Some time ago I came across this recipe for grilled Mediterranean chicken kabobs and I have never stopped making them because they are so delicious! These grilled chicken kabobs are so moist because the chicken marinates in citrus and garlic and you keep brushing the marinade on them while they are grilling.
If you love big on flavor meals, you will love these grilled chicken kabobs.
About this recipe:
These Mediterranean chicken kabobs are made with a combination of citrus (lemon and orange) and that helps tenderizes the meat before it cooks in addition to adding lots of great flavor.
I use this marinade along with another Italian chicken marinade for almost all of my chicken recipes because it always comes out amazing.
The ingredients are very simple but these grilled kabobs taste like they took a lot of effort.
Because these chicken kabobs are grilled, you can enjoy them at an outdoor BBQ or indoors with an indoor grill pan. Serve these grilled chicken kabobs along side a delicious fluffy rice , Italian potatoes with salsa verde, or Roasted Parmesan Asparagus and it is all you need.
The ingredients you will need:
- Chicken breasts
- Onion
- Green bell peppers
- Garlic
- Olive Oil
- Lemon
- Orange
- Salt and Pepper
- Baguette bread (optional)
The Chicken Kabob Marinade:
The reason these skewers are so amazing and come out perfectly moist every single time you make them is because the citrus and olive oil marinade keeps the chicken tender. The citrus actually cooks the chicken a little bit before it even reaches the grill. Kind of like a ceviche.
The longer you marinate this chicken the more flavorful it will be. If you do decide to marinate the chicken longer, you will notice the chicken turning white and that is ok!
This is that citrus reaction to the meat.
These grilled citrus chicken kabobs are perfect for grilling anytime of year and my favorite time to add these to my rotation is whenever I can grill outside! I love grilling and I love skewers on the grill.
If I am not grilling these chicken kabobs in the summer, I will usually be grilling up my pork skewers with a sticky BBQ sauce. One way or other you will find me outside grilling.
Vegetables for These Kabobs:
You can make these grilled citrus chicken kabobs with any vegetables you love. I always (as tradition) use onions and green peppers. I also like to add big pieces of old stale bread to the skewers.
The bread toasts up beautifully and turns into the most delicious croutons.
I didn't get to add the bread in these photos but believe me it is good. You can certainly add your own favorite vegetables in addition to the peppers and onions or in place of them.
How to Make These Mediterranean Chicken Kabobs:
The first thing you want to do is make the chicken marinade for the skewers.
Then you want to dice the chicken then add the marinade to it and mix well.
Let the chicken marinate this for at least 30 minutes before you are ready to make the kabobs.
After that, grab your skewers and have all your ingredients ready and prepped (vegetables chopped, chicken marinated). If you are working with wooden skewers, make sure to soak them in water for at least one hour so they do not burn.
You can do this part at the same time your marinate your chicken.
From there, you just grab your skewer and thread a vegetable, then chicken then another vegetable on to the skewer. Keep repeating this step until the skewer is full, up to about 1 inch from tip of the skewer.
Place your skewers on a pre-heated outdoor or indoor grill (medium high heat) and cook for about 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked all the way through. Make sure to rotate the chicken every couple minutes to cook evenly.
I like to turn thee chicken kabobs every few minutes and brush a little of the leftover marinade over them with each turn.
For more grilling recipes:
- Flank Steak with Salsa Criolla
- Pork Kebobs with Cherry BBQ sauce
- Roasted Tomato and Tomatillo Salsa
- Grilled Steak Tips with Rojo Chimichurri
- Dijon Steak Skewers
- Roasted Tomato and Tomatillo Salsa
- Chorizo and Pork Burger
Grilled Mediterranean Chicken Kabobs
Tried the Recipe? We Would Love To Hear From You In The Comments Below!
Equipment
- grill or grill pan
Ingredients
- 3-4 boneless chicken breasts cut into one inch cubes
- 1 large green pepper cut into small quarters (to match the size of your cubed chicken)
- 1 large red onion cut into small quarters (again matching the size of the cubed chicken). You can also use a yellow onion if you cannot find red.
- 4 cloves of garlic minced
- the juice of 1 large lemon
- the juice of 1 orange
- 4 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon of dried oregano optional but recommended
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- a few swirls of freshly ground black pepper
- 1 stale baguette cut into large pieces optional but if you thread it on to the skewer then cook the bread it tastes like a delicious crouton.
- 4 metal skewers you can use wooden skewers but take time to soak them in water for about an hour so they do not burn
Instructions
- In a large bowl add the garlic, olive oil, lemon, orange, a big pinch of salt and pepper and the oregano and mix well.4 cloves of garlic minced, the juice of 1 large lemon, 4 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon of dried oregano, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, the juice of 1 orange
- Add your chicken and vegetables to the bowl and mix them all around in the marinade until everything has been coated evenly.3-4 boneless chicken breasts, 1 large green pepper, 1 large red onion
- Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 6 hours if you are making it ahead of time.
- After you are done marinating, you can begin making the kabobs.
- This is not hard, just add the ingredients alternating between the chicken, peppers and onions (and bread if using that) until all of it is used up. I usually get about 4-5 kabobs out of this dish but this can vary depending on how much you put on each skewer.
- For the left over marinade (in the bowl after making the skewers) you will need to add about ½ cup of water to this and use this as a baste while you are grilling (see below).
Cooking
- Preheat your grill or grill pan for 5 minutes on medium high heat. Make sure you have a basting brush for the grilling.
- When the grill or grill pan is heated add your skewers remembering to keep the heat on medium high.
- Cook for 2 minutes. If grilling, close the grill top during this time.
- After 2 minutes turn the kabobs and baste with some of the leftover marinade.
- Cook for another 2 minutes. Place the lid back on the grill if grilling.
- Repeat the basting and turning until the chicken is cooked all the way through (about 10-12 minutes depending on the thickness of the chicken and your grill/grill pan).
- When it is done, remove it from the heat and tent with aluminum foil to let the juices redistribute in the chicken.
- Enjoy!!
Nutrition
Nutrition Values are estimates only.
See full nutrition disclaimer here
Ben says
Came out amazing. We added the large pieces of crusty bread on the skewers (that was suggested) and it was so good.
Sarah says
It was so so good. It sounds so simple but the taste was amazing.