Ginger-Garlic Glazed Korean Chicken Skewers

Sweet and spicy, salty and succulent Korean-style chicken skewers in a ginger-garlic glaze. Paleo.

We'll be snacking on these Glazed Korean Chicken Skewers this weekend while watching the closing ceremonies of the Olympics. Have you been following along?

If you love Chicken Satay, you'll probably love this chicken-on-a-stick with an Asian flair. It cooks quickly on an indoor or outdoor grill. It's sweet, salty, spicy and succulent.

Do I need special ingredients?

No. The marinade is flavoured with onion, ginger, garlic, soy sauce and sweetener. While I have included substitutions to make this recipe suitable for those on a paleo diet, if that doesn't apply to you, you can use tamari soy sauce instead of coconut aminos and brown sugar instead of coconut palm sugar.

Adding Asian pear to Korean dishes helps to tenderize meat and adds some natural sweetness. In this recipe which uses chicken tenders or sliced breasts, tenderizing is not necessary, but pear adds a subtle sweet flavour. If you don't have an Asian pear, you can use crushed pineapple, or just leave it out. No green onions? Fresh chives or a scattering of parsley could be substituted.

I made this a quick recipe by using a mini food processor to purée the marinade ingredients instead of chopping by hand.

Four steps to make these Korean skewers

1. marinate
2. thread on pre-soaked wooden skewers
3. boil the remaining marinade to make a glaze
4. grill and brush with glaze.

Serving suggestions

These tasty chicken strips are great with

• rice
• noodles
• cauliflower fried rice
• Asian Pear Slaw with Ginger and Lime
• a salad like this Asian Pear and Cranberry Chopped Salad  or this Blackberry Honeydew Salad with Basil
• cool refreshing vegetable or fruit spears, like cucumber, mango, pineapple, or sliced Asian pear

Korean Style Skewered Chicken Strips

Sweet and spicy, salty and succulent, these Ginger-Garlic Glazed Korean Chicken Skewers need no special ingredients. They're fun to eat, grilled food-on-a-stick! This recipe is suitable for paleo diets.

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Course: Entrée/Main

Cuisine: Korean, Asian

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 397kcal

Author: Elaine

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Ingredients

• ▢ 2 lbs chicken tenders or breasts, cut into thin strips or 1 inch cubes
• ▢ ¾ cup onion minced
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 3 tbsp ginger freshly grated
• ▢ ⅓ cup coconut aminos or tamari soy sauce
• ▢ 2 tbsp sesame oil
• ▢ 3 tbsp coconut palm sugar or brown sugar
• ▢ ¼ cup Asian pear finely minced or grated
• ▢ 2 green onions for garnish
• ▢ ¼ tsp each salt and pepper

Instructions

• Soak 16 - 20 wooden skewers in water for at least an hour to prevent burning on the grill.
• Combine onion, garlic, ginger, coconut aminos (or soy sauce), sesame oil, coconut palm sugar (or brown sugar), pear, salt and pepper in a food processor, pulsing until thoroughly mixed. Pour over chicken in a marinating dish or zipper-closure bag and marinate for at least an hour, preferably longer.
• Thread the chicken strips or cubes on the soaked skewers. 
• Pour the remaining marinade into a small saucepan, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes or until sauce has thickened slightly. 
• Grill chicken skewers for 4 to 5 minutes each side, turning and basting with the reserved sauce. Garnish with thinly sliced green onions. Serve with rice, rice noodles or cauliflower rice. 

Nutrition

Calories: 397kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 48g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 145mg | Sodium: 882mg | Potassium: 940mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 130IU | Vitamin C: 7.4mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 1mg

Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @enessman or tag #flavourandsavour!

Kitchen Items I used 

I adapted this recipe from Closet Cooking, making a few substitutions to make this recipe suitable for a paleo diet and simplifying the preparation.