Lemon Garlic Chicken Kabobs
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With the most heavenly lemony-garlicky marinade, these kabobs will be made all the time! So tender, so juicy!
This is truly my kind of summer. Tender, juicy, lemony-garlicky chicken bites threaded on a skewer with some charred red onions and lemon halves for even more extra lemon goodness.
And believe me, I’ll still be throwing these on a cast iron grill pan on the stovetop during the winter months when it’s snowing out!
CAN I USE CHICKEN BREASTS?
Yes, chicken breasts can absolutely be used here but chicken thighs have more dark meat and a higher fat content which will yield juicier, more flavorful chicken when thrown on the grill.
I DON’T LIKE ROSEMARY. CAN I SUBSTITUTE SOMETHING ELSE?
Absolutely! You can substitute thyme (dried or fresh!) or any other herb of your choosing. And because dried herbs are often more potent/concentrated than fresh herbs, you need less when using dry. The correct ratio is 1 tablespoon fresh herbs to 1 teaspoon dried herbs.
WHAT IF I DON’T HAVE A GRILL?
No grill, no problem. A cast iron grill pan or a large cast iron skillet will work beautifully here, especially during those winter month when it’s too cold to grill out!
Lemon Garlic Chicken Kabobs
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 shallot, diced
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 red onion, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine 2 tablespoons olive oil, shallot, lemon juice, lemon zest, rosemary, garlic, Dijon, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper.
- In a gallon size Ziploc bag or large bowl, combine chicken andĀ olive oil mixture; marinate for at least 2 hours to overnight, turning the bag occasionally. Drain the chicken from the marinade.
- Thread chicken and onion onto skewers. Brush with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Preheat grill to medium heat.
- Add skewers to grill, and cook, turning occasionally, until the chicken is completely cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 10 minutes.
- Serve immediately.
Did you make this recipe?
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This recipe is so darn delicious. I make this at least 5 times a month it is a great marinade with many flavors. Damned Delicious for sure.
These were absolutely AMAZING!!!
Made this tonight and it was delicious. Such a great maridade with lots of flavor. I donāt usually grill red onions but they were great too.Ā
Thank you for this recipe.
This must be one of the best marinades weāve had in years. The aroma of the combined ingredients ( the perfect amount of fresh rosemary) with the chicken thighs and the other ngredients made this a memorable dish.
Can I make it in air fryer?
Do you think I could make this a freezer meal??
Oh my goodness, my family loves these. I am grilling these again for dinner. Damned Delicious for sure.
LOVE this recipe! Since I donāt have a grill I baked in the oven at 350 for about 20-25 minutes. I serve with rice and a salad- always a big hit!!Ā
I have enjoyed trying your recipes and they are all a solid 5. I made the lemon garlic chicken kabobs, last night, paired with Chef John’s Tzaziki sauce. It was a perfect 10. I even made a large platter with all your suggested vegetables. What a superb dinner. Keep doing what you do so well. Wonderful!!
It was sooo yummy. And the perfect dish to try on my recent staycation with my brand new bbq.
Your basic Souvlaki recipe, which often uses oregano, and with beef maybe red wine vinegar added. It is a perfect recipe!
Easy to assemble recipe with delicious results. I didn’t skewer the chicken, just cooked it in cubes.Ā
I love to try new recipes, but hubby likes to stick to “tried-N-true” when we entertain. I talked him into this one for the weekend since we had all the ingredients without having to make an extra grocery run. He loved how easy it was to grill up for all our guests and didn’t have to worry about the chicken drying out! I loved the taste. Sooo goood! Another “keeper” from the Damn Delicious kitchen.
This has been our go to FAV of the summer. My college aged daughters are planning on using this recipe to prepare at school. How best do you recommend they BAKE it since they do not have grills?
Thank you!!!
angela
Made this for the first time tonight. We grilled boneless, skinless thighs to make it easier. This recipe is definitely a winner; the whole family loved it. We paired it with a quinoa summer salad, with lemon, olive oil, and Dijon dressing. YUMM!!
What would be a good side dish for this?
Hi Bailey! We have many side dish options here, from garlic butter mushrooms and cauliflower to my personal favorite, the warm potato salad! Hope that helps. š
We paired it with a quinoa summer salad, with a lemon, olive oil, and dijon dressing to complement the marinade. We kept it simple, adding chopped veggies, and garbanzo beans, and the dressing. No other herbs, but lots of options.
I made these for dinner last night and I added Red Pepper and Zucchini to the kabobs. They were fantastic! This recipe is a keeper!
My mom made this for Father’s Day and it was a HIT!! We all asked her to make it again. So lemony!!
Made them again for our Father’s Day bbq. Made a few adjustments using shallots this time, and increased the lemon juice by about half. Let marinate for 12 hours, skewered some with red onion, some with mushrooms, and some with bell peppers (a variety to satisfy the picky eaters, so at the same time none of it goes to waste!). A big hit, so juicy, so tender, so much flavor!
Ummm, hello YUMMMMM!!
My subs:
1/4 brown onion, instead of shallots
1 Tbsp dried oregano, instead of fresh rosemary
Omitted the red onion (didn’t have any)
Only had time to marinade about 3 hours; I’m testing recipes for Father’s Day next week, and this dish made the cut!! Thank you!
These are fantastic.
Marinaded them overnight using eyeballed measurements and taste, then grilled them alongside some asparagus.Ā
Iāll make a double batch next time for sure, these were a huge hit!
How would you go about cooking these on the stove top as you mentioned?
I am making the garlic lemon chicken for dinner tonight. Ingredients call for a minced shallot but never mentioned where to put in. I assumed the marinade.
In a medium bowl, combine 2 tablespoons olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, SHALLOT, Dijon, rosemary, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper.
Hi. Can I use chickenbreasts instead?
As the recipe states at the bottom “As always, chicken breasts can be used instead”