Chicken and Nectarine Kabobs with Rosemary

I hope all my lovely readers are enjoying the summer! You may have noticed that I took a short, but much needed break from posting. I've been doing a ton of recipe development freelance work, but also just enjoying some time away. And no one wants me telling them to hang out in a hot kitchen right now anyway, right?!

I'm really happy to be posting today's recipe because it's something I've made for myself and others several times in the past month or so. It takes so little time to throw together; it serves one or many; and it can be done under a broiler or on your outdoor grill.

I absolutely love how summer stone fruits work here. Use semi-ripe peaches, nectarines or plums that are still rather firm. They should be a couple days away from ripe-enough-to-eat. When you skewer and blast them with heat, they become intensely sweet and syrupy. This is also a nice way to do boneless, skinless chicken breasts, which are not always the juiciest cuts of meat. Here, they stay quite tender, and one chicken breast yields two fruit-packed skewers. It's a very healthy, low-cal, low-carb meal that doesn't feel at all like you're skimping.

Chicken and Nectarine Kabobs with Rosemary
I can attest to the sweet, syrupy results you'll get with peaches and nectarines, but I think plums will work well too. I also rescued some not-so-soft figs with this recipe, so give that a try too! Multiply to serve as many as you want.

Serves 2

1 tablespoon olive oil plus a few drops
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar plus a few drops
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, divided
Pinch of dried thyme
Freshly ground black pepper
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into large chunks
2 firm nectarines, each cut into 8 chunks
Coarse salt

Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1 1/2 tablespoons rosemary, thyme, a generous quantity of pepper and the chicken to a shallow bowl; toss to coat thoroughly. Add the nectarines to a smaller bowl; sprinkle with a few drops of oil and vinegar, the rest of the rosemary and pepper. Marinate at least 25 minutes.

Preheat broiler. Slide chicken and nectarines, alternating, on 4 metal skewers (or wooden skewers soaked for several hours), and place on a foil-lined baking sheet or broiler pan. Season with salt on both sides. Cook 5 minutes per side or until cooked through. Broilers can vary, so take into account how hot yours runs. You can also cook skewers on a grill. Let rest for a minute and serve.