Ali Clarke makes Chicken Skewers and Yogurt Flatbreads, as seen on Meal Prepping with Ali Clarke on Food Network Kitchen.
Recipe courtesy of Ali Clarke

Meal Prep Chicken Skewers with Olive, Cucumber and Herb Yogurt Sauce

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  • Level: Easy
  • Total: 1 hr 30 min (includes marinating time)
  • Active: 30 min
  • Yield: 8 to 12 servings (about 24 skewers and 1 1/4 cups yogurt sauce)
Recipes that get even better with time, whether by making sauces in advance or marinating proteins, are a meal prepper’s dream. Not only do you get ahead, but you also build flavor and tenderness without any extra effort. Couple that with using the same ingredients in different ways, and you get recipes with easy shopping and simple preparation. Yogurt, paprika, lemon and feta all get used in many ways throughout these recipes.

Ingredients

Olive, Cucumber and Herb Yogurt Sauce:

Chicken Skewers:

Directions

Special equipment:
twenty-four 8- to 10-inch metal skewers
  1. For the olive, cucumber and herb yogurt sauce: Grate the cucumber on the large holes of a box grater into a clean kitchen towel or fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl. Squeeze or push against the sides of the sieve to remove excess water; set aside. Put the yogurt, olives, feta, parsley, olive oil, lemon juice, honey, oregano, paprika, garlic and 1 teaspoon salt in a blender and process until evenly combined and smooth. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the grated cucumber. Season with salt to taste. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days; the sauce just gets better as it sits.
  2. For the chicken skewers: Whisk together the yogurt, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, lemon zest, 4 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl. Add the chicken, stir to coat evenly, cover and marinate for at least 1 hour or up to overnight in the refrigerator. 
  3. Skewer the chicken pieces onto twenty-four 8- to 10-inch metal skewers (see Cook's Note), about 6 pieces per skewer.  
  4. Heat a large grill pan over medium heat and lightly grease with vegetable oil.  
  5. Working in batches, cook the chicken skewers, flipping halfway through when they release naturally from the pan, until charred all over and cooked through but still tender, 9 to 10 minutes total. Serve immediately with the yogurt sauce, or cool completely, then remove the chicken from the skewers. The chicken can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Reheat the chicken in the oven at 350 degrees F for about 20 minutes if frozen and 10 to 12 minutes if refrigerated.

Cook’s Note

I like to use metal skewers because they are reusable and don’t burn on the grill. You can absolutely use wooden skewers; just make sure to soak them in water for about 1 hour before grilling.