Grilling season is upon us, and I’m taking full advantage with easy, breezy Mediterranean grilled Chicken Kabobs. Whether you serve them for a weeknight or a party, they’re always a hit with their zippy marinade and a rainbow of veggies!
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Is it even summer if you don’t make chicken kabobs?
Tender, juicy chicken with smoky veggies and an herbaceous, Greek-inspired marinade—there’s a good reason these grilled chicken kabobs are a reader favorite!
- Readers love serving up these grilled chicken kabobs for backyard BBQs and cookouts—they’re a step up from Grilled Chicken Breast and always a hit. They can be prepped ahead or assembled at the last minute.
- Sometimes I like to play around with different flavor profiles for my grilled chicken skewer recipes (Fajita Chicken Kabobs, Grilled Pesto Chicken Skewers, lemon Chicken Marinade), but I designed this chicken kabob marinade to be made with pantry ingredients.
- Some shish kabob recipes feature sugary, sodium-laden soy sauce marinades. This homemade marinade has just a touch of honey for balance, and you can add as much or as little salt as you like for a healthier version of the classic.
5 Star Review
These have been my go-to recipe for summer dinners when entertaining guests. So much can be prepared ahead of time. It’s worked perfectly and tastes delicious!
— Danielle —
Key Ingredients
You’ll find the full list of ingredients in the recipe card below, but here are some notes to keep in mind.
For the Chicken and Chicken Kabob Marinade:
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts. You can use chicken thighs instead if you prefer.
- Red Wine Vinegar. For brightness, pop, and to help the chicken tenderize.
- Honey. To balance the acidity of the vinegar and help the chicken caramelize on the grill.
- Dried Herbs. To go with the Mediterranean chicken kabobs theme, I selected oregano and rosemary. Feel free to swap thyme or Italian seasoning, or create your own custom kabob mix.
- Garlic. Four cloves, no less. Go ahead and up the amount if you have a house of serious garlic lovers.
For the Vegetables:
- Zucchini and Yellow Summer Squash. Cut these into 1/2-inch coins. No need to peel them first.
- Bell Peppers. Red are my favorite. Core them, then cut them into 1-inch pieces.
- Red Onions. Quarter, then cut into 1-inch pieces.
- Cherry Tomatoes. A yummy, vibrant addition to almost any chicken skewer. Thread them through the stem end.
Garnishes:
- Lemon Juice. I almost hate to call this one optional because it adds so much brightness. It’s my most recommended addition.
- Fresh Herbs. That bundle of [parsley/dill/thyme] you bought a few days ago for a different recipe and still have leftover? Chop it up and sprinkle it on your kabobs.
- Feta Cheese. Our Greek chicken kabobs just became a little more Greek. Salty, creamy, and just plain DELISH, you’ll be glad you added it.
How to Make Chicken Kabobs
Get Ready. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and whisk the marinade ingredients together.
Marinate. Add the marinade to a bowl or ziptop bag with the chicken. Let the chicken marinate, and soak the skewers.
Thread. Place the chicken and vegetables on the skewers.
Cook. Grill the kabobs over medium-high heat (about 375 degrees F), until the chicken is cooked through. ENJOY!
Recipe Variations
- How to Make Chicken Kabobs in the Oven. Bake the chicken in the oven at 450 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes, turning them once halfway through. Since the chicken isn’t touching the oven directly like it does on a grill grate, a higher temperature is needed.
- How to Use Different Types of Grills. If making chicken kabobs on a charcoal grill, propane grill, or natural gas grill, the temperature you should grill chicken kabobs at is about 375 degrees F (medium-high heat).
What to Serve with Grilled Chicken Kabobs
- Grains. A bed of Lemon Rice is a delicious complement to this dish. White rice, brown rice, farro, or cauliflower rice would also work well.
- Bread and Hummus. Serve the kabobs with some warm pita bread and hummus for dipping. For something a little different, try my Edamame Hummus.
- Salad. Top a bed of chopped romaine, arugula, or spinach with a drizzle of a creamy dressing or vinaigrette and the chicken kabobs. I like ranch or a simple vinaigrette like the one in my Italian Farro Salad. Green Goddess Dressing would be delicious too. Or, add the chicken to my Greek Salad.
- Garlic Yogurt Sauce. Check out the Greek Yogurt Tzatziki Sauce in my cookbook!
Leftover Ideas
Leftovers make a perfect pizza topping, especially with a healthy Whole Wheat Pizza Dough. I also like to roll the veggies and chicken into tortillas with cooked quinoa for protein-packed lunch wraps.
Tips for Skewering with Success
You can make this grilled chicken kabob recipe with metal skewers or wooden skewers.
- If using metal skewers like these or these, be sure not to touch the skewer ends after the kabobs are cooked, as they will be HOT. Use a hot pad or tongs to hold the skewer end while you remove the chicken and vegetables from them prior to eating.
- If using wooden skewers like these, soak the skewers in water for 20 minutes prior to grilling to prevent them from catching on fire. (Trust me, they will catch if you skip this step.)
- My other big skewer tip is do not crowd the vegetables and chicken together too tightly when threading. The chicken and vegetable pieces can lightly touch, but you want to make sure the heat can circulate so that the chicken cooks through.
Chicken Kabobs
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Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts about 2 large breasts
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme or dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 small red onion quartered into 1-inch pieces
- 1 small zucchini ends trimmed and sliced into 1/2-inch coins
- 1 small summer squash ends trimmed and sliced into 1/2-inch coins
- 1 red bell pepper seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
- Canola oil for grilling
- 1 large lemon cut into wedges (optional but way better if it’s included)
For Serving:
- Chopped fresh herbs of choice (parsley and dill are two of our favorites)
- Crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
- Cut the chicken breasts into 1-inch pieces and place in a large ziptop bag, shallow baking dish, or bowl.
- In a separate bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, honey, garlic, oregano, thyme, salt, and pepper.
- Pour over the chicken and stir to coat (or seal the bag, removing as much air as possible, and “squish” to coat). Place in the refrigerator to marinate for 30 minutes or up to 3 hours (do not let the chicken sit for longer or the vinegar will cause it to break down). If using wooden skewers, place the skewers in water to soak for at least 20 minutes.
- When ready to grill, preheat the grill to medium-high heat (about 375℉). Brush the grill grates with canola oil or coat with nonstick grill spray.
- Thread the kabobs: Thread a piece of chicken onto the skewer (shake off the excess marinade when removing it from the bag. Add alternating pieces of the red onion, zucchini, yellow squash, and red bell pepper until you've reached the end of the skewer, ending with chicken. Repeat with the remaining skewers, then discard the excess chicken marinade.
- Grill the chicken until fully cooked through and the juices run clear, about 10 to 15 minutes, turning the skewers every few minutes so that each side has grill marks. Transfer to a serving plate and squeeze the lemon over the top. Sprinkle with fresh herbs and feta. Serve warm.
Video
Notes
- TO STORE: Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days. I love to use them to top salads for lunch throughout the week.
- TO MAKE IN THE OVEN: To make chicken kabobs in the oven, see the blog post above for suggestions.
Nutrition
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Sign Me UpFrequently Asked Questions
The best way to know when grilled chicken kabobs are done is to use an instant read thermometer; once the temperature reaches 165 degrees F, the chicken is safe to eat. Alternatively, you can cut into a piece of chicken to test it; if the juices run clear, it’s done cooking.
You can make this chicken kabob recipe up to 3 hours ahead of time; any longer than that and the vinegar in the marinade will begin to break down the chicken.
Yes, grilled chicken kabobs are cooked via direct heat, which means you put them right onto the grill grates. That’s how they get that nice char on them!
I made these kabobs for dinner tonight and they were a hit!! Only thing I left off was tomatoes because no one in my house would eat them besides me 😅, and since the recipe said 2 tsp of thyme or rosemary, I just used 1 tsp of each. Served with rice pilaf and watermelon. Will definitely make these again!
Great to hear, thank you Courtney!
This was a really easy and great summertime meal! I could not find summer squash (too early in Canada for that to be in the market!) but everything else was on the skewers! I did forget the feta cheese though!
Glad you enjoyed it, Wendy!
I love kebabs and these were so easy and delicious!! Thank you so much for the recipe! This will be on repeat!
Thanks Erin!
We made these tonight and they were delish! Perfect summer meal.
Thank you Nicole!
I just made this tonight. Absolutely delightful! I will definitely be adding this to my regular rotation! I loved the herby & garlicky marinade, and the fresh bright flavor from the squeeze of lemon.
Thanks Sarah!
My first time ever making kabobs, they were amazing!! Thanks for another great recipe!
So glad to hear! Thank you Kelly!
Wow! So flavorful and tasty! Will make this again and again. I opted to use thyme instead of rosemary, and instead of making the kabobs with vegetables and chicken together, I put the chicken on its own skewers and the veggies together on their own. That way they can be pulled off at different times if necessary. Anyway, it was fabulous. The herbs and feta really made it special, don’t skip them!
Glad to hear you enjoyed it, Hilary! Thank you!
Super easy to make and so delicious! We baked it in the oven and can’t wait to try it on the grill.
So glad you enjoyed them, Michelle!
So good! I love the mediterranean flavors and definitely don’t forget to use the lemon and feta cheese!
Glad to hear you enjoyed it, Ava! Thank you!
So easy and delicious! I really enjoyed the marinade that that it doesn’t take long at all. A added loads of veggies that needed to be used up and had a bunch leftover for the rest of the week. Such a healthy and versatile recipe!
Great to hear! Thank you Adrienne!
The chicken tastes great! I wish the recipe was laid out a little differently—it would be nice if the directions to chop the veggies were put into the instructions instead of the ingredients list so that you’re not standing around with nothing to do while the chicken marinates. Partly my fault for not reading ahead, but it would’ve been a better experience for me.
Glad you enjoyed the flavor, Jaina!
OMG I made this for dinner tonight…This was easy to make dairy free for myself with an allergy so I greatly appreciate that. This will definitely be a weekly summer staple in our household.
Glad you enjoyed it, Kristin!
I made these for the Monthly Cooking Challenge. Summer perfection! Definitely a keeper. I liked the simplicity of the marinade, and that they only need 30 minutes to marinate. I used up a large zucchini from our CSA and had a white onion on hand in place of the red. The veggies and chicken were all flavored very nicely. Thank you!
Thank you Emiley!
We made this recipe on the grill when my in-laws were in town. Everyone loved it! The dill, lemon, and feta at the end make this extra delicious and a beautiful dish!
Great to hear, thank you Julie!
We absolutely loved this delicious, economical and healthy recipe! I have to admit that I often avoid making kebabs for fear that the meat will be dry and the vegetables soggy. The clear instructions helped us avoid any missteps. Served with lemon rice as recommended. We will definitely make these again!
Great to hear, thank you Marcy!
I had extra chicken, so I bought extra veggies to go along with and doubled the recipe. I’m so glad I did! I loved the leftovers with some crumbled goat cheese and lots of fresh basil and parsley. Perfect summertime flavors!
Great to hear, thank you Maggue!
So pretty and delicious! Thank you! Will make it again for sure!
Thank you Shannon!