Chicken and Veggie Kabobs with Chardonnay-Herb Marinade

TIME: 20-25 minutes prep, plus 3-8 hours to marinade, 15 minutes to grill. Time-saver tip: If they have it at your grocer, purchase pre-chopped veggies for kabobs in the produce aisle. (Special thanks to Southern Living for the original version of this recipe!)

Ingredients

• 3 pounds skinned and boned chicken thighs
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 8-10 skewers
• Marinade:
  • 1 cup Chardonnay
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 2 shallots, minced
  • 4 garlic cloves, finely grated (I buy refrigerated grated garlic – 1/2 tbsp = 1 clove–they save time, which mean I  cook with garlic more often)
  • 4 tbsp each chopped parsley, basil, and thyme (fresh or dried)-feel free to try different combinations!
  • 2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 4 teaspoons sugar
  • 2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • Veggie Kabobs – (to really save time, purchase them pre-chopped in the produce aisle)
    • 2 whole zucchini
    • 2 whole yellow squash
    • 2 red peppers
    • 3 portobello mushrooms
• For sides – you can have with rice, throw some potatoes on the grill, or just have with good, crusty chunks of  bread.

To cook:

1. Trim excess fat from thighs, and cut each thigh lengthwise into 1 1/2 inch-wide strips
2. Whisk together all marinade ingredients
3. Set aside and chill 1/4 cup of marinade.  Place chicken onto skewers, and place skewers in a shallow pan in a single layer.  Pour remaining marinade over chicken skewers, cover, and refrigerate for 3-8 hours.
4. When ready to cook, preheat grill to 350-400 / medium-high heat.
5.  Brush with vegetable oil lightly, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
6. Chop veggies into 1 – 1 1/2 inch chunks and thread onto their own skewer.  Brush lightly with olive oil and reserved 1/4 cup marinade (not used for the raw meat).  Grill until tender, turning and basting occasionally, approximately 10-15 minutes.
7. Dab kabobs with a paper towel (so that marinade doesn’t drip onto the flame), brush with vegetable oil lightly, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill 11-14 minutes or until chicken is done.  During last 5 minutes of grilling, brush kabobs with remaining reserved marinade.