Honey, Lime & Sriracha Chicken Skewers
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These chicken skewers marinated in honey, lime juice and Sriracha taste every bit as good as they look.
These chicken skewers marinated in honey, lime juice, and Sriracha are every bit as good as they look — and if you haven’t tried Sriracha, the Asian hot sauce named after the coastal city of Si Racha in Thailand, this is the perfect recipe to taste just how delicious it is. Made from sun-ripened chili peppers, distilled vinegar, garlic, sugar, and salt, Sriracha is used in soups, sauces, noodle dishes, omelets, burgers or anything else to add a delicious spicy taste. It has become so popular in the States that you can find it in the international section of most supermarkets.
What You’ll Need To Make Honey, Lime & Sriracha Chicken
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by making the marinade. In a blender, combine the zest of a lime, fresh lime juice, honey, soy sauce, vegetable oil, garlic, ginger, and Sriracha. (Even though you’re puréeing the marinade, it’s a good idea to roughly chop the garlic and ginger so they get incorporated — some blenders can’t handle large chunks.)
Purée until completely smooth, then set aside 1/2 cup of the marinade to use as a drizzling sauce.
Next, prepare the chicken. I’ve specified boneless skinless chicken thighs for this recipe because they’re more flavorful than chicken breasts and easier to cook without drying out. I know many people prefer white meat but I’ve tried both in this recipe and, trust me, it’s much better made with dark meat.
The only drawback to using chicken thighs is that they need to be trimmed before you cook them. I think it’s easiest to use kitchen shears as opposed to a knife. So, using scissors, simply cut off any gristle and large chunks of fat (don’t fret over every little bit as it mostly melts away on the grill) and then cut the meat into 2-inch pieces.
Place the chicken in a Ziplock bag with the remaining marinade and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.
After the chicken has marinated, thread the pieces onto skewers.
Preheat your grill to medium-high heat. Scrape the grates clean to prevent the chicken from sticking, then dip a wad of paper towels in oil and rub the grates until smooth and shiny.
Grill the chicken, turning occasionally to promote even browning, for 10-15 minutes.
Keep an eye on it — the honey in the marinade causes the chicken to caramelize on the grill and turn a beautiful, rich brown color; however, the chicken can burn if the grill is too hot. Lower the heat if the chicken is browning too fast.
Transfer the skewers to a platter and drizzle with the reserved marinade. Sprinkle chopped cilantro over top and serve. Enjoy!
It was a mouth-watering photo from a blog called Kitchen Meets Girl that caught my eye on Pinterest and inspired this recipe.
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Honey, Lime & Sriracha Chicken Skewers
These chicken skewers marinated in honey, lime juice and Sriracha taste every bit as good as they look.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce (use gluten-free if needed)
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon lime zest, from one lime
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, from 2 limes
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1½ square inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped (see note)
- 1½ tablespoons Sriracha sauce
- 1¼ teaspoon salt
- 2½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs (between 8-10), trimmed and cut into 2-inch chunks
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, plus a few whole sprigs for garnish
- Limes, sliced into wedges, for garnishing platter (optional)
Instructions
- In a blender, combine the soy sauce, honey, oil, lime zest, lime juice, garlic, ginger, Sriracha and salt. Blend until completely smooth. Pour ½ cup of the marinade into a small bowl; cover and refrigerate until ready to serve (this will be your drizzling sauce).
- Combine the chicken and remaining marinade in a large Ziplock bag and seal tightly. Place in a bowl (in case of leakage) and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade and thread onto skewers, folding the pieces in half if they are long and thin.
- Be sure the grill is clean, then preheat to medium-high heat. To grease the grill, lightly dip a wad of paper towels in vegetable oil and, using tongs, carefully rub over the grates several times until glossy and coated. Grill the chicken kebabs, covered, until golden brown and cooked through, turning skewers occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes. (Keep an eye on it -- if they are browning too quickly, turn the heat down.) Transfer the skewers to a platter. Warm up the reserved marinade in the microwave and either drizzle it over top or pass it alongside. Scatter the chopped cilantro over top and garnish the platter with lime wedges and cilantro sprigs, if desired.
- Note: Check out easy guidance on how to peel, grate, and chop fresh ginger here.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 321
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated fat: 2g
- Carbohydrates: 20g
- Sugar: 18g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 37g
- Sodium: 1147mg
- Cholesterol: 180mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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If you don’t own a grill, can these be made in the oven? Also, is it possible to state in your recipes going forward if the grill specified recipe is also oven friendly?
Hi Dorah, Yes, these can definitely be broiled — cook time will be about the same. And yes, that’s a great suggestion.
This is an AWESOME recipe and part of our regular rotation! Just made it last night with whole chicken thighs.
I’m so excited to try this out. Wondering is it okay to marinate the chicken tonight and grill it tomorrow night? Will the lime juice start to cook the chicken or change the texture?
Hi Karen, it should be fine because chicken thighs have plenty of moisture. (It wouldn’t work with boneless breasts, though, as it would turn them into shoe leather!) Hope you enjoy!
I’ve made these several times and I’m always wondering what would be a good side?
Hi Cathy, these would be delish with this Thai Crunch Salad. Also, just a heads up that I have a new feature on the blog– for all main dishes, I suggest one or two sides that I think would pair nicely with them. To see what I’ve suggested, scroll to the top of the recipe page and, immediately under the recipe title, you’ll see a bar with several options, one of which says “pair with.” If you click on this, you’ll see the sides I’ve suggested.
Hi Jenn,
I am going to make this for much for family which includes a toddler so I was thinking of leaving out the sirracha. Will this affect the taste other then the level of heat? Thanks!
Hi Elizabeth, A bit, but I don’t think you’ll miss it.
This turned out great, even without the heat. I don’t typically like thighs, but I trimmed mine pretty carefully and as Jenn said, the heat melts most of the fat off. The chicken was a huge hit with my toddler, husband and parents. Made it with Thai crunch salad which paired perfectly. Definitely a recipe to include in the regular rotation (as all of Jenn’s recipes have been!).
Oh my gosh -SO delicious and different! Yum!! Could you use with thighs? What do you serve this with?
Hi Trudy, You asked if you could use this with thigh– maybe I’m confused by your question, but this recipe calls for thighs. The dish pairs nicely with the Thai Crunch Salad with Peanut Dressing.
This chicken was absolutely perfect. One of the best I’ve ever made. The family went nuts over it!
Love this recipe because it’s so flavorful and fresh tasting. It’s one of my two most favorite recipe on this site. I double the marinade/sauce because it’s so good drizzled on the brown basmati I serve with it. Definitely agree with Jenn that they’re better with boneless thighs than breasts. Her suggestion to use scissors to trim off the fat and cut up the meat is one I use all the time now. (Boneless thighs are on special often at my market.) I usually make as directed on skewers, but recently because I was in a hurry, we skipped the skewers and marinaded and grilled the boneless thighs whole – worked well – not quite the same – but much easier.
These are amazing! 100% would recommend to anyone!
Hi Jenn-
I love your recipes, thank you. I have a couple of pescatarians and one person with a severe shellfish allergy- any reason I couldn’t do shrimp and chicken skewers with the same honey, lime sriracha marinade?
Hi Pam, glad to hear you like the recipes! These would work with shrimp, but I’d only marinate them for 20 to 30 minutes. I’d love to hear how they turn out!