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 made this last night along with the cabbage salad. It was delicious and I would make it again. I did marinate the chicken overnight and I feel that the lime juice being in the marinade for so long gives the chicken a funny texture. I think I might marinate it for less time and see how that works. The sauce drizzle/dipped was amazing. The cabbage salad was off the charts!
I’d love to try the cabbage salad, but I can’t find it on the site. Does it have another name?
Hi Kate, this is the salad (which I have as a suggsted side for the chicken). And if you’re not familiar with it, I have a feature on the website– 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 down to the bottom of the recipe. Immediately under the recipe, you’ll see the dishes that I’ve suggested. Hope that helps!
my bridge partner made this and said it was divine. .I don’t have a grill. Can I make this in the oven like your chicken tandoori which was heavenly. Your recipes are fantastic. You should be on the cooking channel❤️
Suzanne
Alexandria, va
So glad you enjoy the recipes, Suzanne! You could definitely make this in the oven, either using the tandoori chicken method or cooking more quickly under the broiler. Hope that helps!
I’ve made this recipe multiple times and it’s delicious, even if you just use whole thighs and don’t cut up into pieces for skewers. Unfortunately I am out of honey today, would brown sugar be a good substitute or should I just wait to make it when I have honey in the house again? 🙂
Hi Valerie, brown sugar is fine to use (and so glad you like this)!
What is the purpose of giving the amount of honey in “85 grams plus 2 tablespoons”? I see this ingredient only once. First I thought you use plus honey at grilling, but not, so don’t understand this.
Hi András, sorry about the confusion — I can see why it was confusing written that way. You’ll need a total of 127 g of honey for the marinade. I’ve updated the recipe to reflect that. 🙂
Hi Jenn. I love all your recipes!! I love the taste of sriracha but unfortunately it does not love me (don’t know why since most hot and spicy is fine). What can I use as a substitute?
So glad you like the recipes, Hank! You could use Tabasco or any other hot sauce you have on hand. Hope you enjoy the skewers!
This is a wonderful chicken dish. I used Costco’s chicken tenders. Served with side dish black bean corn salad.
I guess chicken breast will work as well??
Hi Jenn, I get concerned that the breasts will get too tough if marinated in citrus but it does add a lot of flavor. If you’re going to use breasts, I’d use both the zest and juice, but would suggest a shorter marinating period (so definitely not overnight). Hope you enjoy!
Once again this recipe was a home run. Did not change a thing but did brush on sauce I saved while BBQ. And use the extra sauce I saved for drizzling on the chicken when serving with rice on bottom. I did marinate for 24 hours. Keeper keeper chicken dinner.
The dipping sauce is everything.
What would be a good carb side to go with this?
Hi Heather, this would pair nicely with basmati rice or cilantro lime rice. Hope you enjoy whatever you make!
Thank you for those ideas!
Haven’t made this yet. Any thoughts on subbing sesame oil for the veg oil?
Hi Dave, I think replacing half of the vegetable oil with sesame oil would work. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!