Chicken On a Stick...Because apparently it's more fun that way?

Or so I've been told anyway.  I mean, it's the same little chunks of chicken, just cut up and placed on a stick.  Why that's more appealing escapes me.  But who cares.  These look, smell and taste amazing.  They may not be the world's cleanest chicken kebabs, but....you'll forgive me this one, right?  And besides, I'm balancing the rest out with lots of veggies, tons of water and no dessert.  There.  I feel better.

Sweet Maple BBQ Chicken Skewers (kebabs...on a stick, whatever!)


What You'll Need:

• 2lbs. chicken tenders
• 1 (packed) cup brown Sugar
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup water
• ¼ heaping cup pure maple syrup, meaning a little over ¼ cup
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons ground mustard
• 2 teaspoons Paprika
• 1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper 

What You'll Do:

To make the marinade:

Mix brown sugar, ketchup, red wine vinegar, water, pure maple syrup Worcestershire sauce, ground mustard, paprika, kosher salt and pepper in a large bowl. Place chicken tenders in marinade. Cover and let chicken marinade for at least 2-4 hours or overnight. I like to throw all the ingredients into a Ziploc bag and let it marinade this way.

To make the chicken:
Remove the chicken from the fridge, one piece at a time grab a tender and pierce through the skewer. Once completed drizzle extra marinade over the chicken, and let it sit while grill is heating up.

Heat gas or charcoal grill, remove chicken from marinade. Place chicken on grill over medium heat. Cover grill and cook 3 minutes, then turn over the kebab and cook another 3 minutes. At this point check the chicken. To know if the chicken is done the juices should be clear and the center of thickest part is cut (170°F). If not done, continue to cook, at this point I leave the lid open and just turn the kebabs so they are cooked evenly on both sides--about 8-10 minutes.

Remove from grill and serve immediately. Or cover with foil and serve later.  Great to serve with grilled corn on the cob and a tossed salad.  And while you've got the salad ingredients out, think about using the leftovers the next day for a grilled chicken salad.  If there are leftovers!