Honey-Glazed Chicken, Sweet Potato and Peach Skewers

June 16, 2011 · 2 comments

Adapted from Fine Cooking (June/July 2011)

A quick glance at this ingredient list brings autumn to mind – sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie spice, pecans. Sounds like Thanksgiving to me! But the peaches in this dish are a reminder that summer has arrived and boy, aren’t you glad? Make this dish when you have a bit more time. I’m pretty certain you’ll be glad you did.

1 medium sweet potato
1 cup sherry vinegar
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon honey, divided
2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
Kosher salt
Black pepper
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into large chunks
1/2 small yellow onion, thickly sliced with layers separated
4 small, ripe peaches, cut into quarters
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Place 8 wooden skewers in a shallow pan of water and allow them to soak while you prepare the ingredients.
In the microwave, cook the sweet potato until it’s just beginning to become tender but is not yet fully cooked. I used the “baked potato” setting on my microwave and removed the potato when 3:00 minutes remained. Set aside and allow to cool slightly.
In a small saucepan, combine the sherry vinegar, 1/2 cup honey, 1 tablespoon canola oil, 2 teaspoons salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Allow the mixture to continue bubbling gently until the mixture is thickened and reduced to about 2/3 cup. Watch the heat carefully and stir a few times. This process took about 15 to 20 minutes on my stove. Once the honey glaze mixture has thickened and reduced, remove it from the heat and set it aside.
Heat the grill to medium high direct heat.
When the sweet potato is cool enough to handle, remove the skin (this should be easy to do, but if not simply use a small paring knife to remove the skin) and cut the potato into large chunks.
Thread the skewers with chunks of chicken, onion, sweet potato and peach. Place about 1/2 of the honey glaze in a small bowl and brush it all over the skewers. Place the skewers on the oiled grate of the grill. Allow skewers to cook for about 4 minutes, then turn them.
Meanwhile, combine the pecans with the remaining 1 tablespoon of honey, 1 tablespoon of oil, the cumin, the pumpkin spice and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a quick crank of the pepper grinder. Stir until coated, then place the nuts on a sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil. When you turn the skewers for the final time, you will set the foil onto the grill to allow the nuts to become warm.
Remove the skewers from the grill as soon as the chicken is cooked through. Drizzle the remaining glaze over the skewers, then top with the warm nuts.
Quick Tips
1. My bottle of sherry vinegar was tall but very skinny. This recipe wiped it out. In fact, I also had to use a little bit of champagne vinegar to get to a full cup.
2. The peaches in this recipe were the show stealer! I might consider making a few of the skewers vegetarian next time, adding more peach in place of the chicken.

Preparation time: 30 minute(s)

Cooking time: 30 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 4

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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }

Sophie June 17, 2011 at 2:55 pm

I came across your site through a friend, and i’m in love!! This recipe has totally inspired me to throw together a bbq. So creative and simple. Can’t wait to try it out!!!

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Alicia June 17, 2011 at 3:08 pm: Thanks for your sweet comment, Sophie! Good luck with your BBQ. I get a little grill crazy this time of year so there are a lot more grillable meal ideas headed your way.

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