Grilled Mediterranean chicken kabobs are so delicious and so easy to make. These juicy grilled chicken kabobs are so moist because the chicken marinates in a simple citrus and garlic marinade and more is brushed on while they are grilling. There is so much flavor. If you love easy and big on flavor grilling recipes , 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 and my Italian chicken marinade for almost all of my chicken recipes because it always comes out amazing. I even use it on my Mediterranean grilled tuna steaks.
The ingredients are very simple but these grilled kabobs taste like they took a lot of effort.
Because these Mediterranean 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 , Mediterranean bean salad, Italian potatoes with salsa verde, or Roasted Parmesan Asparagus and it is all you need.
Make an easy dessert like my mini cheesecake bites or creamy lemon bars to finish off the meal. They both are great served with this recipe.
The ingredients you will need:
- Chicken breasts. You want boneless skinless chicken breasts.
- Onion. Red or yellow onion work great with these Mediterranean chicken kabobs.
- Green bell peppers.
- Garlic.
- Olive Oil.
- Lemon.
- Orange.
- Salt and Pepper.
- Baguette bread (optional). I like to add a big piece of baguette to the chicken skewers because they come off the grill tasting like a garlic crouton. So good!
Mediterranean Chicken Kabob Marinade
The reason these grilled Mediterranean chicken 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 or Summer grilled pork chops. One way or other you will find me outside grilling.
Vegetables for These Kabobs
You can make these Mediterranean 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 Grilled Mediterranean Chicken Kabobs
The first thing you want to do is make the chicken marinade for the skewers. This is really easy to do and only requires you to prep a few ingredients.
Then you want to dice the chicken and add it to the marinade and mix well. You want all of the chicken nice and coated in that marinade.
Let the chicken marinate this for at least 30 minutes before you are ready to make the kabobs. This marinade will cook the chicken a bit because of the lemon juice and leave it really tender after grilling.
From there, you just grab your skewers 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.
Tip: If you are working with wooden skewers, make sure to soak them in water for at least one hour so they do not burn.
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.
Cooking chicken kabobs on the grill
Cooking chicken kabobs on the grill is so easy and my favorite way to make these kabobs. Here is what you do:
- Preheat your grill or grill pan for 5 minutes on medium high heat.
- When the grill or grill pan is heated add your skewers remembering to keep the heat on medium high.
- Cook for 2 minutes making sure to 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.
- 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. It only needs about 5 minutes to rest.
Pairing Ideas
If you are looking for ideas of what to serve with these Mediterranean chicken kabobs, here are our favorites:
For more grilling recipes:
- Flank Steak with Salsa Criolla
- Pork Kebobs
- Roasted Tomato and Tomatillo Salsa
- Grilled Steak Tips with Rojo Chimichurri
- Dijon Steak Skewers
- Roasted Tomato and Tomatillo Salsa
- Pork Burger
- Hamburger Patty Recipe
- Grilled Tuna Steak
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, the juice of 1 orange, 4 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon of dried oregano, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, a few swirls of freshly ground black pepper
- 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 to the skewers 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.4 metal skewers
- For the left over marinade (in the bowl after making the skewers) you will need to add about ½ cup of water to this. This is what you will use to baste the chicken 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. Let it rest for about 3-5 minutes.
- 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.