Middle Eastern-Style Grilled Chicken Kabobs
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You’ll make these flavorful chicken kabobs all summer long.
One of my go-to chicken recipes for summer cookouts, these Middle-Eastern style grilled chicken kabobs are wonderful over a bed of rice pilaf or served with a Greek salad. The chicken is marinated in yogurt, olive oil, lemon, garlic and spices, and then grilled over an open flame until juicy and golden brown. The only time-consuming part of the recipe is threading the meat and onions onto skewers. Short on time? Skip the skewers and grill the chicken pieces whole, and slice the red onions into large wedges and pop them right on the grill. A word to the wise: make more than you think you’ll need. The first time I made these chicken kabobs for a crowd, I actually ran out of food!
What You’ll Need to Make grilled Chicken Kabobs
I’ve specified boneless skinless chicken thighs for this recipe; they’re juicier and more flavorful than boneless skinless chicken breasts, and they also hold up better when using an acidic marinade; yogurt or lemon-based marinades can make boneless skinless chicken breasts leathery. Chicken thighs are also much easier to cook without drying out. (If you’d like to experiment with other chicken thigh recipes, BBQ-spiced chicken thighs and char siu chicken are both huge crowd pleasers.)
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Make the Marinade
In a medium bowl, combine the yogurt, olive oil, paprika, cumin, cinnamon, red pepper flakes, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, pepper and garlic.
Stir to combine.
Step 2: Prep the Chicken and Thread onto Skewers
Trim the chicken of any excess fat and gristle. Don’t worry about getting every last bit of fat; most of it will melt off on the grill. Then cut the meat into bite-size pieces. I think it’s easiest to use kitchen shears as opposed to a knife.
Thread the chicken pieces onto skewers alternating with the red onions. Metal skewers are ideal as they won’t catch fire on the grill. If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 30 minutes first so they’re slower to char on the grill.
Step 3: Marinate the Chicken
Place the kabobs on a baking sheet lined with foil, and then brush the marinade all over the meat, coating well. Cover and let the kabobs sit in the fridge for at least 8 hours or overnight.
Step 4: Grill the Kabobs
Preheat the grill to medium-high heat, grease well, and then grill the kabobs until golden brown.
Serve and enjoy!
Chicken Kabob Video Tutorial
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- Grilled Moroccan Chicken
- Perfect Grilled Chicken Breasts with Lemon, Garlic & Herbs
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Middle Eastern-Style Grilled Chicken Kabobs
You’ll make these flavorful chicken kabobs all summer long.
Ingredients
- 1 cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (reduce to ½ teaspoon for less heat)
- Zest from one lemon
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, from one lemon
- 1¾ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 2½ to 3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1½-inch pieces (see note)
- 1 large red onion, cut into 1-inch chunks
- Vegetable oil, for greasing the grill
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the yogurt, olive oil, paprika, cumin, cinnamon, red pepper flakes, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, pepper and garlic.
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy clean up. Thread the chicken onto metal skewers, folding if the pieces are long and thin, alternating with the red onions. Be sure not to cram the skewers. (Note: You'll need between 6-8 skewers.) Place the kabobs on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the marinade all over the meat, coating well. Cover and refrigerate at least eight hours or overnight.
- Preheat the grill 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 kabobs until golden brown and cooked through, turning the skewers occasionally, 13 to 15 minutes. (The yogurt marinade makes these kabobs prone to sticking to the grill grates; if necessary, use a metal BBQ spatula to scrape underneath the kabobs and release them.) Transfer the kabobs to a platter and serve.
- Note: I've specified boneless skinless chicken thighs for this recipe; they're juicier and more flavorful than chicken breasts, and they work better in this type of yogurt and lemon-based marinade. They're also much easier to cook without drying out.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 350
- Fat: 15g
- Saturated fat: 3g
- Carbohydrates: 6g
- Sugar: 3g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 41g
- Sodium: 871mg
- Cholesterol: 186mg
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.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Comments
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Hi Jenny – I have to cook for 30 people and I want to make your Middle Eastern Kabobs and Basmati Rice (looks amazing)….any tips for cooking these recipes in bulk? I’d appreciate all thoughts…thank you!
Hi Susan, The chicken should be no problem to just increase the quantities. The rice will be a little trickier; unless you have a huge pan that can go in the oven, I would probably cook it in a few different batches so that it cooks evenly.
This is officially one of the top 5 requested recipes I make at home. The only change I make is to double or even triple the garlic, and I use a garlic press to save time and infuse even more of that garlicky flavor into the meat. Marinating for 24 hours makes all the difference – 6 or 8 hours just doesn’t deliver the same flavor. I’ve done this with breast meat which is easier to cut and put on kabobs, but thighs really do deliver the most flavor. We always thread zucchini and onions with the chicken, and serve it with the basmati with currants and almonds recipe pictured. Excellent recipe.
This is the second recipe of yours I tried and it’s another winner. The first was the pumpkin pecan crunch muffin which led me to this recipe. I used chicken breast, that’s all I had on hand, didn’t have any lemon zest and let the chicken sit in the yogurt mix for about 48 hours and wow…..moist and flavorful, added it to my recipe list, going to try the Peruvian recipe next and signed up for your email list. Thank you again
Very, very good! I’m going to reduce the salt a little bit next time, but other than that, wouldn’t change a thing. Enjoyed it with the basmati rice recipe. A++++
This recipe makes the chicken taste restaurant style but with an even better char. This recipe was very inexpensive to make since I had everything on hand except for the yogurt which is great when feeding a big family.
I would recommend this recipe to anyone who is looking for a Greek chicken recipe for a gyro or played with rice.
I have made this recipe twice now and it is absolutely fabulous. I make Greek tzatziki to go with it and I have used the chicken to make pitas. I also made the rice pilaf shown and it is great.
Yum, yum, yum! My family LOVED the chicken kebabs and the rice! Both turned out to be delicious! I struggled a little with the kebab grilling process and it took longer than 10 min to grill them. How do you make sure that the chicken pieces are grilled evenly and the middle part around the skewer is not raw? Thank you so much for great recipes! They are keepers in my book!
Hi Elena, Glad you enjoyed! The cook time will always vary a little on the grill, as all grills are different. It’s best to keep the lid on though, so the grill stays nice and hot.
hello I am thinking of having a go at your chicken kebab recipe do you think it would be ok to put them on bbq all the talk on your reviews is about grilling or broiling do you think the marinade might spoil on bbq food can tend to burn a bit on bbqs I am looking for ideas for a bbq for a party for someone that wont end up being the same old burgers and sausages thanks
Hi Johnny, The chicken is meant to cooked over a flame on a grill, so you should be fine 🙂
Another wonderful recipe….the kebabs and the rice were fabulous. Just love your recipes Jenn! Keep em coming!
Thanks
Sara D
If I don’t have a grill, for the bet result, would you suggest using a large grill pan on the stovetop or broiling? Thanks!
Hi Rachel, I think broiling is best. Enjoy!