Quick and easy weeknight dinners are a must for our family during the school year, and since we’ve been having an Indian Summer this past week, I decided to uncover the grill and throw some Thai Chicken Skewers on. My kids love anything on skewers – they’re fun to eat and quick to cook. I’ve been trying to plan our dinners ahead of time for the week ahead to make it easier to fit our busy schedule. There are some days when I feed the kids at 4PM, and other days, when I serve dinner after an hour of driving my kids around, so planning meals ahead of time helps a ton.

This week, a group of bloggers is celebrating Dorothy Hamilton, one of the 50 Women Game Changers in Food. According to Gourmet Live, Dorothy Hamilton is an “educator extraordinare.” She founded Manhattan’s International Culinary Center, formerly known as the French Culinary Institute. Elected Chairwoman of the American Institute of Wine and Food in 1994, Dorothy Hamilton was appointed Chairman emerita for life.

In an article entitled A Bon Vivant’s Diet, Dorothy Hamilton talks about the struggles of trying to lose weight while eating out at restaurants, giving parties and cooking for her family. Although she flirted with fad diets like the Scarsdale and Atkins diet, she eventually altered the way she ate without giving up her love for food and her glass of wine at the end of the day, and squeezed in workouts on most days. For breakfast, she would have a piece of fruit, then a salad or a three-egg omelette. She called her diet “very French…I like fresh foods, and I never snack.” Another trick she picked up from Julia Child was to drink a diet cocktail made with club soda, bitters and a squeeze of lime. Also, when traveling for work, she brings a few containers of Greek yogurt in an insulated bag. I love her emergency coping mechanism…”In tough moments, I sit on my hands.”

Despite Dorothy Hamilton’s busy business dinner schedule, she cooks dinner for her family often. One of the recipes she makes for her family is Thai Chicken with Garlic and Lime, a recipe given to her by Robert Surles, a.k.a. Chef Bobo, a French Culinary Institute alumni that works at her daughter’s school. I’ve adapted this recipe into these Thai Chicken Skewers, adding some minced ginger and sambal oelek chili sauce.

The marinade for this chicken can also be used for a quick stir-fry chicken and pepper dish. I had some leftover bits and pieces of marinated chicken that I simply cut into smaller pieces and sprinkled on some cornstarch to help keep the chicken moist and tender. With a little chicken broth and soy sauce added, this made a nice dish for the next night.

Stir-Fry Thai Chicken with Peppers

Thai Chicken Skewers

Name: Thai Chicken Skewers
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs (cut into 1/2" wide strips); fresh ground pepper; 2 cloves garlic (minced); 1 teaspoon ginger (minced); 2 1/2 tablepoons cilantro (minced); 1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce; 1 teaspoon sugar; 1/2 teaspoon sambal oelek chili sauce; lime wedges (for serving, optional)