If you have ever lived in the Southern Tier of New York state (or northeastern PA like myself), then you likely know all about chicken spiedies. It's a delicious, regional food. Spiedies are a delicious, tender meat that has been cubed, marinated, and grilled on skewers. You can read a bit of history here. When you make these for yourself (and I really hope you will) say the word SPEE-dee .
Now that we no longer live near New York, we can't go to a restaurant and order chicken spiedies. Now we make them ourselves a few times a year. We have already had them twice this spring, once with family and once when we were sharing a meal with friends.
The recipe below comes from allrecipes.com. We think it's right on, though there are lots of variations out there for spiedie recipes. (Spiedies can be made from a variety of meats, even lamb, though we prefer chicken.) I have made a full batch of spiedies, and I have halved the recipe, as well.
Chicken Spiedies
5 pounds chicken, cubed
2 cups olive oil
1 cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons salt
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons orgeno
1 tablespoon garlic salt
3 tablespoons crushed mint
2 tablespoons basil
1 teaspoon pepper
1. Place chicken in a large bowl with lid (or resealable bag). Mix other ingredients in another bowl and then pour over chicken. Stir thoroughly. Marinate for 1-3 days, stirring every 6-8 hours.
2. Spray skewers with cooking spray. Place chicken on skewers. Do not place the pieces too close together.
3. Grill should be lightly oiled/sprayed and preheated to medium-high heat. Place chicken on the grill. Turn the chicken 3 minutes or so. They do not take long to cook, maybe about 15 minutes. Be careful to not overcook the spiedies or they will be tough.
4. Remove from skewers and serve on Italian bread (our preference) or hot dog rolls.
Please Note:
~ Raw, marinated spiedies are perfect for the freezer. A quart-sized freezer bag with a single layer of spiedies can serve four nicely.
~ When cubing the chicken, attempt to keep the pieces similar in size so they cook at the same rate.
~ I really hope you try these! They are SO good!
Spiedies are delicious! We enjoyed this tasty dish, and the fun fellowship.
ReplyDeleteIsn't the mint overwhelming in it though? It sounds interesting to me, but sadly Jeff's not a fan of mint in anything.
ReplyDeleteTicia and anyone else wondering...The mint is not even tasted! I think there are so many spices that they just blend together nicely for the perfect marinade! (And I don't even like mint gum...let alone in food...)
ReplyDeleteI may just have to try this. Do you think it would work well in our rotisserie? It came with Standard Oven Kabob Rods and they rotate around a heat source.... like this one... https://www.ronco.com/products/showtime-standard.html Rods are show down the page a little.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE chicken spiedies! On pizza, on sub rolls, on a salad or just by themselves. Is this your Mom's recipe? I can't remember what all she puts in hers but that is the recipe I have always used and they are SUPER delicious!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for linking up at Tasty Tuesday! Your recipe has been pinned to the Tasty Tuesday Pinterest board! Please join us again this week!
ReplyDeleteSpiedies are the best! I love them the next day cold right out of the fridge on a warm toasted roll with butter. Yummy. I think one of the ingredients that most recipes miss is 2-3 Tb of grape leaves. I've heard that's the secret ingredient. :)
ReplyDeleteI've been using this recipe for a couple of years. I'm from upstate, but have relocated to Taiwan. I make this about once a month with some slight variations. I don't use the mint as its next to impossible to source here. Also, I bake the chicken for about 20 minutes at 375F in a table top oven. It still comes out great. Thanks for this, it reminds of waking up so early to go to the state fair with family and friends.
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