Sizzling Sweet Potato Skewers

Now summer is just round the corner, these orange and honey glazed sweet potato and chicken skewers are easy to rustle up and brighten any BBQ. Also delicious when cooked on a griddle pan, they’ll save the day when rain clouds start to gather.

This dish created by celebrity chef and sweet potato lover Felice Tocchini is wonderfully versatile, as the chicken can be replaced with aubergines or mushrooms for vegetarian guests. The skewers can be part of a sweet potato feast when adding a handful of sweet potato chips as a crunchy side and a refreshing sweet potato, beetroot and fennel salad.

Available all year round, sweet potatoes are just as tasty in the summer and are low in fat, high in fibre, and full of anti-oxidants, vitamin A, C and beta-carotene. The recipe uses two large sweet potatoes, which count towards one of the 5-a-day.

The Love Sweet Potatoes campaign is designed to tell consumers about sweet potatoes and the different ways they can be used in everyday meals. The North Carolina farming family at Scott Farms is behind the campaign and has been growing sweet potatoes for over four generations. They are now the largest importer of sweet potatoes into the UK.

For more information please visit http://www.lovesweetpotatoes.com.

Orange and Honey Glazed Sweet Potato and Chicken Skewers with Sweet Potato Salad

Serves 6

Ingredients

4 large chicken breasts cut into 2.5cm cubes

2 large sweet potatoes cut into 2.5cm cubes

Fresh bay leaves

2tbsp honey or sugar

6 skewers

For the marinade

Juice of two oranges

1-2 chillies or more depending on how spicy you like your food

5 sprigs of thyme

2 spring onions

Fresh ginger to taste

3tbsp honey

Cracked black pepper

Method

1.      Cut the chillies, spring onions and ginger into thin strips and place into a large bowl.

2.      Add the honey, orange juice and black pepper and mix well.

3.      Add the chicken and gently mix together, marinating the chicken well. Cover and place in the fridge for at least one hour.

4.      Cook the cubed sweet potatoes in boiling water for 4 minutes, drain and set aside.

5.      Cook the chicken on a griddle pan or on a BBQ until juices run clear, turning frequently. Drain and reserve the marinade when cooked

6.      Build the skewers, alternating between chicken, sweet potato and bay leaves.

7.      Pour the reserve marinade in a pan with honey or sugar, bring to the boil and turn the heat down to reduce the marinade to thick syrup.

8.      Coat the chicken with the marinade and serve with a sweet potato salad on the side.

For the salad

Ingredients

1 large sweet potato

1 raw beetroot

1 fennel bulb

1 orange

Small bunch flat parsley

Small bunch mint

5-8 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves chopped

Sea salt (Optional)

Cracked black pepper

Method

1.      Peel and slice the beetroot and then place in a bowl of cold water.

2.      Peel the sweet potato into strips, and place in a large bowl with sliced fennel and orange segments. Drain and dry the beetroot and combine together.

3.      Add the mint and parsley together with the seasoning and serve.

Tips

·         Burning herbs like rosemary, sage, thyme or even the remaining oranges on the BBQ will add extra flavour to your skewers.

·         If you like a more “sticky” feel return the skewers to the grill, but keep an eye on them as the marinade will caramelise very quickly.

© Felice Tocchini 2014