Grilling Lemon Rosemary Chicken Skewers in Winter

In the middle of December my mom, sister and I threw a holiday party. About 60 people came over that night ranging from 16 to 80 and I did all the cooking. It was a lot of fun and my first time cooking for such a large event. The party was on Saturday and since I started cooking the Wednesday evening before and I prepared about 4 dishes each evening leading up to the party. All the food I made was finger foods, appetizers with a few large pasta dishes and one antipasto platter. These easy skewers are excellent for a party. I marinated them over night and grilled them just two hours before the party. You can keep them warm on a tray covered with foil in the oven or serve them at room temperature. I was pretty stoked to be back in the Bay Area and, coming from New York, I found our winter so mild. I actually grilled outside barefoot in the middle of December! The most important part of this recipe is the marinade, that is what makes it so delicious. This recipe is adapted from the Lemon Rosemary Chicken Skewers I found on epicurious.com

Lemon Rosemary Chicken Skewers
(96 skewers)

Ingredients:
16 skinless boneless chicken breasts halves, about 7 ounces each
96 8 inch bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes, drained
2 1-pint baskets of grape tomatoes
2 1 pint baskets of button mushrooms
2 cups olive oil
2 cups fresh lemon juice
12 bay leaves, broken into small pieces
6 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
8 large garlic cloves, pressed
4 teaspoons kosher salt
4 teaspoons hot pepper sauce

Directions:
1. Cut each chicken breast lengthwise into 6 thin strips. Thread each strip completely onto 1 skewer, leaving a bit at the end exposed for the tomato or mushroom. Press one grape tomato or mushroom onto the end of the skewer. Place the skewers in large glass or cast iron baking dishes.
2. In a large bowl pour the oil. Whisk in the lemon juice, bay leaves, rosemary, garlic, kosher salt and hot pepper sauce. Pour the marinade over the chicken, moving around the skewers so that the marinade is evenly distributed. Cover and let marinate overnight in the refrigerator.
3. Heat up the grill so that all the burners are on medium high heat. Place the chicken skewers on the grill and grill them for about 4 minutes per side, basting them with the marinade from the pan.

4. Place cooked skewers on a platter, garnish with Iceburg lettuce leafs and enjoy!