Grilled Chicken Sticks with Plum Sauce

Yield: 12 skewers

Ingredients

• 4 large chicken breasts skinless and boneless
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (30ml)
• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped mint (30ml)
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest (10ml)
• 2 teaspoons garlic finely chopped (10ml)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3 tablespoons sesame seeds lightly toasted (45ml)
• 15 – 6 inch bamboo skewers soaked in cool water for 30 minutes prior to grilling.

Basting and dipping plum sauce:

• ¾ cup good quality plum jam (180ml)
• 2 tablespoons fresh limejuice (30ml)
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar (15ml)
• 2 teaspoons minced ginger (10ml)
• 1 tablespoon honey (15ml)
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic (5ml)

Directions

1. Cut chicken lengthwise along the breast ¾ inch strips. Lengths of strips may vary; however this does not affect cooking.
2. Drizzle chicken with olive oil, mint, lemon zest, garlic and pepper. Salt will pull away moisture from the chicken during marination, therefore set aside until later.
3. Place chicken in a sealable bag and toss to evenly coat.
4. Marinate chicken in the refrigerator for 1-4 hours. Remove marinade and discard any excess marinade. Let chicken come to room temperature.
5. Preheat barbeque to medium heat 350°F (176°C) for direct grilling.
6. In a small pot combine all the ingredients for the sauce.
7. Bring the sauce to a simmer over low heat. Let simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and reserve.
8. Thread chicken onto bamboo sticks making sure to cover the tip of skewer with chicken, to prevent the tip of the skewer from burning.
9. Place chicken skewers on a tray and season with salt.
10. Bring ½ of a cup the sauce (125ml), sesame seeds and basting brush to the barbeque along with the skewers on a tray.
11. Place the chicken on the grill and slide a piece of tin foil under the sticks, to prevent burning.
12. Cook the chicken for 3 minutes or until nice golden char marks are achieved. Flip the chicken, baste with the sauce and continue to cook until the chicken is golden on both sides and is no longer pink in the center.
13. Right before you remove chicken from the grill, baste the one side with the plum sauce and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
14. Remove from grill.
15. Serve with the reserved sauce.