fall off when you are flipping the skewers as they usually get pretty soft by the time the chicken is done.

Banana/Mango Chicken Skewers with Mango/Coconut Cream Sauce (makes approximately 8 small skewers)

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of chicken tenders (I like those better than chicken breast, but you can take any chicken meat)
• 1 big Mango
• 1 Banana
• Lemon juice of one lemon
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 1 tablespoon curry (I like spicy curry)
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon coconut flakes
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 Zucchini cut in strips
• 1 pepper, cut in thin strips
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• wooden skewers
• 2 tablespoons coconut cream (optional)
• Coconut flakes for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1. Cut the chicken and mango in small cubes. Reserve 1/3rd of the Mango for the sauce.
2. Cut the bananas in thick slices and dip into the lemon juice so that the bananas don’t turn brown.
3. Thread 3 pieces of chicken on to the skewer followed by one piece of mango and one slice of banana. Repeat until your skewer runs out of room (for small skewers you will need 6-9 small pieces of chicken and 2 or 3 pieces of Mango and Bananas (each)).
4. Whisk together the oil, curry, 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, soy sauce and coconut flakes and distribute the marinade evenly over the chicken skewers. Cover  the skewers with wrap, and return to the fridge to marinate for a couple of hours.
5. Cut the Zuchhini into thicker strips and the peppers into thinner strips and fry on medium to high heat in a little bit of oil (approx. 2-3 minutes),
6. Meanwhile puree the rest of the mango and mix with the cream, chicken broth and cayenne pepper (if you have coconut cream also add in a couple tablespoons of coconut cream at this stage) and pour the sauce over the vegetables, bring to a slow boil, cover and turn down the heat and let the veggies simmer in the sauce for 5 minutes (if you like your veggies softer just simmer for a little bit longer. Taste if the sauce needs some more salt or pepper.
7. When you are ready to BBQ your chicken, put the chicken skewers in a veggie or fish basket and grill approximately 5-8 minutes from each side, you want to make sure the chicken is cooked completely through and doesn’t show any pink anywhere.
8. Cook some rice, reheat the sauce and serve the chicken skewers over rice with the Mango/Veggie Cream Sauce.

Guten Appetit!