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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We enjoyed this recipe! We had a few modifications: we used chicken breasts (that’s what we had) instead of thighs and homemade ginger syrup (strong ginger flavor) instead of fresh ginger (I missed the ginger when I first read through the ingredients). So, our chicken was slightly sweet, but my wife and I thought the chicken was tasty! Next time, I’ll use fresh ginger, though! We also use a grill pan because we don’t have an outdoor grill. Still, dinner was great!
Another hit from Jenn; she’s making meal time fun in my house! I always look forward to making and eating her dishes.
Thanks, Mo…so nice to hear!
Jennifer,
This was fantastic, and I can’t wait to make it again! I actually found out about your recipes and website from my MIL in Maryland. I have sent several others to your great recipes. Q: We love lime juice too. Do you think it would work to do a lime chicken, rather than the traditional lemon chicken? I’d appreciate your thoughts.
Thanks!
Hi Susan, I’m so glad you liked the chicken, and thank you so much for helping to spread the word about my site! To answer your question, lemons and limes can be used interchangeably in equal amounts in most recipes. The taste will be different, of course, but if you like lime juice give it a try 🙂
I do have a question that concerns all your recipes. I don’t like herbs or messing with fresh ones. For flavour could i use ground herbs?
Hi Judy, I prefer fresh herbs when specified but dried is better than none at all…just be sure to use less as they are more intense.
I presume I can use any hot sauce? And can this be made with a whole chicken or quarters?
Hi Judy, You actually really need the Sriracha for this recipe. I suppose you could try it with a whole chicken or quarters, but the cook time would be much longer.
GREAT recipe! I’ve tried it on the grill and now want to use this marinade for a large batch of oven roasted chicken wings for a family bbq. However, I’m concerned about the amount of honey and burning. Need your thoughts about this. Thanks in bunches!
Hi Katia, Good question. I’d roast them on a rack over a foil-lined baking sheet. That way, they’ll crisp up all over and any excess marinade will drip down to the foil, which you can pull off and change if it starts to burn.
Oh well. Most of the ingredients not available here. Sigh.
Judy, where are you located that this stuff isn’t available? I have lived everywhere from backwoods to big cities, this stuff is everywhere!
I only had 3 hours to let the chicken marinate but it came out great. We loved it. We might add a bit more sriracha, but I’m not sure because I don’t want it to overpower the taste of the lime and ginger. Hmm. Will definitely put this in the Keeper file.
I made this yesterday and the sauce is delicious. I actually used my cooked chicken in tortillas with onions and peppers like a fajita. I marinated the cut up chicken and then, stir fried it on the stove and we used it to fill the tortillas….didn’t have time to heat up the grill…but it was so yummy this way too. I bet it would be great for chicken wings…..thanks for another great recipe.
Hi,
This looks delicious!! I plan on using boneless, skinless chicken breast and using a grill pan on the stove. About how long do you think I should cook them and should I heat the extra sauce or serve it right from the refrigerator. I’m a novice at cooking. I’m sure you can tell that by my questions. Thank you.
Hi Julie, I’d say about 10 minutes, but keep an eye on it. It depends how tightly you pack the skewers. Good question on the sauce; it’s fine if it’s room temperature, or you can warm it up in the microwave. I will update my recipe with that tip…thank you for catching that!
Jenn, Can this marinade be made ahead and if so, how long will it last in the fridge? Thanks!
Hi Nancy, Absolutely…it will keep fine for several days.