We've been trying to eat a little healthier lately, especially when we have dinner guests. Somehow in my mind if the meal is a bit more nutritious I feel less guilty about all the wine and dessert and cheese and what have you. I recognize it's a flawed system, but somehow it works for me.

On this note, I wanted to serve boneless skinless chicken breasts for dinner but I wanted them to be flavorful, moist, and spicy. Taking hints from India and the Middle East, I marinated them in yogurt, herbs, and a fresh spice blend that all comes together in the food processor. I used one of my favorite time-saving tricks here too, by reserving half of the yogurt mixture to serve as a sauce on the side. The result is incredibly moist and tender chicken that gets flavor and interest from the tang of the yogurt and the mixture of spices- instead of making it appealing and tasty by just, say, wrapping it in bacon or frying it in butter or dousing it in cream.

Spiced Marinated Chicken Skewers
serves 6-8. This is pretty spicy, so cut back on the peppercorns and cayenne if you like it milder.

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup packed mint (stems OK)
• ¾ cup packed cilantro (stems OK)
• 1 shallot
• 1 garlic clove
• juice and zest of 1 lemon
• 1 inch piece of peeled ginger
• 1 whole clove
• 1 tsp whole coriander seeds
• ¼ tsp cumin seeds
• 10 peppercorns (fewer if you don’t like it spicy)
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper (omit or put less if you don’t like it too spicy)
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 cups Greek strained yogurt (like Fage; I used the 2% which worked great)
• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1 ½ inch cubes

Method:

• Combine everything except yogurt and chicken in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add yogurt and mix until everything is finely combined and smooth.
• Set aside half of the yogurt to be used as a dipping sauce and refrigerate. Marinate the chicken pieces in the other half of the yogurt for at least 2 hours, or up to overnight.
• Put chicken on skewers. Cook on a bbq or under the broiler for about 7-10 minutes per side, until chicken is browned on the outside and cooked through.
• Take chicken off skewers and serve over rice or couscous with the reserved yogurt sauce on the side.
• *tip: if you’re using wooden skewers, soak them for 8 hours in water so they don’t burn.