Garlic Herb Marinated Chicken Spiedies

Mother's Day. My first one. Sean made French toast in the morning—the same recipe from Christmas, sourdough and maple syrup—and brought it to me in bed while I fed Liam and then we both ate in the bedroom with the window cracked and the May morning coming in and Liam in the middle of the bed looking at the ceiling with his usual thoughtful assessment of whatever was up there.

I called my mother and she cried, which she does on Mother's Day reliably, and I understood it for the first time this year. There's something about being thanked for loving someone that undoes you. You don't do it for the thanks. You do it because they're yours. And then someone thanks you and the weight of it lands.

Sean's card said "first of many." He is not a man of many words and those three were right.

We went to my parents' in the afternoon and my mother made her good roast chicken, the one with the garlic and the lemon under the skin, and we sat at the table—me and Sean and Liam, my parents, Meghan and Cormac and the girls—and my mother looked around the table at the end of the meal with the expression she gets when everything is accounted for and present. I know that expression. I felt it myself for the first time last March when we came home from the hospital. The particular relief of headcount.

I am someone's mother. I have been for six weeks and it still lands fresh sometimes. Like this morning. Like right now.

My mother’s roast chicken — the one with garlic and lemon pressed under the skin — is not a complicated recipe, but it’s the one she reaches for when the whole family is around the table and she wants it to feel like that. These garlic herb marinated chicken spiedies carry that same spirit: garlic-forward, herbaceous, the kind of thing that fills the kitchen with a smell that says everyone is here. I’ve been making them on weeknights when I want to feel close to her table without needing to roast a whole bird with a six-week-old on my hip.

Prep Time: 15 minutes (plus 2 hours marinating) | Cook Time: 12 minutes | Total Time: 2 hours 27 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Italian bread or sub rolls, for serving

Instructions

Make the marinade. In a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes until well combined.
Marinate the chicken. Add the cubed chicken to a large zip-top bag or shallow dish and pour the marinade over top. Seal and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight, turning occasionally.
Prep skewers. If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 30 minutes before grilling. Thread the marinated chicken pieces onto skewers, leaving a small space between each piece.
Grill the spiedies. Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Lightly oil the grates. Grill the chicken skewers for 5–6 minutes per side, turning once, until the chicken is cooked through and lightly charred, reaching an internal temperature of 165°F.
Serve. Slide the chicken off the skewers directly onto sliced Italian bread or sub rolls. Spoon any remaining marinade juices from the grill pan over top if desired. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Garlic Herb Marinated Chicken Spiedies — The One She Always Makes When Everyone’s at the Table