Orange Teriyaki Chicken

I love having fruit in entrees. This dish reminds me of the Asian restaurants, but we had to add a little more red pepper to give it that kick it needed. I wish I would have gone the extra mile making fried rice too it would have been better then the steamed rice. It’s easy to prep and grill when you’re ready. I’m sure if you didn’t want to grill the chicken you could bake it in the oven, but we like the added flavor you get by cooking it on the grill.

Orange Teriyaki Chicken Kebabs

(Adapted from On a Stick!: 80 Party-Perfect Recipes by Matt Armendariz)

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2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon ginger, finely grated

1 tablespoon orange zest

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 cup rice vinegar

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons orange marmalade

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice

1 tablespoon honey

pinch of red pepper flakes

1 1/4 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes

To make the sauce: Set a small saucepan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the ginger, orange zest and garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, for 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant. (Watch carefully, you don't want to let the garlic burn, or it'll be bitter.)

Stir in the rice vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, orange marmalade, orange juice, honey and red pepper.

Bring to a simmer and continue cooking for 3-5 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened slightly. Set aside half of the sauce to serve with the cooked chicken, the other half is for brushing the kebabs.

Preheat your grill to medium-high heat (400-450 F). Oil the grates lightly (I use the tongs to hold a paper towel that's been dipped in oil and rub it over the grates). While the grill is heating, thread the chicken cubes onto skewers (we used metal ones, but if you're going with wood skewers, you might want to soak them in cold water beforehand).

Place the kebabs on the grill and cook, giving them a quarter turn every 2-3 minutes, until they are slightly charred on all sides. Brush one side of the kebabs liberally with the sauce then flip and cook until the sauce caramelizes, about 1 minute. Brush the other side with the sauce, flip and cook until caramelized, about 1 more minute. The total cooking time should be about 12-15 minutes, you can use an instant thermometer to verify that the chicken is cooked through. Transfer the kebabs to a platter and let rest for 5 minutes before serving with the reserved sauce.