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Sprite-Grilled Chicken Skewers

4.3

(4)

SpriteGrilled Chicken Skewers on a blue bcakground
Photograph by Scott Semler, food styling by Mieko Takahashi, prop styling by Emma Ringness

These grilled chicken skewers are flavorful, spicy, and full of citrusy pep, all without having to juice a lemon. The secret ingredient? Sprite. I took a note from chicken inasal, a Filipino barbecued chicken dish, and marinated the chicken breasts in the lemon-lime soda along with fish sauce, garlic, and Thai chili sauce to tenderize the meat and infuse it with punchy flavor. The result is succulent, spicy, sweet-sticky chicken skewers. Bonus: You can use up any half-empty bottles of Sprite for this marinade (you don’t need the fizz).

Recipe information

  • Total Time

    30 minutes (plus 2 hours for marinating)

  • Yield

    6–8 servings

Ingredients

8 garlic cloves, finely grated
1 12-oz. can or 1½ cups Sprite
1½ cups Thai chile sauce, divided
½ cup plus 1 Tbsp. fish sauce
2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt, plus more
3 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1" pieces
Vegetable oil (for grill)
Juice of 3 medium limes
⅓ cup finely chopped cilantro

Special Equipment

Eight 10"-long bamboo skewers, soaked 30 minutes, or metal skewers

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Mix together 8 garlic cloves, finely grated, one 12-oz. can or 1½ cups Sprite, 1 cup Thai chile sauce, ½ cup fish sauce, and 2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt in a 1-gal. resealable plastic bag or large baking dish. Add 3 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1" pieces, and turn to coat. Seal or cover; chill, turning occasionally, at least 2 hours and up to 12 hours. (Marinate at least 4 hours if you can.)

    Step 2

    Prepare a grill for medium-high heat; oil grate with vegetable oil. Remove chicken from marinade, letting excess drip back into bag or dish; discard marinade. Thread chicken onto skewers (about 8 pieces each) and grill, turning once, until cooked through (an instant-read thermometer inserted into the a piece should register 160°), 10–12 minutes. Transfer skewers to a platter and let rest 5 minutes.

    Step 3

    Whisk juice of 3 medium limes, ⅓ cup finely chopped cilantro, remaining ½ cup Thai chile sauce, and remaining 1 Tbsp. fish sauce in a small bowl to combine. Taste sauce and season with salt if needed. Spoon sauce over chicken skewers to serve.

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