My sweet friends who know how big of a foodie I am, decided to get me a grill pan for my birthday two years ago! You should have seen the joy on my face and the images of grill marks that ran through my head. In my head I was already thinking of the different dishes I could whip up and depth of flavour and visual impact the grill pan could impart as opposed to a normal pan.

So here’s presenting to you my first dish made using the grill pan – chicken skewers! So I cheated a bit and used a store bought nando’s marinade – but hey, non-one says no to Nando’s noh?

Cast of characters:

• Chunks of Chicken breast
• Nando’s peri peri marinade
• Salt
• Chili flakes
• Chopped garlic
• Olive oil

Props:

• Grill pan
• Bamboo skewers (Satay sticks)

How to:

• Wash and pat dry the chicken well and marinade with nando’s peri peri sauce, a bit of chilli flakes for an extra kick, chopped garlic and a bit more salt if needed
• Let the chicken sit in the marinade for a couple of hours and then skew about three to four chunks into the skewers
• Heat up the grill pan to a high heat and add in the olive oil
• Place the skewers onto the grill and let it sear

 

• At all cost, avoid the temptation to move them around – just let them be so they get a nice char

 

• After about 5-6 mins, turn the skewers over. Repeat for all four sides, bringing the heat a bit lower if you feel it’s smoking up the kitchen too much.

 

• Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick to the cooked meat, if it comes out clean and dry, the chicken is cooked through.

Sidekicks:

• Boil whatever vegetables you have at hand. I did beans and carrots and seasoned with salt and pepper
• I am currently obsessed with strawberries and hence made strawberry flowers to add a splash of red into the dish.
• My friend had some blue cheese dressing we were trying to finish up fast so mixed that in with some dried herbs for a quick sauce on the side along with some lemon wedges