Grilled Sesame Chicken Skewers Recipe

Similar to a dish that you might order from your local Chinese takeaway favorite, in this grilled chicken skewer recipe we swap fried chicken pieces for delicious, marinated and grilled chicken breast. As recipe developer A.J. Forget explains, the char of the grill adds another layer of flavor to the Chinese-American classic, pairing that sticky-sweet glaze with a leaner, meatier bite of chicken.

When you're in the mood for Chinese food but it's too hot to cook inside or you're trying to avoid fried food, this recipe is the answer. Marinated with soy sauce, ginger, garlic, brown sugar, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and a touch of crushed red pepper, these chicken skewers are packed with flavor all the way through. A quick trip to the grill leaves you with juicy, lightly charred cubes of chicken breast just begging for a bit of glaze.

To complete the dish, in both flavor and appearance, sesame chicken needs a gorgeous glaze. All it takes is a little bit of soy sauce, water, rice vinegar, sesame oil, brown sugar, and cornstarch to whip up the perfect glaze. Brushed onto the cooked skewers, you have not only a culinary masterpiece, but a visual masterpiece as well.

For this recipe you will need cubed chicken breasts, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, and crushed red pepper. To make the glaze, you will also need cornstarch. And for the garnish, you will need toasted sesame seeds and scallions. Once you have gathered these ingredients together, as well as bamboo or metal skewers, you are ready to begin cooking.

Make the marinade by combining the soy sauce, water, brown sugar, rice vinegar, sesame oil, minced garlic, minced ginger, and crushed red pepper in a bowl. Stir until the sugar dissolves.

Add the cubed chicken breast to a large, sealable container and pour over the marinade, mixing to cover well.

Seal the container and place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 1 hour, or as long as 1 day.

Once marinated, remove the chicken from the container and skewer onto metal or soaked bamboo skewers.

Start the grill and bring to high heat.

Grill the skewers for around 5 minutes on each side, or until cooked through.

Remove the chicken skewers from the grill and allow to rest for 5 minutes.

While the chicken is resting, start a small skillet or saucepan on the stove over medium heat.

Add all of the glaze ingredients except the cornstarch, and bring to a simmer.

While the glaze is heating, make a slurry with the cornstarch by stirring it together with 2 tablespoons of water in a small cup.

Once the skillet is simmering, pour in the starch slurry.

Stir until the glaze thickens. Remove from heat.

Brush the glaze on the chicken skewers.

Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and thinly sliced scallions. Serve hot.

Chicken breast is a great meat for skewers. It's easy to cut into nice, even cubes, and its mild flavor pairs well with just about any sauce or marinade you send its way. But chicken breast is far from the only option for these grilled sesame chicken skewers. If you aren't into chicken breast, or there's a good deal on another cut of meat at the grocery store, you will steal yield a similarly tasty result with a few easy swaps.

Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are an excellent alternative for chicken breast, particularly when grilling. The darker meat of the thighs is more flavorful and also carries a bit more fat. When grilled, this fat adds a nice juiciness to the chicken as well as variation in flavor and texture.

Chinese restaurants are never shy about applying the same sauce and cooking technique to different meats, and you shouldn't be either. If you are more of a pork or beef person than a chicken person at your local Chinese takeaway, try using cubes of those meats instead.

The sky really is the limit here. Whatever you can grill on a skewer, you can marinate and glaze with Chinese sesame sauce. Whether you're looking to grill tofu, veggies, even tuna, just take note of the cooking times for each of those proteins, and give it a whirl.

When it comes to matters of cooking, particularly matters of grilling, there are many opinions, and far fewer hard and fast answers. The question of whether to use bamboo or metal skewers for grilling chicken is one of those without a clear answer. Like many issues in cooking, it is more a matter of preference. But here are some things to keep in mind when making your decision.

Bamboo skewers are the simpler option. You can pick up a big bag of them at the grocery store for only a few dollars, and, when you're done, they go in the compost bin. They're inexpensive, simple, and they do the job. But they do have some negatives. The primary con to bamboo skewers is the same as the primary pro: they're disposable. If you grill a lot, you might want to invest in something reusable to save yourself the money and the garbage of buying one-time-use skewers. The other major con of bamboo skewers is that they're flammable. Before use, bamboo skewers should be soaked in water for several hours to ensure that they don't catch fire on the grill.

Metal skewers are considerably more expensive up-front, but pay off in the longer-term. They are reusable and don't need to be soaked before use, so if you are a big fan of kabobs (or you want to start making this recipe every week), metal skewers may be a wise investment.