Honey Garlic Chicken Skewers (Chicken Kabobs)
Nothing says summer like these simple, juicy, flavor packed grilled honey garlic chicken skewers. These chicken skewers (aka chicken kabobs) are marinated in a mixture of tomato paste, avocado oil, soy sauce, honey, smoked paprika and garlic and then grilled to tender perfection.
Servings: 4
Equipment
- indoor/outdoor grill or smoker
- 15 large wooden skewers
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb chicken breast, trimmed, cut into 2 inch cubes (about 2 large breasts)
- 3 bell peppers (red, yellow, orange, or green), cut into 2 inch cubes
- 1 medium yellow onion, cut into 2 inch cubes
Honey Garlic Marinade
- 3 Tbsp tomato paste
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil
- 2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 1 Tbsp water
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp granulated garlic
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Trim and cube the chicken breast. Cut the bell peppers and onion into similar sized pieces. Place the chicken in one large Ziploc bag and the vegetables in a second Ziploc bag.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the tomato paste, oil, soy sauce, honey, water, smoked paprika, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Reserve 2 tablespoons of marinade.
- Pour half of the remaining marinade over the chicken in the bag and the other half over the vegetables. Seal the bags and shake to distribute the marinade over the chicken and vegetables. Allow the chicken and vegetables to marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes in the refrigerator (we like to marinate ours for about 2 hours).
- While the chicken and veggies marinates, soak the wooden skewers in water for 20-30 minutes (this will prevent them from burning when on the grill).
- Preheat the grill to medium-high heat. Pour the marinated veggies onto a plate. Push the veggies onto the skewers, leaving about an inch of space at the top and bottom of the skewers and about ½ inch of space between the veggies. Repeat this process until all of the veggies are on the skewers. You can brush any remaining marinade over the vegetables, if desired.
- Pour the marinated chicken out on the same plate. Push pieces of the chicken onto the skewers, leaving about an inch of space at the top and bottom of the skewers and about ½ inch of space between the pieces of chicken. Repeat this process until all of the chicken is on the skewers. Discard any remaining marinade.
- Place the skewers on the preheated grill and cook on one side, undisturbed, for about 4 minutes. Turn the skewer over and repeat on the other side for about 4 minutes. Remove the chicken and vegetables from the grill and brush with the reserved marinade. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- What goes with chicken on a skewer - veggies and fruit are perfect additions to chicken skewers. However, it's best practice to put chicken and veggies on separate skewers since they will cook at different rates. Also, be sure to cut the chicken and veggies in uniform size for even cooking. Try zucchini, summer squash, tomatoes, mushrooms, bell peppers, onion, pineapple, or even mango.
- How long to cook chicken skewers on a grill - on medium-high heat, you should cook the chicken 4 minutes per side for a total of 8 minutes. This time is based on a Traeger smoker, but should work for most pellet and charcoal grills as well.
- How to make chicken skewers ahead of time - to speed up the process you can make these skewers ahead of time. You can cut the vegetables 1 to 3 days head of time and you can marinate the chicken up to 24 hours before grilling. Just be sure to cover and refrigerate the prepared ingredients!
- Should I marinate kabobs before grilling - yes! we recommend marinating the chicken for these kabobs a minimum of 30 minutes, but ideally for 2-4 hours. Marinating will both tenderize the chicken and pack in a ton of flavor when grilled. You can also marinate the veggies for added flavor.
- Do I have to soak wooden skewers before grilling - yes! Soak the wooden skewers for 20 to 30 minutes before grilling. Soaking prevents the wood from burning when grilling the chicken.
- Are chicken breasts or thighs better for kabobs - Our recipe calls for chicken breasts since they are leaner than thighs. However, thighs will also work and may even be a tad juicier due to increased fat content and should take a similar amount of time to cook.