I think it’s fair to say that now that we’ve entered April, grilling season is just around the corner. Here in western Pennsylvania, we had a small taste of summer last week, with record-high temperatures reaching into the 80’s. The sudden burst of warm weather inspired me to break out my flip-flops, sunglasses, and uncover our grill from its winter hibernation.
Just as the weather cooled down again, Brad and I were off to Florida for some much needed rest and relaxation with my parents and siblings. We spent 5 glorious days lounging by the pool, walking along the beach and eating to our heart’s content. My parents rented a house for all of us to stay at, so as a thank-you, Brad and I volunteered to cook dinner one night for everyone. Thankfully, the house had a grill, so we decided to stick to a low-key menu of chicken, steak, shrimp and veggie kabobs, salad, crispy potatoes and macaroni and cheese. Served with a large glass of Moscato or a bottle of Corona, it was the perfect way to wind down after a long, hard day of lounging in the sun.
The marinade for this chicken is very easy to make, and really gives the chicken a nice, light flavor. By using the zest of the lemon instead of lemon juice, it gives the chicken a nice punch of lemon flavor. For our veggie kabobs, we stuck with three different colors of bell peppers, but feel free to use whatever veggies you have on hand – onion, cherry tomatoes, yellow squash and zucchini work great for kabobs.
Garlic Lemon Chicken & Veggie Kabobs
Yields: 4-5 servings
Ingredients:
For the chicken kabobs:
3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
Zest of 1 lemon
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbs. minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more, to taste
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
For the veggie kabobs:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Green, orange and red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch chunks
Directions:
In a bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon zest, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper. Add the chicken and stir to combine. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 8 hours.
In a small bowl, whisk together the 1/2 cup olive oil, the lemon juice, salt and pepper. Set aside. If using wooden skewers, soak them in water to cover for at least 20 minutes. (This should hopefully prevent them from burning)
When you’re ready to cook, turn your grill on medium heat. Thread the bell peppers onto the skewers. Remove the chicken from the marinade; discard the marinade. Thread the chicken onto separate skewers, taking care not to pack the pieces too tightly. Brush the vegetables with the olive oil-lemon juice mixture. Close the lid and cook until the chicken is opaque throughout and the vegetables are soft and beginning to brown, 8 to 12 minutes. Transfer the skewers to a platter and serve immediately.
Source: Williams Sonoma
Stick a Fork in It 
I just made kebabs with lime, can’t wait to try yours with lemon.