Spiedies

Where This Goes Wrong

Keep the raw marinade separate from the dressing used on the cooked chicken.

Soak wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes before threading.

Do not crowd the skewers, or the meat steams rather than chars.

How to Make Spiedies

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1. Whisk the oil, vinegar, garlic, mint, oregano, salt and pepper. Pour 60 ml into a small dish and keep it separate.

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2. Mix the chicken with the rest of the marinade, cover and marinate in the fridge for 4 hours.

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3. Thread the chicken onto 8 skewers. Heat the grill to medium-high.

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4. Grill for 15 minutes, turning, until charred at the edges and 74°C / 165°F inside.

   Mark done Start 15 min timer

5. Pull the chicken off into the rolls and brush with the reserved dressing.

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Related guide: Prep, cook and total time.

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What's Going On Here

Marinate the meat for longer than feels necessary. A spiedie is a skewered grilled meat sandwich, and the whole flavour comes from a vinegary marinade that has had hours to work: garlic, oil, red wine vinegar, mint, oregano and plenty of black pepper.

Cubes of chicken thigh or lamb go into the marinade in the fridge, never on the counter. Four hours is the minimum, and overnight is better still. The vinegar softens the meat as it flavours it, so the grilled cubes are tender with a sharp, herby edge. Time does the work.

Thread the cubes onto skewers, leaving a little space between them so the heat reaches every side. Grill over a medium-high heat, turning, until the edges are charred. The traditional way to serve is to hold a soft Italian roll around the skewer and pull the meat off into the bread, with a little of the marinade brushed on top. Eat from the skewer.

After You've Cooked It

Keeps for 3 days in the fridge. Freeze cooked for 2 months.

Changing the Recipe

• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.
• Fresh herbs work in place of the dried mint at roughly three times the quantity — a teaspoon of dried is about a tablespoon of fresh, chopped.

What to Serve Alongside

• Soft Italian rolls
• Coleslaw
• Potato salad
• Pickles

Sides from the same cuisine on this site: Artisan Sourdough Bread, Buttermilk Biscuits, New York Bagels.

Common Questions About Spiedies

Nutrition per Serving

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.

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