Recipe for garlic lovers

These chicken skewers are fabulous! The flavor is Mediterranean/Middle Eastern with lots of garlic and lemon. We love it!

Now, while garlic is a known "health food" (anti-viral, anti-cancer, decongestive, cholesterol-reducing, immunity booster, anti-bacterial), this is a recipe for garlic lovers only. Those that have delicate systems should take heed: lots of garlic can cause serious gas.

While I discovered the recipe in the San Diego Tribune, I have made a few tweaks.

Shish Tawook

Ingredients:

12 cubes of frozen crushed garlic (Buy it at Trader Joe's. This easy substitution makes this recipe a breeze!) If you don't have the frozen crushed, then use 10 fresh cloves mashed.

1/2 Cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (Do not cut corners here. Only fresh squeezed will do.)
3 T olive oil (Recipe actually calls for 1/3 cup, but I've used 2 T just fine)
2 T Plain Greek Yogurt (This is important as Greek Yogurt is thick. I used 2%)
1/2 tsp cardamom (Don't have it? Just use a pinch of cloves and allspice)
1 tsp white pepper (I used black)
2 lbs boneless chicken breast cut into bit size skewer friendly pieces

Directions:

Combine garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, yogurt, cardamom, salt and pepper in bowl or shallow dish. Stir well. If you are using the frozen garlic give it some time to dissolve. It should be ready by the time you finish trimming and cutting the chicken.

Add chicken to marinade. Either in the shallow dish or throw it all into a Ziploc. Marinate overnight or longer. I had the chicken marinating 2 nights the last time I enjoyed this dish. It turned out great. (My friend Beth agrees, but her boyfriend reported that she smelled of garlic well into the next day...)

Thread chicken onto skewers and cook on grill over medium-high heat for a total of 6-8 minutes. Turn the skewers 1-2x during the cooking. If you are using wooden skewers don't forget to presoak them in water for a few minutes to prevent a mini fire.

ENJOY! We threw our chicken over a salad with grilled vegetables and feta. Another variation is to add some shrooms and peppers to each skewer.

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