By the time we finished making dinner Wednesday, we were absolutely famished.  Hence this hurried, low-quality shot.

This recipe came from SeriousEats’ “Eat for Eight Bucks” section. We actually had all of the ingredients except curry powder and the chicken, so our cost was considerably less. It was fairly easy and quick to make. The only reason I this recipe took so long is because I trimmed the chicken very meticulously (even though the chicken was “hand-trimmed”).  Once the chicken was all cut up, it was about 12 minutes to cook and 3 minutes total to make the marinade and dipping sauce. I was afraid that since the chicken didn’t marinade before cooking that the meat would be bland, but the meat was juicy and flavorful. The chicken passed the test to go into the “we’ll-make-this-again cookbook”, but the sauce didn’t–we were split 50/50 on it.

Curried Chicken Lime Skewers with Lime-Apricot Glaze

• 1/8 c. lime juice
• 1/8 c. soy sauce
• 1/8 c. apricot or peach jam
• 1tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tbsp curry powder
• 1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped
• 1/2-inch section ginger, coarsely chopped (or ginger powder)

• 1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts

• Sweet-and-tangy peanut dipping sauce (optional; recipe follows)

Set skewers aside to soak in water. Purée all the marinade ingredients in a blender. If making peanut dipping sauce (recipe follows), reserve about 1/5 of the marinade before it comes into contact with the raw chicken and set aside. Trim and cut the chicken into bite-size pieces. Skewer the chicken, leaving enough room at the end to grab onto later. Pour the marinade over the chicken pieces. Preheat the broiler for at least 5 minutes and position the rack so that the skewers will be 3 inches from the heat source. Line a baking tray with aluminum foil. Place each skewer on the pan, arranging them so that the meat is in the center of the pan and the skewers slightly hang over the outside, and slide into the broiler. Broil until the chicken develops a few char spots, about 5 to 6 minutes. Turn each piece over to brown the other side, an additional 5 to 6 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Test for doneness by cutting into the thickest part of the skewer.Serve with peanut dipping sauce and/or lime wedges for squeezing.

Sweet-and-Tangy Peanut Dipping Sauce

Reserve about 1/5 of the marinade before it has come into contact with the raw chicken. Take desired amount of peanut butter and dilute with enough marinade so that a dipping consistency is reached.