Smoky zippy 5-Ingredient Chipotle BBQ Chicken Skewers that are so easy to make you’ll serve them all grill season…. And make them in the oven the rest of the year!
The last few weeks, we’ve been brushing the snow off the grill in order to usher in the beginning of spring.
And by spring, I mean grill season.
There are dishes we make that are a serious undertaking, and involve many ingredients. These dishes are a labor of love. Then there are dishes we make, that take no time at all, and offer a serious flavor-smack with only a handful of ingredients.
You can guess which dishes we make most often.
Now that the weather is warming and grilling is enjoyable again, we’ve been grilling a 5-Ingredient wonder we call Chipotle BBQ Chicken Skewers.
These zingy juicy bbq chicken skewers are made with just 5 simple ingredients, one in particular, that makes all the difference!
Musselman’s Apple Butter.
Our 5-Ingredient Chipotle BBQ Chicken Skewers include: Chicken, Bacon, BBQ Sauce, Chipotle Peppers and Musselman’s Apple Butter.
The skewers are laced with pieces of thick-cut bacon to keep the chicken juicy and flavorful on the grill. Then we bumped bbq sauce to another level, by pureeing it with sweet Musselman’s Apple Butter and chipotle peppers.
The apple butter provides depth and richness to the bbq sauce, while the chipotle peppers offer smoky heat.
You might think grilling bacon is a bad idea… Please allow me to try to change your mind.
If grilled bacon makes you think of fiery flare ups and pork-fat burnt to a crisp, let’s talk about grilling temperatures. Some people are under the impression that a grill should always be heated to the highest temperature possible for quick cooking. However, my grill goes up to over 750 degrees F. Can you image what that would do to bacon? Or chicken, for that matter.
Lower temperature grilling offers you control and flexibility. Try heating your grill to only medium (350-450 degrees F) or even medium-low (around 300 degrees F) heat. This will allow you to cook the chicken all the way through, while crisping the edges of the bacon without flare ups.
Your friends and family will go crazy over these Chipotle BBQ Chicken Skewers at your first neighborhood barbecue this spring. Fortunately for you, when they ask for the recipe you can count off the ingredients on one hand!
Don’t have a grill? You can also bake these grilled Chipotle BBQ Chicken Skewers. (See baking instructions below.)
Chipotle BBQ Chicken Skewers
YIELD: 4
PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOK TIME: 16 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 8 thick-cut bacon strips
- 1 cup sweet bbq sauce
- 2/3 cup Musselman’s Apple Butter
- 2 chipotle peppers (canned in adobo sauce)
Directions:
- Soak 8 wooden skewers in water for at least 30 minutes. Preheat the grill to medium or medium-low heat. (Between 300-350 degrees F.) Cut the chicken breasts into 3/4 inch bite-sized pieces. Then cut the bacon into 3/4 inch strips. Alternate threading the chicken and bacon onto 8 skewers, leaving a bare handle on one end of each skewer. Sprinkle the chicken skewers with salt and pepper.
- Place the bbq sauce, Musselman’s Apple Butter and chipotle peppers in the blender. Puree until smooth.
- Grill the chicken skewers for 4 minutes per side. Then brush the skewers with the chipotle apple bbq sauce and grill another 3-4 minutes per side, until the edges of the bacon is crisp, but not burned. Serve warm.
OVEN DIRECTIONS: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Thread the skewers with chicken and bacon, then puree the bbq sauce as directed above. Lay the chicken skewers on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet and brush well with the bbq sauce. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the edges of the bacon are crispy.
