Sunday afternoon my sister sent me a worried text, “R u ready for this storm?” I racked my brain for a second and replied, “My fridge is full so I guess so.” In truth, that was the first news I’d heard of Winter Storm Juno, a blizzard that would have NYC Mayor de Blasio silence the moral debate over ordering food delivery in a storm by issuing a travel ban on all non-essential vehicles. I’m glad I was not leaning on Seamless. I’m especially happy that my fridge was stocked with this delicious meal.
Just Google “Yogurt vs. Mayonnaise” to see why this swap to make a healthier recipe is a great choice.
I have a good friend who is always reaching out for clean-eating recipe suggestions or requesting blog posts after trying a dish that I’ve shared. Two of those dishes are the very popular Kale Summer Salad with Tomatoes, Corn and Feta and another picnic recipe for Dilled Potato Salad with Tuna and Peas. Like the potato salad, I’ve made this recipe healthier by swapping Chobani greek yogurt for mayonnaise and sour cream. A simple Google of “Yogurt vs. Mayonnaise” shows how the nonfat greek yogurt has less than 10% of the calories and cholesterol of mayonnaise while adding more than 10 times the protein. Even though I do not keep myself on a strict diet of “low-fat” foods, anything that calls for 3/4 cup yogurt and/or sour cream demands this swap. And if you’ve ever been to Pio Pio in New York or eaten Peruvian chicken, you know why you’ll want to be able to douse your entire plate in this green sauce guilt free.
I love roasting whole chickens, but bones just aren’t great for a neat meal at a desk. This swap to tender chicken breast skewers makes the meal fork friendly and great for #mealprep.
Another way I’ve adapted this (already amazing) recipe from Serious Eats to make it better for #mealprep is by using boneless skinless chicken breast in place of whole chicken. The skewers have little fat on them but use even-sized cuts of chicken so they cook quickly and evenly and remain tender. Without bones it’s also much easier to reheat and enjoy from a container all week long. The spices are bold enough to carry a plate of plain brown rice and steamed broccoli, making a whole meal super simple to prepare in under an hour.
You’ll find this dish so impressive you’ll want to show it off at Super Bowl parties, awards show parties, cookouts…really any occasion. Try baking or grilling even smaller skewers on toothpicks for entertaining. And when you’re friends gush over the dish and ask for the recipe, send them here.
The chicken and green sauce are so flavor-packed, you won’t even want to spice up your side dishes. Effort saved.
Simple spices in the right proportion go a long way.
Don’t be afraid to give everything a good rub. You’ll help the flavor settle into the meat.
If you just made this recipe with whole chicken breasts you’d have less surface area for the spices. You’d also have uneven cooking as the breast thins. With this method, fold over thin pieces so everything finishes at the same time.
GREEN SAUCE. YUM.
Don’t let that juice go to waste! Give the skewers a good roll before plating. And the mat makes cleanup a breeze!
If you love this healthier recipe with Chobani, check out more #MadeWithChobani recipes on their
Pinterest page.
Healthier Peruvian Chicken Skewers with Green Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 1/3 pounds boneless skiness chicken breast
- 4 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 cloves garlic minced (about 1 tablespoon)
- 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- --
- 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
- 2-3 whole jalapeño chilies roughly chopped
- 2 medium cloves garlic
- scant 3/4 cup plain greek yogurt 1-serving cup Chobani recommended
- 1/2 juiced lime roughtly 2 teaspoons
- 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- For Chicken: Preheat oven to 375° and line a large baking sheet with a non-stick mat or foil. Soak skewers in water to prevent burning when cooked.
- Cut chicken breast into 1-inch cubes. Rub chicken with salt, cumin, paprika, pepper, garlic, vinegar and oil. Allow to stand for 20-30 minutes.
- Skewer 4 pieces of chicken breast per stick. Fold any thin pieces over onto the skewer to make sure meat is tight and even throughout. Arrange on baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Flip skewers and raise oven temperature to 425° to cook for 10 more minutes. Remove from oven.
- For sauce: While chicken is baking, combine cilantro, jalapeños, garlic, greek yogurt, lime juice, and vinegar in a blender, food processor, or cup with immersion blender. Blend on high speed until smooth. With motor running, blend in olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Makes about 1 1/4 cups.
- Serve warm skewers with sauce. Great for a crowd or throughout the week as meal prep.
This was wayyyyy to spicy! I would have only used one jalapeno max, and taken the seeds out. I love spicy foods but this was seriously too much.
Well no duh. Did you not see the recipe called for 2-3 jalapeños? Way to criticize a recipe for no good reason.
This was delicious! I loved it! I’m making it Friday for a going away party at work because I know everyone will love it.
It was so easy to make. It tastes very light and fresh. I enjoy the spiciness of the recipe.
So glad you enjoyed, Renee! I can’t decide if I would bake the chicken on toothpicks when entertaining or serve the full-size skewers to save everyone a trip when they’ll surely come back for more 🙂
I was just wondering if this can be frozen to use later, I know the chicken can be but do you know about the sauce ? x
Hi Shelly! I haven’t tried to freeze it, but I imagine that some of the spiciness and herbaceousness might be lost. However, it’s worth the try. Otherwise, it keeps pretty well for about a week in the refrigerator. -Robyn
How many people does this recipe serve? I’d like to cook for one.
Hi Dalissa, this recipe makes about 20 skewers which is good for 10 servings. It’s great for prepping in advance and eating through the week.
thank you for this healthy and super tasty meal!
I used much less jalapeno to suit our taste buds, and I make double the sauce since we just love to spoon a lot on!
I also mix thighs with breasts, as we like both!
deeeee lish!
If prepping for the week do I put them in the freezer and do they hold up well?
So I have some drumsticks idk what to do with instead of skewers can I make the drumsticks?? And for the sauce does it have to be Greek yogurt or can I use just plain yogurt? Thanks for your help….the dirty rice recipe was great my husband loved it.
You can definitely make this with drumsticks – or a whole chicken even! I have not tried it with plain yogurt but I’d say it’s worth a try. Do let me know how it turns out!
This looks amazing & I plan to make it for my first meal prep meals but I don’t see serving sizes. How many servings is this suppose to make. Also what is the caloric breakdown?
Made this chicken for dinner last night and my family loved it! It will certainly become a go to meal for us! I only used one jalapeno (removed the seeds) but will kick it up to two next time.
So much flavor and goodness … thanks for the awesome recipe.
4tsp of salt was too much. For anyone else making this who happens to check the comments, I’d start at 2tsp and add more after it’s cooked if you think it needs it.
Also, not sure what the turning the oven up to 425 and cooking for 10 more minutes is for. Just cooking at 375 for 20 minutes, turning halfway through is plenty of time.
I don’t usually comment on recipes but OH MY WORD was this amazing! My husband won’t shut up about how much he loved it and asked me to make it again very soon. Made no changes to the recipe except I grilled the chicken skewers rather than baking them, and it turned out fantastic. Served it with brown rice and broccoli, just like in the picture. Thanks for a fantastic recipe! 😊
I have used your recipe for Peruvian Chicken with Green Sauce several times and love it. However, I just pulled it up on my laptop and I cannot seem to find the actual recipe. I’ve scrolled through it three times with no luck.
Thanks.
Sorry! It turns out that my plugin which shows my recipes was broken. I was able to fix, so you should be able to see now.