Yogurt, garlic, ginger, cumin, paprika, turmeric and red pepper combine for a flavorful marinade and coating for these chicken kebabs. Bell peppers, summer squash and whole-grain couscous or quinoa round out the meal.
The chicken can marinate for as little as half an hour or as long as 12 hours. We opted for a quick 30-minute soak while we prepped the remaining ingredients, and the results were tender and flavorful.
As the name implies, this dish is strong on cumin, so if you like it but don't love it, we suggest using less. Fiery-spice lovers will likely want to increase the cayenne as we hardly noticed the 1/8 teaspoon.
Cumin Chicken Kebabs With Couscous
3/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1 tablespoon ground cumin, or to taste
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne) or to taste
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 24 pieces
2 red or yellow bell peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 zucchini or yellow squash, cut into 1/2-inch slices
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro OR parsley
2 cups hot cooked whole wheat couscous or a whole grain such as quinoa
In a large zip-close bag, combine the yogurt, garlic, ginger, cumin, paprika, turmeric, salt and cayenne; add chicken. Squeeze out air and seal bag. Massage yogurt mixture into chicken. Marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes or refrigerate for up to 12 hours, turning occasionally.
Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Thread chicken, peppers and zucchini onto skewers (soak skewers in water for 30 minutes if using wood). For more even cooking we threaded each item separately. Coat kebabs with vegetable oil spray.
Heat broiler. Coat broiler rack with nonstick spray.
Place skewers on prepared broiler rack. Broil 5 inches from heat, turning halfway through, or until chicken is cooked through (internal temperature reaches 165 degrees) and vegetables are tender, 12 to 18 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro or parsley. Serve over couscous.
Makes 4 servings.
Nutrition information: Each serving (with 1/2 cup whole-wheat couscous) contains approximately 310 calories, 31 g protein, 6 g fat, 39 g carbohydrate (4 g sugar), 85 mg cholesterol, 216 mg sodium and 7 g fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: 3.
Recipe adapted from Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook
Food on 02/08/2017