SERVES: 4
Life hack: if you can’t find skewers, or forgot you needed them for this recipe, you can use chopsticks instead! They aren’t as pointy as skewers so you may need to use a little force in threading the meat on them, but I’ll be honest with you, at no point during the development of this recipe did I bother to invest in true skewers. I’ve got plenty of leftover takeout chopsticks on hand and speaking from experience, they worked juuuuuust fine.
Active Time: 45 mins
Total Time: 1 hr 45 mins (including marination)
Produce
- 7 garlic cloves
- 5 Persian cucumbers
- 4 scallions
- 1 cup dill leaves
- 1 lemon
Pantry
- 9 tablespoons olive oil, plus more
- 6 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons dried oregano
- Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper
- 6 baby dill pickles
- ⅔ cup sliced pickled pepperoncini
- ⅔ cup walnuts or pecans
Dairy
- 3 ounces feta cheese
- Yogurt, for serving (optional)
Meat
- 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 1½ lbs)
1. Marinate the chicken:
- In a medium bowl, combine ¼ cup red wine vinegar, ¼ cup olive oil, 6 finely grated garlic cloves, 2 tablespoons dried oregano, 2 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, and lots and lots of freshly ground black pepper.
- Cut 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs in thirds crosswise, (into 3 long strips, cutting the long way not the short way). Add to the marinade. Let sit for at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours in the fridge.
2. Prep the salad:
- Preheat the oven to 350. Place ⅔ cup walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet, drizzle lightly with olive oil and season with salt. Roast until deeply golden brown, 15-17 minutes. (If using a different nut variety, you may need less time.)
- Cut 5 Persian cucumbers into 3/4” pieces on the bias.
- Slice 6 baby dill pickles and 4 scallions crosswise.
- Finely chop 1 cup dill leaves.
- Combine the vegetables in a medium bowl along with 1 finely grated garlic clove, ⅔ cup sliced pickled pepperoncini (drained), 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar, and 3 tablespoons olive oil.
- Crush the walnuts; add to salad. Crumble 3 ounces feta into the salad. Toss gently to combine; season salad with salt and pepper. Keep cold until ready to serve.
3. Skew and serve:
- Remove the chicken from the marinade, but reserve the marinade. Add 2 tablespoons water to the marinade.
- Measure the width of your largest cast iron pan, and cut 8 skewers down to fit inside (alternatively, you can use a cast iron grill plate!) Thread the chicken onto the skewers in a ribboned / s-shaped manner. You’ll use 2 to 3 strips of chicken per skewer.
- Preheat a large cast iron skillet or grill pan over medium high heat until very hot. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the skillet. Once smoke starts to arise from the oil, working in 2 batches, arrange the skewers and cook, undisturbed, until golden brown and charred in spots, about 4-6 minutes.
- Using tongs, rotate the skewers and continue to cook, until browned on second side, 2-3 minutes longer. Transfer to a serving platter. Repeat with remaining skewers–the second batch may cook faster due to a very hot skillet!
- Remove the skillet from the heat. Add the reserved marinade and stir to scrape up all the bits stuck to the pan and create a sauce–it will bubble up rapidly and reduce thanks to the residual heat of the skillet. If it doesn’t return to medium low heat for a minute or so until it comes to a simmer. Squeeze the juice of one lemon into the sauce. Season with salt.
- Serve the skewers drizzled with pan sauce, alongside the cucumber salad, with yogurt for drizzling (optional).
