Flavorful Grilled Chicken Kabobs - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 lbs boneless chicken breasts (trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1-inch cubes) or 2 lbs skinless chicken thighs (trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1-inch cubes)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
4 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
fresh ground black pepper (can sub chipotle powder)
2 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
8 wooden skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes before using
1 cup barbecue sauce, divided (Sweet Baby Ray's Hickory works well)

Preparation

Toss chicken and salt in large bowl; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.
Heat gas grill to medium high.
While grill heats, pat chicken dry with paper towels. Combine sweet paprika, sugar, smoked paprika and pepper or chipotle powder in small bowl.
Process bacon in food processor until a smooth paste forms, 30 to 45 seconds, scraping down bowl twice during processing. Add bacon paste and spice mixture to chicken; mixing with hands or rubber spatula until ingredients are thoroughly blended and chicken is completely coated.
Thread meat onto skewers, rolling or folding meat as necessary to maintain 1-inch cubes.
Place kebabs on grill, turning one-quarter turn every 2 to 2 1/2 minutes until well browned and slightly charred, about 8 minutes for breasts or 10 minutes for thighs. Brush top surface of kebabs with 1/4 cup sauce; flip and cook until sauce is brown in spots, about 1 minute. Brush second side with remaining 1/4 cup sauce; flip and continue to cook until brown in spots until cooked through, about 1 minute longer. Remove kebabs from grill and let rest for 5 minutes.
Serve, passing reserved barbecue sauce separately.