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These Grilled Mediterranean Chicken Kebabs are full of flavor, and so easy to make either on the grill or in the oven. Chicken and fresh summer vegetables are marinated in a light Mediterranean-style marinade of lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and spices, then grilled on skewers until golden brown. Delicious and healthy summer meal.
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Perfect weekend dinner for your next cookout – just add it to your summer dinner ideas! Whip up this flavorful Mediterranean chicken kebab marinade and marinate the chicken and veggies overnight. On the next day put them on a skewer and grill for about 10 minutes total. These grilled Mediterranean chicken kababs are so tender, juicy, and flavorful – quick and delicious dinner! They remind me of my home country Bulgaria – where the food is so fresh, flavorful, and every meal is made from scratch. Mediterranean grilling is so tasty and healthy!
Origin of Shish Kebab
In my home country, we call meat grilled on skewers “shish kebab”. But the term actually comes from Turkey and it means “gobbets of meat roasted on a skewer”. Also, it has a history connected to war – it’s believed that Turkish soldiers grilled meat on their swords over an open fire during the invasion of some Mediterranean regions. This is how the name stuck and has become a part of the traditional Mediterranean cuisine.
The variety of kebabs you can make are endless – chicken, lamb, beef, pork, veal. But no matter what kebab you make, cooking your food on a stick is a fun and fast way to put together a delicious meal.
Mediterranean Chicken Kebab Marinade
This chicken marinade is light & delicious, perfect for grilling on weekends. Combine olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, oregano, paprika, salt and pepper in a bowl, or directly in a large plastic food storage bag (where you will marinate the chicken). Pierce the chicken with a fork several times, add to bag and coat with marinade. Place the bag in the fridge and marinate for at least 30 minutes for most flavorful meat. You will love this grilled chicken kabob marinade.
How To Make Grilled Mediterranean Chicken Kebabs
Marinate chicken, onion & bell pepper pieces in a Mediterranean chicken skewer marinade in a ziplock bag. Place the bag in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Thread the chicken, onion, and bell pepper pieces onto skewers alternately. Lightly oil the grill grate. Place chicken shish kebabs on the prepared grill, and cook for about 5 minutes on one side, and another 5 minutes on the other side, until the chicken is done.
How Long Do I Cook Chicken Kebabs On The Grill
As I mentioned above, I cook the chicken kebabs for about 10 minutes total. But I want to make a note that cooking time for chicken kabobs will depend on the temperature of your grill. Chicken skewers are cooked pretty quickly compared to whole chicken breasts because the chicken is cut into small pieces. So, once you put the chicken kabobs on the grill, watch them closely. You don’t want to burn the vegetables or the chicken.
How Do I Know If Chicken Is Cooked
The chicken is cooked when the internal temperature has reached 165 F. If you don’t have a meat thermometer and are wondering if the chicken is done, an easy way to tell is to cut a piece of chicken and if the inside is white and there is no pink, then the chicken is done. Don’t overcook the chicken, otherwise, it will become dry or worse – burnt. You want to get a nice golden color.
What To Serve With Chicken Kebabs
- Potatoes. You can serve Mediterranean Chicken Kabobs with oven baked wedges or potato salad. For a Paleo option, you can also serve these grilled Mediterranean chicken skewers with sweet potato fries or sweet potato chips.
- Rice. You can also serve with rice or cauliflower rice for a grain-free option.
- Salad. My favorite salads with the chicken kebab recipe are Tomato Cucumber and Avocado Salad, Shopska Salad or Greek Salad. Another favorite I like to serve often is Caesar salad.
- Sauce. Of course, the Mediterranean chicken goes wonderfully with Tzatziki sauce. But if you are not a fan of it, you can omit it.
And don’t forget to make a Homemade Lemonade – so much better than store-bought.
Recipe Tips & Notes
- If you are using wood skewers, soak them in water 30 minutes prior to threading the chicken onto the skewers.
- If you are using metal skewers, make sure not to touch them as they will be hot. Use tongs to move them to a serving platter.
- Make sure you marinate the chicken. 30 minutes to 1 hour is enough. It will make it juicy and flavorful! Don’t skip this step.
How To Cook Chicken Kabobs In The Oven
You can also bake these Mediterranean chicken skewers in the oven. Preheat the oven to 425 F. Place chicken skewers on racks over two foil-lined baking sheets and bake for about 10-15 minutes, turn over once and bake for another 10 – 15 minutes on the other side, or until they are baked through.
These Mediterranean Chicken Kabobs are so tender and flavorful. Both chicken and veggies are marinated and the flavors are rich and savory!
If you make these grilled Mediterranean chicken kebab recipe this summer, let me know how you like them. I would love to hear from you!
Mediterranean Chicken Kebabs
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INGREDIENTS
Chicken Kebabs
- 3 chicken fillets, cut in 1-inch cubes
- 2 red bell peppers
- 2 green bell peppers
- 1 red onion
Chicken Kebab marinade
- â…” cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
- juice of 1 lemon, divided
- 6 clove of garlic, chopped, divided
- 2 teaspoon paprika, divided
- 2 teaspoon thyme, divided
- 4 teaspoon oregano, divided
- 4 teaspoon salt, divided
- 2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
INSTRUCTIONS
Marinade
- Mix 1/2 of all ingredients for the marinade in small bowl. Place chicken in a ziplock bag and pour marinade over it. Marinade in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- Mix the other HALF of the ingredients in the same bowl pour into a ziplock bag with the vegetables. Marinade for at least 30 minutes.
- If you are using wood skewers, while the chicken and veggies are marinating, soak the skewers in water for about 15 minutes. You need to soak wooden skewers in water for about 20- 30 minutes to keep them from igniting right there on the grill. I have also noticed that it’s much easier to slide out the meat and veggies on your plate if the skewers have been soaked before grilling.
Chicken Kebabs
- Thread the chicken and peppers and onions on the skewers. I usually place about 5-6 chicken pieces and a combo of peppers and onion in between.
- Heat an outdoor grill or indoor grill pan over medium-high heat. Spray the grates lightly with oil and grill for about 5 minutes on each side, or until the center is no longer pink.
- You can also bake this Mediterranean chicken skewers in the oven if you want to. Preheat the oven to 425 F. Place chicken skewers on roasting racks over two foil-lined baking sheets and bake for about 10-15 minutes, turn over once and bake for another 10 – 15 minutes on the other side, or until they are baked through.
TIPS & NOTES
NUTRITION
Originally published on May 18th, 2015.
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I absolutely love this. Thank you for this recipe!
You can’t go wrong with chicken kebabs! These look delish and I bet even my pickier eater of a husband will like this recipe!
Do you chop or mince the garlic cloves, or just throw them in the marinade whole?
hi Peggy, you can either chop or mince the garlic cloves.
I was looking for a flavorful easy recipe to make as I am on a low iodine diet for preparation for Radio Active Iodine therapy next week. This fit the bill perfectly. The thing I had to do was make sure my salt was non iodized. Super easy and very flavorful. And reheated well in the microwave. I will put this in my regular rotation even after I am done this diet.
Great! So glad you liked it, Linda! Hope your therapy goes well next week!
The few recipes I’ve look at look amazing. However, the amount of ads that pop up is ridiculous. Is there anyway to block them? Also, I cannot find the tzaziki sauce recipe.
Hi Penny, I am glad to hear that you like the recipes you have seen! 🙂 In order to keep this website free for my readers and continue to provide free content, I have to keep the ads because they help me cover the basic expenses necessary to run this blog & publish free content. I hope you stick around and find some delicious recipes you and your family will enjoy. 🙂
The tzatziki sauce will be published later this week.
Awesome. I look forward to making these kabobs.
These look delicious and I am making them for a holiday gathering. Are the spice measurements for dried or fresh? Thanks so much.
Thanks, Chris! Glad you like them! I used dried spices. Except for the garlic, I used 6 cloves garlic. Hope you enjoy it and have a great time! 🙂
These look soooooo yammy!!! Love anything grilled!
They sure are very delicious! Thanks for stopping by, Luba! 🙂
Wow! What a giveaway! I entered!!
And these kebabs are a classic example of DELICIOUS meets HEALTHY!!! 🙂
They sure are! 🙂 Thank you so much, Nagi!
Love Mediterranean anything and these look and sound so tasty! Always looking for a new kebab idea!
No need to twist my arm to try these. They look (and sound) amazing Neli! Cooking from scratch takes some extra planning, but it’s always worth it.