Chicken Kabobs with Sweet Molasses Barbecue Sauce

Kabobs are my kind of barbecue dish — quick to cook and virtually fool proof, especially for chicken.

I have too many childhood memories of community chicken barbecues where I was served chicken legs that were black and crispy on the outside and still raw in the middle.  They looked so good on the outside but you just couldn’t eat them.

I don’t want to stress over my chicken and I don’t want to be poking it to pieces during grilling to see if it’s cooked.

No, chicken kabobs are the way to go, especially these chicken kabobs with sweet molasses barbecue sauce.

With this recipe you get that chicken barbecue feeling, complete with a slathering of old fashioned tasting barbecue sauce, and you get meat that’s cooked just right.

This simple barbecue sauce is no-cook – you just mix up the ingredients and set the meat to marinate. Feel free to adjust the ingredient quantities if you’d like more spice, or add a dash of hot sauce, or may be a bit more smoked paprika, or some minced onion….

Kabobs are a great dish for entertaining too because there is no slicing or carving involved. Single servings on a stick and grab two if you’re hungry.

This finger-food versatility of kabobs makes them ideal for summer.

Chicken Kabobs with Sweet Molasses Barbecue Sauce Recipe

Sweet Molasses Barbecue Sauce

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup brown sugar
• ¾ cup ketchup (or up to 1 cup)
• ¼ cup cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/3 cup Crosby’s Fancy Molasses
• 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
• 2 tsp. dry mustard
• 2 tsp. paprika
• ½ tsp. smoked paprika
• ½ to 1 tsp. black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. coarse salt (optional)
• 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast or thigh, cut into chunks or strips
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro

Instructions:

1. Whisk together all sauce ingredients in a large bowl. Remove half of sauce to a jar and add chicken to the bowl.
2. Cover and place chicken in fridge to marinate for two hours to overnight.

When ready to cook:

1. Preheat grill to medium or preheat oven broiler.
2. Thread chicken pieces onto skewers, shaking off extra sauce (soak skewers in cold water for 30 minutes beforehand, if they’re wooden)
3. Grill until done, turning once after 5 minutes. (Total time will depend on size of your chicken pieces)
4. Drizzle with additional sauce and sprinkle with cilantro before serving.