Back when I lived in my old Californian apartment, I had the best stove top I could have asked for (because - yes you guessed it - it had flame burners). I found this grill set up to be a fun DIY project to create a make-shift stove-top grill with the bare minimum equipment I had: a couple of skewers that hadn’t seen the light of day for a year, a cake ring, and some aluminum foil. The cake ring created just the right amount of elevation for the chicken to nicely hover over the flame without the risk of burning. Winner, winner, chicken skewer.

Notes:

This recipe works perfectly well even if you’re using a regular outdoor grill; if anything the end product will be even better!

If you do not have a flame burner stove top, use a grill pan and substitute the metal skewers with wooden ones. Ensure that you soak the wooden skewers in warm water for 30 minutes prior to use, so that they wont cook with the chicken itself. Do this step before you marinate the chicken, to make the process more efficient!

Ingredients

GROUP A: CHICKEN

• 4 - 5 oz boneless, skinless chicken thighs (in a pinch, chicken breast will work too, but won’t be as juicy as thighs)

• 2 1/2 tsp basil pesto (make your own, or use store bought)

• Salt & pepper, to taste

• Butter, as needed

GROUP B: GARNISHING

• 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

• 1 tsp lime juice

• 3 - 4 mint leaves, finely minced

• Salt & pepper, to taste

Method

• Dice the chicken into roughly 1-inch cubes. Season with salt, pepper, and basil pesto and let it marinate for at least 20 minutes. Grease 2 metal skewers with butter, and thread the chicken onto them. Brush the chicken with butter before grilling.

• Prior to grilling, ensure plenty of ventilation within your apartment: open up a window or two, and turn on the vent fan to its highest setting. With the stove set to medium-low heat, prop the skewers 5 to 6 inches above the flame. Turn the skewers frequently, to evenly expose the chicken to the heat. Cook for a total time of 12 - 15 minutes, till the chicken has charred edges and is completely cooked through (check to see that there are no pink spots visible).

• Whisk together all Group B ingredients. Plate the chicken with the yogurt and enjoy warm!