Grilled Greek Chicken and Zucchini Skewers

I feel loved.  While my Mother's Day was beautiful indeed, it was the next day, my own personal Mommy's Mother's Day, that was even more special.

Our actual Mother's Day was extraordinarily busy as usual... up early with the pups, prepping dinner, heading out to visit Liv Life's MIL in assisted living who was unable to join us at our house for the first time this year, then heading home to spend the evening with my family, my parents and my FIL.  Dinner had to be cooked, the salad prepped, table set and drinks poured.  Mom eased the evening by bringing dessert, but we did have dishes, and lots of 'em to clean.  Soon though, we were settled into a rousing gave of UNO which had us all in stitches as my FIL continually passed a "draw 4" wild card to my dad whose hand was filled to the brim with cards.

Laughing, the evening passed all too quickly, but was enjoyed by all.  One of those spectacularly fun times that won't ever be forgotten.  But by the end of the day I was tired and fell quickly into bed.

My own special day!

Monday morning came in the blink of an eye and had me back out the door driving my son to school and making a quick stop at the gym.  Liv, home with her dad on an infrequent day off of her school, called me at the gym wondering when I was going to be home.  I didn't think much of the call, and told her 8:25.

As summer is approaching at the pace of a supersonic fighter jet, I pushed myself through a few extra sets while finishing up my workout and hit the road just a bit late.  Little did I know, my extra 10 minutes had Liv worrying up a storm as she had planned a special morning for me.

Walking in the door I was greeted first my the squealing with excitement pups, then by a smiling girl holding a sign proclaiming this day as "Mommy's Mother's Day".  My own special day, she explained, as I had had somewhat of a busy Mother's Day the day before.

Fresh from Dad's garden!

Greeted with a bone crushing hug, I was then led to the table where she had prepared a protein-rich breakfast of an egg white omelette with sauteed veggies and a scoop of my favorite Greek Quinoa Salad (she knows I'm trying to get back into some sort of swim suit shape).  A frosty glass of OJ waited right alongside my perfect temperature coffee (I like it cooled), and a sprig of the sweet pea bouquet my dad had thoughtfully brought me the night before garnished the side of my place mat.

Feeling loved indeed, I settled down to my breakfast, and we all reminisced about the prior evening... how fun it had been, how much we missed having my husband's mom with us, how good those Greek Chicken Skewers had been, and how thankful we were that we had some left over for lunch.

Inspired by Cooking Light, the Greek Chicken Skewers infused with lemon, did indeed transport us to the balmy shores of Greece.  Flavored with oregano and garlic and served with our new favorite Greek Quinoa Salad, the skewers cooked quickly on the grill and made for a tasty and fairly easy dinner for this mom to whip together on her busy Mother's Day.

Greek Chicken and Zucchini Skewers

We found these skewers to be even more just as good and perhaps even more flavorful the following day cold from the fridge!

adapted from Cooking Light

printer friendly 

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons fresh chopped or 2 teaspoons dried oregano 

2 tablespoons olive oil (we used lemon infused olive oil)

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 -5 chicken breasts cut into cubes

2 zucchini cut into 1/2 inch rounds

1/2 sweet onion cut into wedges

20 garlic cloves, peeled

salt and pepper to taste

In a small bowl squeeze about 1/4 cup lemon juice (about 1 1/2 lemons).  Add the oregano, olive oil and minced garlic and set aside.

Place wooden skewers into water for at least 1/2 hours or set out metal skewers.  

Bring 2 inches of water to a boil in a small saucepan and add the whole garlic cloves all at once.  Reduce heat and simmer for about 3 minutes, then drain and cool.

In a medium mixing bowl (or a zip lock bag) add the cubed chicken, sliced zucchini, wedged onion and whole garlic cloves.  Pour lemon marinade over the top and stir to coat.  Allow to marinate about 20 minutes while grill is preheating, stirring on occasion to continue to coat.  Skewer chicken and vegetables and garlic onto skewers and discard marinade.

Preheat grill to medium high heat.  When hot, reduce heat to medium low and place skewers onto grill.  Grill just a few minutes on first side, then flip or rotate each skewer cooking just until done.  (Note cooking times will vary depending on the temp of your grill and the size of your chicken).

Serve immediately or at room temperature.

3 generations Living Life!