Grilled Chicken Heart Skewers

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   How do you grill chicken heart skewers over coals? Gather your ingredients. Use fresh, chilled hearts — they have more nutrients than frozen. Any vegetable oil works — sunflower, corn, olive, canola — but use a refined oil so the hearts don't scorch as they cook.

2. Step 2:

   

   Wash the chicken hearts, then pat them thoroughly dry. If you like, you can use turkey hearts or another poultry heart instead.

3. Step 3:

   

   Pay special attention to your soy sauce. There are lots of cheap imitations out there, but don't just chase the lowest price. Choose a naturally brewed soy sauce with a short, clean ingredient list. Since we're using it to marinate the hearts, a soy sauce made specifically for marinades is even better. Pour the soy sauce over the hearts.

4. Step 4:

   

   Add the oil. I really like using sesame oil in marinades.

5. Step 5:

   

   Add the minced garlic. I put the clove through a press, but you can grate it on a fine grater or chop it with a knife; garlic powder works too. At this point you can also add any favorite herbs or seasonings — a Georgian herb blend, ground pepper, Herbes de Provence, thyme, or rosemary. Let the hearts marinate for at least 30 minutes.

6. Step 6:

   

   Since chicken hearts are small, we'll cook them on wooden skewers. To keep them from burning on the grill, soak the skewers in water for at least 30 minutes — ideally about 2 hours.

7. Step 7:

   

   Thread the marinated hearts onto the wooden skewers.

8. Step 8:

   

   Light the fire ahead of time. Birch wood is recommended for cooking over coals — wait until it burns down to embers. You can also use store-bought charcoal; just get it good and hot.

9. Step 9:

   

   The wooden skewers are fairly short and won't rest across the grill the usual way. So set a grill grate over the coals and lay the skewers on that. Cook, turning fairly often so the hearts brown evenly instead of scorching. Total cooking time is about 15–20 minutes.

10. Step 10:

    

    Serve the heart skewers with fresh vegetables and herbs. Enjoy!