Spiedies ! (That Famous Upstate New York Delicacy)

Spiedies originated in Binghamton NY in the 1930’s.
Spiedies are pieces of chicken, beef, pork or lamb that are marinated for an extended period of time, then skewered and grilled.
Traditionally, they’re served on a crusty sub roll and drizzled with some reserved marinade.

Growing up in Buffalo, NY, just 200 miles west of Binghamton, I’d never heard of these things. I suppose we were too busy noshing on wings, beef on ‘weck and John & Mary’s subs.
My discovery of Spiedies came about 30 years ago in Florida thanks to my old boss Chuck. He was from the Binghamton area and introduced me to some recipes and filled me in how famous they are up there.

Ever since, I’ve made them for dinner, at tailgates and backyard parties. They never disappoint and always get lots of compliments.

Make some and you’ll see what I mean.

Step 1: Ingredients

2-3: Boneless Chicken Breasts (approx 2 lbs.)
1 cup: Olive oil
1/4 cup: Red Wine Vinegar
1 tablespoon: Oregano
1 teaspoon: Paprika
2 teaspoons: Black pepper
2 teaspoons: Kosher salt
1 teaspoon: Basil
1 pinch: Rosemary
1 teaspoon: Garlic, minced
1/2: Onion, chopped
4-6: Crusty sub rolls

Other:
Grill, charcoal or gas
Half dozen wooden or metal skewers
Few tablespoons of vegetable oil
Paper towels
Grilling tongs

Step 2: Prepare the Chicken

Cut the chicken breast into 1-2 inch cubes and set aside.

Step 3: Make the Marinade

Place all the remaining ingredients into a bowl and whisk them until well blended.
Place the marinade into a container, glass bowl, ziplock bag or whatever you prefer to use to marinate the chicken.

Step 4: Add Chicken to the Marinade

Place the chicken into the container with the marinade. Gently mix so all the chicken is coated well.

Step 5: Marinate

Let the chicken marinate overnight at a minimum.
You can even let it marinate a couple days for even better flavor.
I like to go about 3 days for a really great flavor.

Step 6: Prepare to Cook

Remove the chicken from the container and place it on the skewers, making sure not to pack it too tightly so it cooks evenly.
Transfer the marinade to a small sauce pot and set aside.

Step 7: Grill

Pre-heat your gas grill for 5 minutes and brush it down to remove any loose grilling residue.
Using a wad of crumpled paper towel and some grill tongs, oil your grill grate so the chicken doesn’t stick to the grates.

Place the chicken skewers over direct heat and cook for 5 minutes. Turn and cook 5 minutes.
Continue turning until they are cooked through and reach an internal temperature of 163F degrees.
Remove from the grill and tent with foil to let them come up to 165F.

These are small pieces of meat so be careful not to over cook them which will result in dry flavorless meat.
They should take about 10-12 minutes on a hot grill.

Step 8: Serve

While the chicken rests and it’s juices redistribute, heat up the reserved marinade, that you set aside earlier, onto low heat.
Bring the marinade to a boil for a couple of minutes then take it off heat.

Slice the sub rolls.
Uncover the chicken and place a skewer into your roll and close it, pulling the skewer out.
Drizzle some of the marinade over the chicken and enjoy a Spiedie!