Briony May Williams' summer skewers

Summer skewers on a plate

Cook Briony May Williams joins us with summer skewer ideas for the first week of meteorological summer.

Chicken skewers

Ingredients (serves 4):

6 chicken thighs (boneless)

Marinade:

1 tsp thyme (dried)

½ tsp onion powder

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp ground coriander

½ tsp black pepper

½ tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp allspice

1 garlic glove, grated

1 tsp smoked paprika

2 tsp chilli powder (optional)

½ tsp ground ginger

½ tsp salt

1 lime, zest and juice

80ml olive oil

To finish:

1 tbsp honey

Method:

  • Place all the chicken and marinade ingredients in a sealable food bag/container, close then give everything a good mix/shake up until the chicken is well coated. Put in the fridge for three hours or overnight.

  • Take 2 marinated thighs and pop them on a skewer, repeat with the remaining chicken on 2 more skewers.

  • Cook either on the BBQ, the air fryer on 180C for 20 minutes or in a pre-heated oven for 25-30 minutes on 180C fan/200C. To check the chicken is cooked the thickest part of the chicken needs to be at least 74C if using a meat thermometer or the meat is white all the way through and the juices run clear.

  • Brush the cooked chicken with the honey and serve.

Bacon and pineapple skewers

Ingredients (serves 4):

8 rashers smoked bacon

1 fresh pineapple or tin chopped pineapple

To finish:

3 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

Method:

  • Peel and chop the pineapple into 3cm chunks. Slice the bacon in half lengthways. Roll the bacon slices up then thread them onto the skewers alternating with the pineapple chunks.

  • Cook either on the BBQ, the air fryer on 180C for 10 minutes, in a pre-heated oven for 15-20 minutes on 180C fan/200C or on a griddle until browning and the bacon is cooked through. Serve with a drizzle of sweet chilli sauce.

Smoked tofu satay skewers

Ingredients (serves 4):

1 pack smoked tofu

Marinade

200ml tinned coconut milk

2 tsp white miso paste

1 tsp curry powder

Satay Sauce:

200ml tinned coconut milk

1 heaped tbsp peanut butter

3 tbsp water

1 tsp white miso paste

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp white vinegar

Method:

  • In a saucepan, make the marinade by gently heating the coconut milk, miso paste and curry powder until boiling and smooth then simmer for 2-3 minutes. Set aside to cool.

  • Drain and slice the tofu into 2cm chunks then pat dry with a kitchen towel. Place the chunks in a sealable food bag/container with the marinade then gently mix until the tofu is coated. Put in the fridge for 2-4 hours.

  • Place all the satay sauce ingredients into a saucepan and heat gently until dissolved then simmer for 5 minutes until starting to thicken.

  • Thread the marinated tofu onto the skewers then cook either on the BBQ, the air fryer on 180C for 10 minutes, in a pre-heated oven for 15-20 minutes on 180C fan/200C or on a griddle for 5-10 minutes until browning and the tofu is cooked through. Serve with the satay sauce.