Chipotle Chili Chicken Skewers with Honey-Lime Cream

I will state upfront that this recipe is deeee-licious!  I've made it twice now and both times it got rave reviews.  Actually both times I forgot to even get a photo of the pyramid of skewers right off the barbecue, probably because they were quickly off into people's hands (and mouths).  Several people have asked me for the recipe already so here it is.  It's from Weber's Way to Grill, by Jamie Purviance, which was given to me by my friend when he moved to Montreal - thanks for the great book Kevin!

In Weber's the recipe is called "Jerk Chicken Skewers with Honey-Lime Cream" and uses a chile pepper in the paste.  I'm kind of a wuss when it comes to heat in food so instead I substituted that with Irresistibles' Chipotle Chili Pepper.  Anyway here is the ingredients list for the paste used to marinate the chicken.  

Note:  The book specifies the below quantities for 6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (6 to 8 ounces each) but I found that it was waaaay too little so I almost doubled the quantities to get good coverage of the meat.

Paste:

1            habanero or Scotch bonnet chile pepper (I replaced with Chipotle Chili Pepper powder)

1 cup      lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems

1/2 cup   extra-virgin olive oil

4            scallions, white and light green parts, roughly chopped

6            medium garlic cloves

2 tbsp     finely chopped fresh ginger  (I uses ground ginger my second time)

2 tbsp    granulated sugar

1 tbsp    fresh lime juice

1 tbsp    ground allspice 

2 tsp      kosher salt

1 tsp      freshly ground black pepper

Put all of the paste ingredients into a food processor and process until smooth:

Trim the chicken fat and cut the chicken into strips (or chunks) 1/2 to 3/4 inches thick. Then place the chicken into a resealable plastic bag along with the paste.  Cover the chicken well with paste and marinate in the fridge for 2-3 hours.  After that step is complete just thread the chicken onto skewers that have been previously soaked in water.  Once you're ready to barbecue, grill the skewers over direct high heat with the lid closed for 6-8 minutes, turning once or twice.

Remembered to take a photo only when there were two skewers left!

To complement the wonderfully flavourful chicken skewers is a tasty honey-lime cream, equally simple to make:

Sauce:

1/2 cup     sour cream

1/2 tsp      finely grated lime zest

1 tbsp       fresh lime juice

1 tbsp       extra-virgin olive oil

2 tsp         honey

1/4 tsp      kosher salt

1/8 tsp      freshly ground black pepper

In a small bowl whisk together the sauce ingredients.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.  Let the sauce stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving.

Ingredients for dipping sauce