{Skinny} Spicy Moroccan Chicken Skewers

I’d like to start out by saying how much I love spicy food.  Seriously, pile on the spice.  And I’m not just talking about heat ... I’m talking about food with lots and lots of complex flavor.  Indian food is some of my favorite, but sadly, my husband, Steve, is not a fan.  We went to our local Indian restaurant once and he told me he had to “choke it down” {uhh, a little dramatic if you ask me...}.  I, however, loved my dish so much that I re-created it a few weeks later at home.  Thinking that he would be more receptive to my own cooking, I told Steve I made a chicken stew {when it was really a delicious Chicken Saag with spinach} and thought it would be fun to serve it with Naan.  Yeah, he didn’t buy it.  He took one sniff of my concoction and turned up his nose.  

Now, I have to give Steve some credit...he grew up as an extremely picky eater and never even touched sushi until he met me.  {I seriously don’t know if I could have married him if he didn’t eat sushi....}  He has been very good about tasting anything I make and even enjoyed himself at an Ethiopian restaurant last week.  {If only I could get him to eat mushrooms....}

So when I asked Steve what he thought about {Skinny} Spicy Moroccan Chicken skewers, I expected him to react in a negative way, but his response was “Mmmmm...sure!”  I broke into a cold sweat while mixing up the marinade with cumin and coriander -- it’s smelling a little spicy in here!!!  I was super pumped and getting excited to have the whole lot of skewers to myself.  When Steve took his first bite he LOVED it.  Maybe I’ll get him to be an Indian food lover after all....

Spicy Moroccan Chicken Skewers

from Cooking Light Magazine, June 2012

1 1/2 tbsp minced fresh garlic

1 1/2 tbsp chile paste

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground coriander

5/8 tsp kosher salt, divided

4 skinless, boneless, chicken thighs, cut into 36 pieces

1/2 yellow bell pepper, cut into 12 pieces

12 cherry tomatoes

cooking spray

1/4 c. plain nonfat greek yogurt

1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl; stir in 1/8 tsp salt.  Scrape mixture into zip top plastic bag.  Add chicken; seal.  Marinate in fridge 2 hours, turning after 1 hour.
2. Soak 12 (8 inch) skewers in water for 30 minutes.
3. Preheat grill to medium high heat
4. Remove chicken from marinade.  Thread chicken, pepper and tomatoes onto skewers; sprinkle with remaining salt.  Arrange skewers on grill coated with cooking spray.  Grill 4 minutes on each side.  Serve with yogurt.

Nutrition Facts:  serving - 3 skewers, 1 tbsp yogurt -- 204 calories, 10.8g fat, 19.3g protein, 7.8g carbohydrates, 1.5g fiber