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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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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The chicken was very tasty! By some reason I thought it would be like from the Turkish restaurant but it wasnt , my misunderstanding
Wow…wee
Just made these kebabs the best i have ever tasted.
So moist packed with flavour
Once tasted you will NEVER cook another recipe.
Make sure you turn and don’t be tempted to go over the 15 minute grilling time
Yum! I really liked the results we got from this recipe. I did change it to chicken breasts because that is what I had on hand but we all know that the thighs are so much more flavorful. I needed a quick lunch and since these were in the fridge waiting for dinner prep, I put a few pieces and some red onion into a hot cast iron skillet and pan seared. Still wonderful even that way. A keeper–that is for sure.
These are by far the best chicken kebabs I have ever tasted. The marinade is absolutely fantastic–easy to make and so full of flavor. I made the recipe as is with no substitutions and marinated for 8 hours before grilling half the kebabs. The next night I grilled the other half and they were even better! The extra marinating time was well worth it. I will definitely make them again…and again.
These are so, so good. I used the chicken thighs and felt that it was the best choice. It wasn’t all that hard to trim them. Made these for a Sunday dinner and my entire family of 16 love it. Adults and kids!
It ok to use only 1.5 lbs of chicken breast? Will the marinade be too overpowering?
Hi Victoria, the marinade won’t be overpowering, but you probably don’t need to make as much of it. You could get away with making half the marinade. Hope you enjoy!
Instead of kabobs, can I marinate whole chicken thighs or breasts (niece prefers white meat) and broil them? I’ve made the kabobs several times and they are amazing! Just looking for a less time consuming way to make this amazing recipe!
These kebabs are so delicious! I made them a few days ago and could not stop thinking about how good they were… so I have another batch marinating right now! I cut back on the red pepper so I could feed this to my one year old, but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. I only had 3 hours to marinate the chicken the first time, so I’m curious to see if this second batch tastes any better after a night in the fridge… I don’t really see how it could though!! This is such an easy dish to make. I broiled the kebabs on high and served them with a Greek salad and pita. My school age kids liked the chicken so much that they ate it cold in their lunches the next day. Thanks for this recipe – it’s my new favorite!
The Middle Eastern Chicken Kebabs are absolutely wonderful – the addition of the yogurt & lemon add just enough tang to the recipe. The onion, garlic and spices complete the taste mixture for this dish. I did not deviate from the original recipe. So tasty – slightly spicy warm, and scrumptious right off the grill ! I highly recommend and am anxious to cook it again.
My family loves this dish! If it’s too cold to go outside and BBQ, I cook this dish, without skewers, in the oven under “broil.” When you live in the Northeast, you have to improvise when there is a foot of snow on the ground!