Hello and welcome to The F Scientist!

My name is Andrea Makamba and I shall be the primary author on this blog. Just a little information before we begin, I’m seventeen years old, I live in Zimbabwe and I have an awfully unusual relationship with food. Some days I wake up wanting to make everything in the kitchen. Other days I can live on an apple and a bottle of water. I’ve lived on both ends of the scale and through love-hate relationships with it, but more on that will come later. Right now, I live in the healthy green area where I can enjoy food in good stead neither stressing about calories nor piling on all the carbs (Yay!). Enough about me, onto the food.

Living in Zimbabwe, going to ‘braais’ (meaning outdoor barbecues, pronounced br-ys) forms a regular part of any teenager’s social life, and so I thought it would be fitting for my first post to reflect that.

These chicken kebabs. Let me paint you a picture; tender chicken breast meat, the sweet yet tangy taste of lemon in your mouth, the aromatic garlic filling your nostrils. I could go on, but I wouldn’t want you to end up with a puddle of drool on your screen. This recipe is perfect for your Sunday afternoon barbecues, whether it’s just you and the family, or you’re hosting friends. Best served with baked potatoes and a cold glass of summer punch.

Ingredients

750g (1 and ½ pounds) chicken breast meat

6 bamboo or wire skewers

Marinade: 

3 garlic cloves (mashed)

1 tsp ground coriander

2 tsp ground rosemary

1 and ½ tsp dried thyme

½ tsp mixed herbs

3 tsp lemon juice

½ tsp brown sugar

2 tbsp cornstarch and 5 tbsp water

Method

1. Start by cutting the chicken breasts into thick cubed pieces, about 1 and ½ inches thick.
2. Optional: Fill a large bowl with water and add a generous amount of salt to it. Soak the chicken in this solution for about 20 minutes then drain well. This is known as brining the chicken. Also soak the skewers in ice water for 2o minutes.
3. Combine the garlic, rosemary, coriander, thyme, herbs and lemon juice in a small bowl.
4. In a small cup, add the brown sugar, cornstarch and water and mix until both the sugar and cornstarch are fully dissolved. Add to spice mixture and stir until well incorporated.
5. In a large clean bowl, combine the chicken and marinade and use your hands to mix together until the chicken is well covered by the marinade.
6. Thread the chicken onto the skewers leaving a gap of about 2 inches on either end. Place the skewers in a medium sized baking dish and refrigerate 6 hours or overnight. Reserve any leftover marinade, cover and store in the fridge.
7. When you’re ready to cook your kebabs, remove them from the fridge and allow them to reach room temperature while you either preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F or you heat up your grill/ build your fire if cooking over hot coals.
8. Grill the kebabs for about 15 minutes on each side, or until the meat is no longer pink in the centre whilst continuously basting with the reserved marinade.
9. Serve with ranch dressing and kick back with a cold beer or summer punch.