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Sweet and tangy Honey BBQ Chicken Kebabs will be a big hit at your next backyard party. A little smoky and a little spicy, thanks to a flavorful honey BBQ chicken marinade, these chicken kebabs are perfect for prepping ahead, and the recipe can easily be doubled.
The ideal party food, BBQ chicken skewers, is so simple to make with just a few minutes of prep work that can be done in advance. With just 10 minutes of cooking time, you’ll have more time to spend with your guests or family.
If you love kabobs, try my Grilled Garlic Shrimp Kabobs, Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Skewers, or Grilled Beef Kabobs.
Why You’ll Love This Chicken Skewer Recipe
- It’s great for a crowd. Barbecue chicken kabobs are great for a weeknight dinner, but the recipe can easily be doubled, so it’s perfect for serving dinner guests as a main dish or as an easy party appetizer.
- It’s yummy. The saucy kabobs are loaded with flavor that’s umami, smoky, sweet and just a bit spicy.
- It’s simple. Doctor up store bought barbecue sauce for a simple yet flavorful marinade you can prep and cook in minutes.
BBQ Chicken Ingredients
Marinade For Chicken Kebabs
- BBQ Sauce: Choose your favorite BBQ sauce. Make it sweet, smoky or spicy.
- Honey: raw honey sweetens things up and makes the sauce delightfully sticky.
- Oil: Use a light, neutral oil.
- Soy Sauce: use low sodium soy sauce to control the dish’s saltiness. Look for tamari or liquid aminos for a gluten free option.
- Lime Juice: freshly squeezed lime juice is more flavorful than bottled.
- Sriracha Sauce: adjust the amount to control the heat level.
- Aromatics: freshly grated ginger and minced garlic add flavor and aroma.
- Salt and Black Pepper: to season the chicken.
- Chicken: cut boneless skinless chicken breasts into 1-inch cubes
For the skewers
- Bell Pepper: Orange bell pepper adds color but feel free to use any color of bell pepper.
- Onion: cut yellow onion into 1-inch cubes. You can also use red onion.
- Chopped Parsley: to garnish.
- Lime Wedges: to garnish.
How To Cook Chicken Kebabs on Grill
- Prepare the marinade. To a large bowl, whisk the ingredients to marinate the chicken; BBQ sauce, honey, oil, soy sauce, lime juice, sriracha sauce, ginger, garlic, salt and pepper. Reserve 1/4 of the sauce for later to brush the chicken. Add the chicken pieces and allow the chicken to marinate for at least 1 hour.
- Skewer the chicken. Thread a piece of chicken onto a wooden or metal skewer, followed by bell pepper, onion and then a chicken piece, and repeat until the end of the skewers.
- Grill the chicken. Place the chicken skewers on the griddle, grill pan or grill and cook for 8-10 minutes until the chicken is cooked, turning the skewers often.
- Garnish and serve. Once done, brush the reserved marinated sauce over the skewers and garnish the chicken skewers with parsley and lime wedges to serve.
Tips To Make Barbecue Chicken Kebabs
- Reserve 1/4 of the sauce for later to brush the chicken.
- Cut the meat into similar-sized pieces for even cooking.
- Marinate the chicken for at least 1 hour.
- Soak wooden and bamboo skewers in water for a minimum of 30 minutes.
- Prep the kebabs up to 24 hours in advance and cover tightly with plastic wrap in the fridge until ready to cook.
- Cut vegetables slightly smaller than the meat so the meat, which takes longer to cook, remains in contact with the grill.
- Experiment with different BBQ sauces for the base of this sauce to get other flavor profiles.
- Adjust the amount of sriracha to adjust the amount of heat in the sauce.
- We love chicken breasts, but boneless, skinless chicken thighs would be juicy and flavorful.
- Chicken should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F when checked with a meat thermometer.
Frequently Asked Questions
This chicken marinade would be perfect for shrimp or even tofu. Follow the recipe with your favorite protein and simply adjust the cooking times as needed.
Vegetables and meat go hand in hand when making kabobs. Bell peppers, onions, cherry tomatoes and pineapple pair well with the honey BBQ chicken. Cut your veggies slightly smaller than the chicken so the chicken can remain in contact with the grill surface and cook well.
The leftover barbecue chicken kebabs can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave in 15-second increments until heated through.
You sure can! Feel free to freeze the leftovers for a quick meal later on, or prep and freeze the chicken skewers for up to 2 months before you cook them. Store them in an airtight container and thaw overnight in the fridge or grill directly from the freezer. No need to thaw them first; simply add a few minutes to the cooking time.
Kebabs are great because they are versatile enough to be served with all your favorite side dishes. Some of our favorites include Grilled Vegetables, Crispy Air Fryer French Fries and Spicy Baked Zucchini Fries. If you are serving this for a backyard party, don’t forget to make a pitcher of Raspberry Peach Lemonade Cooler.
BBQ Chicken Recipes
- Grilled BBQ Chicken Breast
- Shredded BBQ Chicken Tacos
- Honey BBQ Chicken Wings
- BBQ Teriyaki Chicken Skewers
- Korean BBQ Chicken Skewers
- BBQ Baked Chicken Breast
I hope you enjoy all the recipes I share with you, including this delicious BBQ Chicken Kebabs recipe. I hope you try it, enjoy it, rate it, and share it with your friends and family!
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BBQ Chicken Kebabs
Ingredients
For the marinade
- 1 cup BBQ sauce, I use sweet baby rays
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 tablespoon oil, non flavored oils only
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce, low sodium
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 2 teaspoon sriracha sauce
- 1 teaspoon ginger, grated
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1.5 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
For the skewers
- 1 medium orange bell pepper, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 medium yellow onion, cut into 1-inch cubes
- Chopped parsley, to garnish
- Lime wedges, to garnish
Instructions
- To a large bowl, whisk the ingredients to marinate the chicken; BBQ sauce, honey, oil, soy sauce, lime juice, sriracha sauce, ginger, garlic, salt and pepper. Reserve about 1/4 of the sauce to rush the chicken later on.
- Add the chicken pieces and allow the chicken to marinate for at least 1 hour.
- Thread a piece of chicken onto a wooden or metal skewer, followed by bell pepper, onion and then a chicken piece and repeat until the end of the skewers.
- Place the chicken skewers on the griddle or grill pan and cook for 8-10 minutes until the chicken is cooked, turning the skewers often.
- Once done, brush the reserved marinated sauce over the skewers and garnish the chicken skewers with parsley and lime wedges to serve.
Notes
- Cut the meat into similar-sized pieces for even cooking.
- Marinate the chicken for at least 1 hour.
- Soak wooden and bamboo skewers in water for a minimum of 30 minutes.
- Prep the kebabs up to 24 hours in advance and cover tightly with plastic wrap in the fridge until ready to cook.
- Cut vegetables slightly smaller than the meat so the meat, which takes longer to cook, remains in contact with the grill.
- Experiment with different BBQ sauces for the base of this sauce to get other flavor profiles.
- Adjust the amount of sriracha to adjust the amount of heat in the sauce.
- We love chicken breasts, but boneless, skinless chicken thighs would be juicy and flavorful.
- Chicken should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F when checked with a meat thermometer.
The instructions at the end says to brush the chicken with the reserved marinade but no where in the recipe does it say to set aside some of the marinade. I followed the directions and am now left with no additional sauce to top my cooked chicken since you can’t use the marinade that the raw chicken was sitting in to brush on. Should add a note to set aside some marinade at the beginning of the recipe.
My bad, I’ll include that in the first directions.