Honey, Lime & Sriracha Chicken Skewers
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
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.
You may also like
- Middle Eastern Chicken Kebabs
- Grilled Jerk Chicken
- Grilled Chicken Wings with Seasoned Buffalo Sauce
- Thai Minced Chicken Lettuce Cups
- Char Siu Chicken
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
Powered by 
- 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.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
This was an easy recipe to make and it was extremely tasty. I would add a bit more heat next time. Other then that, would not change anything
Absolutely Amazing……
Glad I found this recipe. Perfect as written.
This was seriously delicious. I used chicken breasts and marinated for 24 hours. Not on purpose but we were too busy to make them the night we originally planned. They were so flavorful and not dry at all. Will definitely make again!
Phenomenal! Thanks for another go-to recipe. I didn’t have time to cut the thighs into pieces in the morning, so I just let them marinate all day and grilled them whole. It worked really nicely – and no threading onto skewers! (I’m sure whole thighs need the full day of marinating, however.)
I made this but I don’t like ginger. Do you suggest I use something else or just leave out next time? Would it make a big difference. Maybe I used too much?
I loved it and added to the skewers pieces of red pepper, vidalia onions and zucchini. Yum. Also I used chicken breasts and they were not tough. I did cut pieces larger than 2 inches.
Hi Pamela, It’s fine to use less or just leave it out – the chicken will still be delicious :).
Hi!
I’ve been marinating today for a few hours and I don’t think I’ll be able to cook it before 6 hours- more like 4. Do you think it will change the outcome too much? More importantly, my grill is inside, on my Viking bass cooktop and I’m not sure I’m up for the indoor clean up this eve. Would you cringe if I cooked them in a preheated oven? And if not, what temp? Thank you so much in advance!
Hi Tracy, longer is better when it comes to marinating these, but they will have plenty of flavor after 4 hours. And if you’d prefer to use your oven, you can broil them. (Arrange them about 6 inches from the heat, turning occasionally. If they aren’t browning you can move them up. Just be sure to shake off as much marinade as possible before putting them in the oven because it will smoke and burn in a hot oven. Hope you enjoy!
Jenn,
Quick question. I would like to try these with chicken breasts (my guests’ request) and I am probably going to just marinate the whole breast since I am short on time and won’t have a chance to cut the chicken up. I know that citrus can turn breasts tough. Should I still marinate them for 6 hours or should I do it for a shorter time?
Thanks!
Hi Elizabeth, I definitely get concerned that the breasts are going to get too tough if marinated in citrus. If you’re going to use breasts, I’d definitely suggest the quicker of the two marinating times.
Thanks Jenn. I may just grill them with some olive oil and sat/pepper and then use the marinade as a suave to drizzle over afterwards. I’ll let you know how it goes.
The breasts worked out perfectly. I only marinated them for about 10 minutes and was generous with the amount of marinade I reserved for the sauce. One more question if you don’t mind – how would I use this marinade with tofu? Thanks!
Hi Elizabeth, Yes you could use the marinade for tofu. I’ve actually never cooked with tofu(!) so I don’t have much wisdom to share, but I know that it readily soaks up marinades. LMK how it turns out!
Jenn, another winner! The marinade was SO delicious!!! Paired with the Thai Crunch Salad…amazing! Your recipes are simply the best! Thank you!!!
Fabulous yet again Jenn! I prepared this with the suggested Thai crunch salad and everything was soooo delicious! My family loved it 🙂
Made this (again) last night, along with Thai Quinoa Salad with Fresh Herbs and Lime Vinaigrette also from on this web site. Doubled up on everything and not a bite left to be had. This has got to be the best skewered chicken recipe on the planet!!!