Chicken Kebabs (made in the oven)

The husband's cooking skills are close to non-existent - he used to be an amazing 'sous chef' while I was still learning how to cook. But I continued getting better and eventually he got entrusted with doing the dishes and cleaning up the kitchen post the cooking storm while I prepped and cooked. We were perfectly happy with our respective roles, till he started traveling for work and I had to do the cooking and cleaning/doing the dishes thereafter during the weekdays. 

I tried to encourage  him to cook at least couple of meals over the weekend and failed. He was plain reluctant and was more than happy to eat out or pick up food when his turn to cook came.

Things changed last week when I put my foot down. He not only had to cook, but also had to look up a recipe and plan and buy the ingredients himself.

Chicken Kebabs is what he zeroed in on. And coincidentally, Deepashri of HamareeRasoi posted a chicken reshmi kebab recipe on her blog.

Armed with a tweaked version of the recipe that suits our taste buds, ingredients and a lot of.. I mean, ahem... little help from me, the husband made these beautiful chicken kebabs. I made a side of roasted corn on the cob in the oven and cream cheese stuffed mini bell peppers.

Ingredients: (Servings 3 to 4)

• Chicken breast - 1 lb, cut into chunky bite sized pieces
• Almonds, blanched and skinned - 1/2 Cup (I used store bought slivered almonds)
• Greek Yogurt/Hung Curd - 1/2 Cup
• Ginger - 1 inch, peeled
• Garlic - 3 to 4 fat cloves
• Harissa Powder - 1 tsp (can be substituted with red chili powder)
• Black pepper, freshly cracked - 1 tsp + 1/2 tsp to season the chicken pieces
• Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
• Few squeezes of lemon juice
• Oil - 1 tbsp
• Salt to taste

For the skewers: 5 or 6

• 2 green bell peppers, cut into squares
• 2 red bell peppers, cut into squares
• 1 big red onion. cut into squares
• Salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste, for seasoning the veggies
• Few drops of oil

For this recipe, you will need a roasting pan with a rack, a few skewers (metal or wooden). Brush Cover the bottom with an aluminum foil to catch the drippings so that you can clean up in a cinch.

Add the chicken pieces to a bowl and season it with salt and freshly cracked pepper and a few squeezes of lemon juice.

Since I used store bought slivered almonds for this recipe, I nuked it with a little water in the microwave for a minute. Alternatively, you blanch the almonds in water for a few minutes and take the skin off once the almonds are cool enough to be handled.

Add the blanched almonds o the blender along with the the Greek yogurt, ginger and garlic and blend it into a smooth paste.

Transfer the the yogurt mix to a bowl and add the harissa powder, black pepper powder, cardamom powder and a little salt and give it a quick whisk. Taste and adjust for seasoning. Add the chicken pieces to the marinade and let it marinate for couple of hours or overnight.

Vegetables: Add the cut veggies to a bowl and sprinkle a little oil. Season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper and give everything a good toss. Set aside.

Note: If you are using wooden skewers be sure to soak them in water for few minutes. 

Preheat oven to 350 F. 

Arrange the chicken pieces, bell peppers and onions on the skewers. Place the skewers on the pan. Roast in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes. For the last 3-4 minutes, crank up the heat to 'broiler' mode or the highest temperature to get the charred look.

Serve. Enjoy the praises. Sorry, shower your partner with praises.