Recipe: Rosemary-Skewered Chicken

ROSEMARY-SKEWERED CHICKEN

"Look like a pro without spending a lot of time in the kitchen with these pretty rosemary-skewered hors d'oeuvres. They have never failed to impress our guests, no matter what the season."

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into twenty 1 1/2-inch chunks
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup canola oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
20 rosemary sprigs, or long toothpicks

In a medium bowl, mix together the chicken, chopped rosemary, lemon zest and juice, 6 tablespoons of the oil, salt, and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

In a medium saute pan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil until smoking. Sear the chicken pieces for 1 1/2 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a platter.

Remove some of the leaves from the end of each rosemary sprig, then insert the sprig (or a toothpick) into each chunk of chicken.

Makes 20 hors d'oeuvres
Excerpted from The Summer House Cookbook by Debra Ponzek and Geralyn Delaney Graham
Copyright 2003 by Debra Ponzek and Geralyn Delaney Graham. Excerpted by permission of Clarkson Potter, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.