The Key To Better Chicken Skewers Is All In How You Cut Them

Chicken skewers are one of those seemingly universal foods, popular everywhere from the barbecues of the Southern United States to the iconic street food stalls of Southeast Asia. While they may seem to be as simple as food can get, there are a few vital tricks to making the most of your skewers. One is as simple as the way you cut your chicken before it hits the grill.

Many cooks instinctively cut their chicken into roughly cube-shaped chunks before threading them onto the skewers. This makes sense, as it's been the traditional way many have seen it served. But skilled cooks, especially those abroad, have found ways to dramatically amp up flavor simply by cutting the chicken into strips instead. The advantage primarily comes down to the surface area. Strips offer the ability for far more of each piece of chicken to make direct contact with the grill, imbuing the flavorful char and smokiness that many eaters love. It also allows them to cook through faster and avoids the risk of burning on the outside before the inside is done.