Sweet and spicy, these mini skewers are just the right bite for a holiday gathering.

Sweet and spicy, these mini skewers are just the right bite for a holiday gathering.
This chimichurri-style salsa is raw and should be a thick, coarse puree. It can be finely chopped by hand or buzzed up in a mini processor or blender. This is the time to use a nice-quality olive oil.
You can’t beat a simple coleslaw with these savory tenders – a combo of chopped cabbage, julienned carrot, and thinly sliced red onion, tossed with a creamy slaw dressing perhaps. Try adding some chopped fresh cilantro or julienned jicama for a southwestern touch.
Savory, with a nice crisp bite, these mini appetizers look more like eggrolls. For a more traditional chewy potsticker texture, shallow-fry them in peanut oil, then add some water to the pan to finish them with steam. Ambitious Kitchen created this recipe from an ingredient list submitted by Meggan S., who was a finalist in the Just Bare Chicken+5 Ingredient Challenge.
Grilled chicken skewers offer the ultimate meal-on-a-stick experience. But think about how long each ingredient needs to cook through—which means you may want to assemble kabobs that are all chicken and all veggie so nothing comes off the grill at the wrong time.
The footprint for this recipe is super flexible—basically it’s grilled chicken with your favorite garden fresh veggies. Browse farmers markets for spring ramps (wild leeks), heirloom tomatoes, or other kinds of local cheeses to inspire this celebration of foods grown or produced close to home. Boneless chicken breasts are featured here, but feel free to substitute chicken drumsticks, boneless thighs, or cut up a whole bird so that you have both white and dark meat. The bone-in or dark meat chicken will take a little longer on the grill, but the veggies will wait.
For even crunchier chicken chunks, shallow fry the chicken in about ½-inch oil in a large, deep skillet. Make the dip ahead and refrigerate until party time—the flavor will only get better.