Grilled Chicken Kebabs (2024)

Chicken Kebabs are an easy meal prep solution. Just marinate a large batch of chicken a day in advance, grill the kabobs, and you have yourself a delicious meal to serve all week.

These chicken kebabs are phenomenal! The combination of mayonnaise and ranch dressing makes the chicken super tender and juicy. This has been my go-to chicken kebab recipe for many years and they always turn out amazing.

What is the Difference Between a Kebab and a Kabob

Kebabs and Kabobs are two different terms for the same food! The term describes a dish where pieces of meat, fish, or veggies are grilled on a skewer. The meat is typically marinated for extra flavor before being threaded on wooden or metal skewers.

Kebab or kabob? Goodness! Apparently, you can call it kebap, kabab, kebob, kibob, kebhav, or kephav. Well go figure. That is what happens when many different countries translate the same dish into English.

How to Make Chicken Kebabs

Making kebabs is so quick and easy! It takes only a few minutes to mix up the marinade and only 10 minutes on the grill to cook. Here are the simple steps to make these flavorful grilled chicken kebabs:

• Cut Kabob Ingredients – Cut the chicken into cubes and cut the onions into small pieces.
• Marinate – In a bowl, combine the soy sauce, mayo, ranch, garlic parsley salt, and pepper. Mix the chicken and onion with the marinade, cover, and refrigerate overnight or up to 3 days.
• Skewer Kabobs – While the grill preheats to medium-high, thread the chicken onto the skewers and discard the excess marinade.
• Grill – Grill the chicken skewers for about 10 minutes. The chicken is done when the internal temperature measures 165°F.

Hot tip: When using chicken thighs, trim and discard any extra fat.

Vegetables to Add to Chicken Kebabs

In addition to cooking the chicken on skewers, you can also add vegetables. The key is to choose veggies that are easy to skewer. If you decide to do a mix of vegetables on the same skewer, you’ll want to pick ones that grill in the same amount of time. Here are some of my favorite vegetables to add to kebabs:

• Zucchini and Summer Squash – Do not peel the zucchini, but cut it into ½ inch rounds.
• Mushrooms – Use whole mushrooms, not sliced.
• Bell Peppers – Use your favorite color of pepper. Remove the core and seeds, then cut into 1-inch squares.
• Onions – You can use red, yellow, or white onions. Cut the onions into 1-inch pieces.

Hot Tip: If you use wooden skewers, soak them in water for 30 minutes to prevent them from catching fire on the grill.

Serving Chicken Kebabs

Chicken Kebabs are so versatile. By pairing different veggies, grains, and sauces you can have a completely different meal! Here are some of my favorite recipes to pair with the kebabs:

• Vegetables – picked cucumbers, caesar salad, garden salad, roasted potatoes or mashed potatoes
• Grains – quinoa, white or brown rice
• Dips & Sauces – hummus, eggplant spread or tzatziki sauce.

FAQ

Making Chicken Kabobs in Advance

Chicken Kabobs are a great make ahead dinner option! You can either prep the chicken and then grill right before serving or enjoy the leftovers throughout the week.

The chicken can be marinated in advance. Toss the cubed chicken and onions with the marinade and let sit in the fridge. I recommend marinating at least overnight, but it can marinate in the fridge for 2-3 days.

The leftover cooked chicken kebabs keep well for leftovers. Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. They will keep fresh in the fridge for 3-5 days.

Hot tip: For best results, reheat the leftover kebabs in the air fryer or on the grill for a few minutes to get those delicious crispy edges.

More Kabob Recipes

• Lamb Kabobs – flavorful, juicy restaurant-quality kabobs at home.
• Pork Kabobs – an easy grilled pork recipe made with garlic and onion.
• Beef Shish Kabob – cubed and skewered beef layered with colorful veggies.
• Baked Chicken Kabobs – tangy and juicy, and no grill required

A few important tools that will make your life easier and give you the perfect result.

• Food Thermometer – A food thermometer is so important when cooking meat. It lets you measure the internal temperature so you can stop cooking when the chicken is perfectly cooked.
• Metal Skewers – Metal skewers are not only a less wasteful option since you can reuse them over and over again, but you also don’t have to worry about soaking them like you do with wooden skewers.

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