Chicken Bacon Skewers

SMchickenbaconLR1There is nothing like the motivation of a contest to get my creativity flowing.  Saucy Mama’s SLICED Recipe Contest sounded like a lot of fun as it is similar to the TV show CHOPPED but without the nerve racking anxiety of limited time cooking in front of a TV camera.  SLICED is my kind of contest… “reveal secret ingredient… have one week to come up with an appetizer using Saucy Mama Mustards… possibly move on to the entree round.”    
Well, there may have been a little anxiety when awaiting for that secret ingredient to be revealed – “What if it was pig brain?”  Imagine my relief when I found out the secret ingredient was bacon.  Bacon, lovely, flavorful bacon.  It can go with sweet, spicy, smokey, salty or tart.  Now my challenge was to limit my imagination to one recipe.  
Like most of my kitchen creations, it usually comes down to what I have on hand.  Today there was a fresh pineapple, a beautiful basil plant (thanks Trader Joe’s) and a sunny porch with a grill just begging to be heated up.
Easy for a few people or to feed a crowd, these sweet, smokey, mustard infused skewers were gobbled up only seconds after I snapped this photo!

Chicken Bacon Skewers

  • 2 boneless chicken breasts
  • 6 slices bacon
  • 18 pineapple chunks
  • 18 fresh basil leaves
  • 1 tablespoon bacon grease
  • 3 tablespoons Saucy Mama Hatch Chili Mustard
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 6 wooden skewers

In a large skillet, partially cook bacon (beginning to brown but still flexible).  Cool bacon on a paper towel and reserve 1 tablespoon of bacon grease.  Cut chicken breast meat into 18 bite-sized chunks.  In a medium saucepan, saute chicken breast in bacon grease on medium-high heat 2 minutes.  Add 3 tablespoons Saucy Mama Hatch Chili Mustard and 2 tablespoons water to chicken.  Bring mixture to a boil for 2 minutes, remove from heat.
When chicken has cooled enough to handle it is time to assemble the skewers.  Start at the top of the skewer with a bacon slice, then add chicken, basil leaf and pineapple.  Wrap the slice of bacon over the pineapple and move items down an inch or so.  Repeat, intertwining the bacon around the other ingredients.
Place skewers on a hot grill or griddle until bacon crisps and chicken begins to brown, rotate skewers until all sides hit heat.  baconLR

chickenpoachLR

Poaching the chicken not only adds a tremendous mustard flavor to the chicken, it keeps it moist and makes grill time very short.

SMchickenbaconLR2

Saucy Mama Hatch Chili Mustard

Made from the North American Hatch Chili (grown in the Southwest along the Rio Grande in Texas to the Hatch Valley in New Mexico), this is a superb sweet hot pepper mustard with bite and balance.
Hatch Mustard
Ingredients: Water, mustard seed, honey, white wine vinegar, sugar, white distilled vinegar, rice vinegar, salt, mustard flour, green hatch chiles, citric acid, garlic, xanthan gum, natural flavor.

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