Chicken Kabobs on a Camping Fire
So good you can taste the adventure.
We packed the car, ready the dogs, fed the kids, and set the driving route.
Long Beach seemed even further away than the official 1,561 miles between us. But we were super excited about visiting the Grand Canyon with the kids and determined to get to the West Coast in 4 days.
Would the absence of a kitchen stop us from doing our weekly show?
Never!
Late, but we’ve come to love camping, setting the tent, the clarity of the open night sky, and cooking on an open fire!
Getting the wood, prepping the ingredients, lighting the pit, and sitting around the open fire while eating and talking have become treasured moments for us as a family.
This episode has a higher emotional value for us for that reason, but also because this trip signals the start of a very special journey for Alani in an effort to get over her allergies to milk protein.
So, hurray adventure, camping, the Grand Canyon, and especially, hurray Alani.
Bring it all together: The recipes, the book, and the music.
🍗 🌶 INGREDIENTS 🍗 🌶 (serves 6 or 8)
4 chicken breasts (skinless and boneless)
1 medium onion
1 red bell pepper (or any color)
1 yellow pepper (or any color)
Spices: Cumin, vegan chickenless from Trader Joe’s, chili powder (whichever you have available will work) <Get seasoning from TJ’s>
Salt and pepper
You will need:
Wood and fire
Fire-resistant gloves <Get ours>
Aluminum foil
Skewers <these are great for open fire>
🔥 ⛺️ COOKING INSTRUCTIONS 👩🍳 👨🍳
Depending on how far away your camping site is you can prep as much as possible at home. In this version, we took the chicken frozen in our Yeti cooler because we knew we would be on the road for days before arriving at the camping site. If you only have hours to travel then we recommend you cut up the chicken at home as well.
Step 1.
Cut up veggies into approximately 1 inch (2.5 cm) squares (you can do this at home and double bag before placing into cooler
Step 2.
Light up the open fire (this step can take a while so start here)
Step 3.
Cut up chicken into squares and place into a ziplock bag
Step 4.
Season with spices, salt, and pepper while the fire gets going
Step 5.
Close the bag and shake it well so all the chicken soaks all the spice-flavors. Do the same to the veggies you brought cut-up from home.
Step 6.
Let is sit for a while, be careful not to leave it out in the blasting sun
Step 7.
Add chicken, onions, and bell peppers to the skewers. Make sure to separate chicken, onions, and bell peppers. 1 skewer per ingredient because they cook at different times and temperatures
Step 8.
When the fire is ready place the skewers onto a gill on the fire. Onions cook first, then bell peppers, and lastly the chicken. Time will depend on the fire, altitude, and other factors of your camping location
Step 9.
Remove each skewer when ready and mix all ingredients together
Step 10.
Enjoy!
We serve it with corn, rice, and since we had tortillas the kids decided to make tacos.
For the open fire
Give yourself 15-20 minutes for the fire to get hot enough. You are looking for a good amount of heat not necessarily a high fire. The heat cooks the chicken, whereas a high flame might burn it.
Place your open hand at a safe distance above the pit, about 15 inches. If you can stand the heat, it's hot enough. If you can’t count to 5 with your hand 15 inches above the pit, it's ready.
Book Pairing
Our 12 year old recommended this book and gave the loveliest explanation as to why she believes this book pairs well with camping and with the food we were making. Unfortunately, the mic was not on so we couldn’t add that to the video. This is what she said: “Because her story and anecdotes remind us that we should not take anything for granted and that we need very little to be happy.”
Our favorite quote:
“Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person’s character lies in their own hands.” ― Anne Frank
Playlist recommendation:
We made this playlist on the way to and back from LA called aLAni. Just like family, this is a VERY eclectic selection!
