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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!
If you want to try more Mediterranean dishes, try this delicious Bulgarian Moussaka, Tarator (cold cucumber soup) and Gyuveche.
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.
What you need for these Chicken Skewers
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 Chicken Kabobs
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.
TIPS FROM NELI’S KITCHEN
Tips for making Mediterranean Chicken Skewers
- 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 serve a Chicken Kabob
- 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.
How to store leftover Mediterranean Chicken Kabobs
To store leftover Mediterranean Chicken Kabobs, first, let them cool to room temperature. Then, remove the chicken from the skewers and place it in an airtight container or resealable bag. Store in the refrigerator for up to three days. If you want to keep them longer, you can freeze the kabobs for up to three months. Just thaw them in the refrigerator before reheating.
Recipe FAQs
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.
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!
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.
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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!
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Mediterranean Chicken Kabob
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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
- ⅔ 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.
After the first batch. I added a splash of sherry, a tsp of ginger and done minced mint leaves. Seemed to even out the flavor
Our go-to recipe for deliciously flavorful and moist chicken kabobs.
Love this! I made for my son’s birthday. Adult and kids love them. Leftovers taste even better;) will make again.
This turned out amazing. I used half the marinade for 6 chicken breast in fridge overnight and my guests LOVED the kebabs. I served it with a lemon rice and it was a big hit. Thanks!
This looks absolutely delicious and I plan to make it, but how many pounds of chicken would this be?
about 1.5 lbs
Delicious! I cheated and added 1/2 cup tzatziki to the marinade for the chicken portion and zucchini. I couldn’t get over how tender the chicken was. Served alongside a super greek salad and crispy potato wedges.
I marinated the chicken and vegetables for over 6 hours in separate bags, as suggested, and then skewered before grilling. They were fabulous. The leftovers were equally as good. I will definitely be using this recipe again and again. Thanks!
I normally don’t comment, but these were so delicious that I had to. I also used the marinade on skewers with ribeye cubes and mushrooms. My entire family loved everything. Great job. Can’t wait to make them again.
Thank you Jenn! They were delicious! And appreciate the hint about using thighs instead of boneless breasts. Made all the difference…. Also i just grilled them on a grill pan.
This is the BEST middle eastern chicken recipe ever! I prepared everything the same way, but used chicken tenders and my husband cooked them whole. People could not stop raving about how delicious and tender the meat was!! Try this recipe. You will not be disappointed.