Memorial Day is around the corner. Time to dust off those grills, and fire up ‘em up for the entire Summer season! (Really. Don’t bother turning your grill off.) First in line for some sweet grill time is Parties That Cook’s delicious Spiedini Recipe! No, this tasty dish does not swing from webs, and it will not try to kiss Jennifer Lopez any time soon (skip to 3:20).  What Spiedini does offer is a great alternative to burgers and hot dogs! These Grilled Chicken Skewers with Halloumi Cheese, Lemon and Oregano Vinaigrette will have you experimenting with all sorts of edible things to throw on the grill! Weather not cooperating? Don’t be afraid to take the grilling indoors on a grill pan!

For another great Memorial Day grill option, check out this blog post from one year ago!

Spiedini: Grilled Chicken Skewers with Halloumi, Lemon and Oregano Vinaigrette
This recipe and others like it can also be found in our Ethnic & Special Recipes Section!

Ingredients
Oregano Vinaigrette:
2 Tablespoons fresh oregano leaves
1/4 cup packed mint leaves
1 cup packed flat-leaf parsley
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 Tablespoon salt-packed capers, rinsed thoroughly
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Skewers:
1½ pounds boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 large loaf country bread, like ciabatta, cut into 1 inch cubes
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 pound Halloumi cheese, cut into 1-inch squares that are ½ inch thick
2 large lemons, cut in half lengthwise then sliced into ½ inch thick half moons
16 ten-inch skewers, soaked to prevent burning

Methods/Steps
Vinaigrette: Pick all of the herbs from the stems and juice the lemon. Put herbs, lemon juice and remaining ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Divide the vinaigrette between 2 large bowls.

Skewers: Put the chicken into one of the bowls with the vinaigrette and toss to coat. Put the bread cubes in the second bowl with the vinaigrette and toss to coat. To make the skewers, first thread a bread cube on the skewer, then the Halloumi, then the chicken and lastly the lemon slice. Repeat 2 more times (each skewer has 3 pieces of bread, 3 pieces of cheese, 3 pieces of chicken and 3 lemon slices).

Grill: Heat a grill over high heat for 15 minutes. Turn the grill to medium low heat and cook the skewers for 5 minutes a side until done.

Serves/Makes
Serves 8, two skewers per person