A simple recipe for juicy grilled chicken skewers. The secret is to season them well and avoid drying them out on the grill.
This tasty recipe is courtesy of my husband. Just like in many other households, he’s mostly in charge of grilling outdoors (I prefer using the indoors George Foreman grill).
These grilled chicken skewers are amazing. They are juicy, succulent, well-seasoned and grilled to perfection. They are very easy to make and everyone enjoys them. So we make them almost weekly in the summer.
The ingredients you’ll need
You’ll only need a few simple ingredients to make these tasty skewers. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below. Here’s an overview of what you’ll need:
Fresh chicken: In this recipe, we use boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed.
Olive oil: I love cooking with this delicious oil. But if you’d rather use an oil with a higher smoke point, you can use avocado oil instead.
Kosher salt and black pepper: If using fine salt, you should reduce the amount you use, or the skewers could end up too salty.
Spices: Garlic powder and dried oregano. Make sure they are fresh – a stale spice can easily ruin a dish.
How to make grilled chicken skewers
It’s so easy! Scroll down to the recipe card for the detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps:
1. Soak 8 wooden skewers for 30 minutes in water. Not everyone agrees that this is a necessary step, but it’s supposed to help prevent the wooden skewers from burning on the hot grill.
2. Heat your grill to medium-high. You don’t want to cook the chicken on high and char it too much. So medium-high is good.
3. In a large bowl, toss the chicken pieces with the olive oil and the seasonings.
4. Your next step is to thread the coated chicken pieces on the soaked skewers.
5. Grill the chicken, turning occasionally, until the it’s cooked through, about 10 minutes.
How to make them juicy
The problem is that they can end up too dry. Actually, that’s a problem with anything made with chicken breast, a lean piece of meat that tends to dry out easily.
The secret to keeping them juicy is to cook them over fairly high heat and to avoid cooking them for too long.
This is much easier to do with chicken cubes than with a whole chicken breast because there’s less risk of them remaining raw in the middle.
What should I serve with them?
Grilled chicken skewers are excellent with a side of grilled vegetables. I like to serve them with grilled broccolini, with grilled portobello mushrooms, or with grilled zucchini. You can also serve them with a salad such as this creamy cucumber salad.
What to do with leftovers?
You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 3-4 days. Reheat them gently, in the microwave on 50% power. Or shred them and use them cold in salads (such as this chicken cobb salad) or in a lettuce sandwich.
More tasty kabob recipes
Making food on sticks is fun! In the winter, when we can’t grill, we make tasty oven chicken kabobs. And these tasty sausage kabobs are another summer staple around here.
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Grilled Chicken Skewers
INGREDIENTS
- 1 1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
INSTRUCTIONS
- Soak 8 wooden skewers for 30 minutes in water.
- Heat your grill to medium-high.
- In a large bowl, toss the chicken pieces with the olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder and oregano.
- Thread the coated chicken pieces on the skewers.
- Grill the chicken skewers, turning occasionally, until cooked through, about 10 minutes.
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Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, Reader's Digest, and Better Homes and Gardens.