Turkey Kabobs with Cranberry Aoli and Chimichurri

This recipe has a lot going on, but it is well worth it for the delicious end product! Thanks Jewhungry for this awesome kabob recipe! 

Ingredients for Kabob:

  • 1 package KOL Foods turkey stew meat
  • 2 zucchinis, peeled and cubed
  • 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 1 purple onion, cubed
  • 1 loaf of challah or sourdough bread (can be regular or with add-ins – I used cranberry walnut sourdough)
  • Kabob sticks
  • Olive oil for brushing before grilling

Ingredients for Marinade:

  • Fresh thyme
  • Fresh sage
  • 1/2 olive oil
  • Kosher salt
  • Pepper
  • Garlic powder

Ingredients for Chimichurri:

  • 1 clove garlic
  • 3/4 cup of lightly packed parsley, feel free to use stems (this is the base of the sauce so you will use more of this than any other herb)
  • 1/4 cup of lightly packed cilantro, feel free to use stems
  • 5 sprigs of thyme, leaves only
  • 6 – 8 sage leaves
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
  • Kosher salt
  • Pepper

Ingredients of Cranberry Aioli:

  • 2 tbsp cranberry jelly
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 2-3 tbsp hot water

How – Marinade & Kabobs:

Wash and dry your turkey meat and set aside.

Finely chop the sage so that it’s leaves are the size of the thyme leaves. Using a medium sized bowl, combine the herbs and olive oil and whisk together until well-combined. Add kosher salt, pepper and garlic powder and whisk again. Dump the meat into the bowl of the marinade and stir so that meat is fully covered with marinade. Cover with saran wrap or transfer into a Tupperware container and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Place cubed sweet potatoes into a small, microwavable bowl. Microwave the sweet potato for roughly 2 – 3 minutes so that it is just soft enough to put on the kabob stick. Once finished, set aside and let cool.

Once your meat has marinaded for an hour, take out of fridge and pour out the marinade so that no liquid remains. Assemble your kabob in any way that you choose — I went purple onion, turkey, zucchini, sweet potato, and turkey. As shown in the picture above, I did not put the bread on the stick until the last 3 – 5 minutes of grilling so as to keep the bread from burning.

Brush each assembled kabob stick with olive oil before putting on the grill. We have a small hibatchi grill so we grilled each side for roughly 10 – 15 minutes, covered (which prevents it from burning). Add the bread during the last 3 minutes of grilling and leave uncovered.

How – Chimichurri

In a food processor, pulse the garlic until finely chopped. Add the parsley, cilantro, thyme, sage and crushed red pepper and pulse until the herbs are finely chopped. Add the olive oil and pulse to blend. Add the vinegar and pulse to blend. Season with salt and pepper and transfer the chimichurri to a smaller bowl.

How – Cranberry aioli

Combine all ingredients EXCEPT for the water into a small bowl and whisk until combined. Your mixture will be somewhat thick, which is where the water comes in. For a more smooth, ‘sauce-like’ aioli, add water, one tablespoon at a time. If you are looking for more of a dip, feel free to omit the water.