Burnt lime and honey chicken kebabs with black beans
- Prepare
- 1-2 hours
- Cook
- 10 to 30 mins
- Serve
- Serves 4
- Dietary
- Nut-freePregnancy-friendly
Charred fresh lime and sticky honey strike the perfect balance in these delicious, summery chicken kebabs.
You will need eight wooden or metal skewers for this recipe.
From Saturday Kitchen
Ingredients
For the kebabs
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 limes, 2 sliced into thin rounds
- 100g/3½oz honey
- 3 tbsp tamari
- 4 tbsp hot sauce, such as sriracha
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 800g/1lb 12oz boneless chicken thigh fillets, skin removed and cut into medium-sized chunks (about 4cm/1½in)
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced
- salt
- ½ small bunch fresh coriander
For the black beans
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
- 2 × 400g tins black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 tbsp hot sauce, such as sriracha
- salt
Method
Soak eight wooden skewers in water overnight – this will stop them burning when they cook. Alternatively, you could use metal skewers.
To make the kebabs, heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, then add the lime slices. Fry for about 4 minutes on each side until the flesh has caramelised. Remove the lime slices from the pan and transfer to a chopping board. Roughly chop, skins and all, then scrape it all into a blender, along with the honey, tamari, hot sauce, olive oil and 1 teaspoon of salt. Blend to create a smooth marinade, then spoon 2 tablespoons of it into a bowl for later.
Tip the chicken chunks into a medium-sized bowl and pour over the lime marinade. Mix so the chicken pieces are totally coated, then transfer to the fridge to marinate for at least 1 hour (or preferably overnight).
Meanwhile, put the red onion slices into a fresh bowl. Squeeze over the juice from the remaining lime and sprinkle over ½ teaspoon of salt. Scrunch the onions up with your hands to encourage them to start lightly pickling, then set aside.
Once the hour is up, remove the chicken from the fridge. Thread the chicken pieces onto the soaked skewers, ensuring you don't push the pieces too close together. Heat a grill or barbecue to a medium heat. Once it’s really hot, add the chicken skewers. Cook for about 12 minutes, turning them frequently so that they cook evenly.
Meanwhile, to make the black beans, heat the olive oil in a medium-sized sauté pan over a medium heat. Add the garlic and cook gently for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the paprika, black beans and 250ml/9fl oz water, then bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for 10 minutes, smooshing down some of the black beans. Add the hot sauce and season with salt.
Pour any chicken cooking juices into the reserved 2 tablespoons of marinade and give it a mix. Brush this all over the chicken skewers so they turn sticky. Pop the chicken skewers onto a plate, pour any remaining sauce on top and scatter over the pickled red onions and coriander. Spoon the black beans into a bowl and serve alongside the chicken.
