Fresh Cherry BBQ Sauce ~ Over Chicken & Veggie Kebobs
A fabulous Basting and Dipping BBQ Sauce to make During Cherry Season! A gorgeous color with Fresh Cherry Flavor. See additional recipe below for Chicken & Veggie Kebobs.
Servings: 40 2 tablespoon servings; makes about 2 1/2 cups
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil*
- 1/2 cup sweet onions peelerd, coarse chop
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh garlic peeled, coarsely chopped
- 1 large canned chipotle pepper - in adobe coarsely chopped
- 2 teaspoons chipotle adobe sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon molasses organic
- 1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
- 1/2 cup coconut palm sugar or light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar organic
- 2 cups chopped tomatoes with juice Pomi brand (no preservatives)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 cups Bing Cherries about one pound
Instructions
Start the Fresh Cherry BBQ Sauce:
- In a heavy non-reactive pot, add oil and warm over low- medium heat. Add the onions and garlic, stir until just starting to become golden, about 3 minutes. Add the next 10 ingredients - chipotle pepper through tomato paste. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to a slow simmer and cover the pot.
- Cook, stirring from time to time for 30 minutes.
- In the meantime, wash and dry cherries. On a cutting board, remove each pit - discard any stems. This is not difficult - use a small sharp knife, cut cherry in half, pry out the pit and discard. You will have about 2 1/2 cups of pitted cherries.
- Uncover the sauce, take off heat and cool slightly for 5 minutes. Place in a blender - whirl from low speed to high until very smooth - about 1 minute. Add 3/4's of the cherries to the carafe - puree until smooth, 1 minute.
- Add the remaining 1/4 of cherries - pulse a few times to chop - KEEP THE SAUCE CHUNKY - great with some texture. OR: chop the remaining 1/4 of the cherries on the countertop, folding into the warm sauce.
- The BBQ sauce may be hot water "canned." Or, freeze some. Will last in the refrigerator for about a week. Hint: if you puree the sauce smooth, without large pieces of cherries, it will last longer in the refrigerator.
Grilled Chicken & Veggie Kebobs with Cherry BBQ Sauce:
- For 4 Kebobs, cut 1 1/4 pounds of chicken breast (I used chicken tenderloins) into 1 1/2" chunks, marinate with 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon grated garlic, 1/4 t. salt and 1/8 t. pepper.
- Thread on metal skewers (or soaked bamboo ones) with slices zucchini, yellow pepper and red onion. Add some fresh herbs... thyme leaves are nice, to the kebobs - baste with olive oil infused with some smoked paprika... adds a nice flavor and color. Grill over medium high heat - remember to oil the grates of the grill.
- Turn when very golden - cook the second side on medium - low heat so they don't dry out, until cooked through. Instant read thermometer 1160 - 165 degrees. Baste with Cherry BBQ sauce at the end, remove to a platter.
- Serve with extra sauce on the side and garnish with bing cherries and fresh herbs.
- * with concerns about gmo’s and processing of oils, use a vegetable oil which has not been chemically treated, this is called “expeller pressed.”
Notes
Recipe calculations are for the Cherry BBQ sauce only.
This recipe may not be reproduced without the consent of its author, Karen Sheer
Nutrition
Calories: 49kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0.4g | Saturated Fat: 0.03g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Sodium: 35mg | Potassium: 47mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 350IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 0.3mg