Aji Sauce and Marinade

Roughly chop the cherry tomatoes, sprinkle with salt and drain on paper towels. While the tomatoes are draining, pull out a mixing bowl so you can throw in the ingredients as you prep them. 

Wash the parsley and dry with paper towels to remove excess water. Then remove the stems and finely chop. To remove the stems, you can use an herb stem stripper or just pinch the stem as you pull with your other hand. Finely chop the parsley and add to the mixing bowl.

Cut the fresno pepper in half lengthwise, remove the seeds and finely chop one of the halves. Save the rest for later. If you like a lot of spice, then use the whole pepper. Throw the diced peppers into the mixing bowl. Make sure to wash your hands after you’ve handled the pepper and do not touch your eyes!

Next, finely dice the shallots and toss them into the bowl. Peel the garlic cloves and use a garlic press to crush the garlic. If you don’t have a garlic press, just finely chop the garlic. 

Add one cup of olive oil and a quarter cup of red wine vinegar. Throw in the drained tomatoes. Add the salt and pepper and taste. Add more salt and pepper if you need to. The sauce doesn’t quite live up to my hype at this point. It really needs to sit for a few hours to really shine! You’ll use half a cup for the marinade and save the rest to serve with the grilled chicken skewers.

Chicken Skewers

Trim the excess fat from the thighs and place in a shallow glass container to marinate. You can also marinate in a Ziploc bag, but that can get messy if the zip is not secure. Whatever you do, don’t use metal, as that can affect the taste of the meat.

Pour half a cup of the aji sauce and marinate 4 hours or overnight. If the chicken thighs are not fully submerged in the marinade, make sure to turn them halfway through the marinating time. 

If you’re using wood skewers, soak them while the chicken is marinating. This way, they won’t burn when you’re grilling. 

Once the chicken is done marinating, take each chicken thigh and fold into a “C” shape and thread through skewer. Or, if you prefer, you can cut the chicken thighs into 2-3 pieces and skewer the pieces. 

Let’s grill!

Set the grill to the highest heat and let it preheat for at least ten minutes, preferably twenty. Place the skewers in the center. Cook until the meat gets nice and caramelized, about five minutes. Flip and cook the other side until it’s caramelized. This should take about eight to ten minutes, but times will vary based on your grill. My son didn’t even want to give me a timing because it really varies, so use the times provided as a guide.