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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I love this recipe, I use it for whole thighs as well. I hope that online chefs will consider inspiring readers to step away from single use plastic like ziploc bags by using home containers in their recipe directions and photos.
Yes, I use a container that will keep marinade deep enough to cover pieces and maybe stir around some.
My zip lock bags are not single use – I wash thoroughly in hot soapy water, rinse well and then hang to dry to be used another day!
Recipe is fab! Green rice and cucumber salad is great with this!
Can’t tell you how many times we’ve made this dish and will make it again this week. Love your recipe.
Hi Jenn,
I was thinking about making your Creamy Cucumber Salad with mint to accompany this chicken recipe but wondered what you might recommend?
Thanks.
Sure, Sharron, that would work. Two other options are the Cucumber Salad with Mint or this Thai Cucumber Salad with Peanuts. Hope you enjoy whatever you make!
This recipe was a big hit! I made these skewers for dinner this past week, serving with the napa cabbage salad. The chicken turned out tender and very tasty, especially with the heated, extra sauce for drizzling. I’ve already had a request to make again this coming week.
Goes in the Winner folder!
No grill so I marinated these overnight and baked them at 350 degrees for 50 min. , then broiled for 5 min. and drizzled it with the reserved sauce. This is chicken is so moist and tasty . I served it with Jasmine rice and Jenn’s creamy cucumber salad. Perfect summer dinner! Thank you Jenn !
Another absolutely amazing recipe! Did not have quite enough time for the marinating process however, they were still delicious. I’ll be using this recipe a lot – thanks Jenn!
Much more trouble than it’s worth! I followed the recipe and instructions exactly, and the result was a mostly soy-salty kebab with little other flavor.
Delicious! Cooked as recommended. I had trouble with my grill so ended up finishing the chicken in a skillet.
Great meal! Super easy and a fast favourite in our family. I’ve made this recipe well over a dozen times since finding it about 5 years ago!
Hi Jenn, we don’t have an outdoor grill but I was thinking of making these using the oven broiler. Just wondering how long do you think it should be under the broiler to be cooked? And if I was to broil just the chicken pieces not threaded onto the skewer, how long do you think this would take? Thanks again for always being so quick and generous in your advice to your readers =)
Hi Mel, Happy to help! 🙂
You can use the broiler for these. Arrange the skewers about 6 inches from the broiler, turning occasionally. If they aren’t browning you can move them up a bit. 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. And you can broil these whole; they’ll need 3 to 5 minutes for each side. Hope you enjoy!
Jenn, a heartfelt thank you for replying so quickly, your instructions for the broiler turned out perfectly and dinner was a huge success – this was our first family gathering for a few months. Thanks again for making dinner enjoyable for us all xx
So glad it came out well — thanks for reporting back!