Heat a skillet to medium-high. Then add the 2 whole ancho chiles, the tablespoon of cumin and the teaspoon of whole black peppercorns to the hot skillet. Toast everything for approximately a minute, or until the cumin seeds have darkened in color and start to smell toasted. Use a spatula to move the cumin seeds and black peppercorns around and flip the chiles a few times while they toast, pressing them flat into the skillet with your spatula to ensure the whole surface of the chile gets toasted. Once the cumin is ready, set the ancho chiles aside and pour the seeds into a mortar (or the bowl of a spice grinder).

Place the ancho chiles in a small bowl, and add boiling water to cover. Let them soak until soft and rehydrated, 10 to 15 minutes. Pour through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a bowl; Discard all but ½ cup of the hot water.

Meanwhile, grind the cumin and black peppercorns using a mortar and pestle and toss the ground spices into the bowl of a food processor.

To the food processor, add ¾ cup of fresh squeezed orange juice, ¼ cup of fresh squeezed lime juice, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, 1 tablespoon runny honey, and ½ salted peanuts.

Add the soaked chiles. Once the chiles have been rehydrated, you can remove them from the water, pull off their the stem, seed them (or not. I usually don’t – don’t tell my Mexican MIL) and toss them into the food processor with the 4 cloves of roughly chopped garlic.

Whiz it all together! You should end up with a smooth paste. You can add ¼ cup of the ancho chile water little by little if it looks too thick. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Place chicken cubes into a large mixing bowl. Season chicken with ¾ teaspoon salt. Toss cubes with approximately 1 cup of marinade, reserving the rest to brush on the chicken at the end of the cook time. Mix chicken together and let marinate in the refrigerator for 15-30 minutes and up to four hours.

Prep the veggies. In a separate bowl, add the veggies and sprinkle salt (¾ teaspoon or to taste) on them, and then toss them in ½ cup of the marinade, plus a little more if needed.

When ready to assemble and cook, preheat the grill to medium-high heat. Or, if you’re using your oven, preheat it to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

Thread the chicken pieces onto metal skewers or wooden kebab sticks. (See note below for wooden skewers). Thread zucchini slices and mushroom chunks onto skewers, too, keeping them separate to ensure a perfect cook on each component of the meal.

If grilling, preheat the grill to medium high heat while you’re assembling the skewers.

Clean the grill surface and oil with spray or brush with tongs and an oil-dipped paper towel. Place skewers on grill and cook, turning the chicken one-quarter turn every 3-4 minutes until golden, about 10-12 minutes and flipping the mushroom and zucchini skewers a couple of times throughout the cook.

Brush your skewers with the remaining sauce, turning frequently until chicken is charred in spots. The exact timing will vary, depending on the temperature of your grill. Remove the skewers from the grill, tent with foil and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Love serving this with coconut rice and garnishing with crushed peanuts, cilantro, and setting out lime wedges and hot sauce. But see below for other sides that will really take these skewers to the next level!