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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- 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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Another winner! We love the Middle Eastern Chicken Kebabs. We served them with the Roasted Carrots with Thyme. I followed the recipe as written, except I used 0% Greek yogurt. It makes a nice marinade that sticks to the chicken. The spices were interesting, and we used the red pepper flakes since we like spicy.
I liked the roasted carrots, especially the caramelization and the thyme. Will definitely make the carrots often. It’s a nice change for a side dish.
OMG! I have made these several times and my husband and I devour them. The only change I make is with the yogurt I can’t always find the plain yogurt, so I have used vanilla but you can’t even taste the difference.
Really simple and great tasting recipe. Didn’t have time to let it marinate for more than a couple of hours but the flavours were plentiful and very authentic. Add this to my favourite kebabs list!
Made this for a dinner party last night and it was a huge hit! It was very easy to make and the chicken turned out very moist and flavorful. I love the fact that it marinated overnight so that all I had to do when it was time to cook was pull it out of the refrigerator and put in on the grill. This is definitely a keeper!
This was such a hit!!
For people wondering about a dairy free substitute for the yogurt, I used half a can of full fat coconut milk. I’m sure it changed the overall taste of the dish, but with an allergy I’ll never know the difference. Since the coconut milk is thinner than a Greek yogurt I marinated the cut up thighs in a bowl to make sure they were saturated, then skewered the next day before grilling.
Really great flavor that my family all loved. I served this with the rice pilaf, which was also amazing.
Can this make in the oven? Thank you
Sure, Sue, I’d use your broiler — cook it for about the same time as indicated in the recipe – and you’ll need to turn it occasionally just as you would on a grill so that it browns evenly. Hope you enjoy!
Very tasty. Can you use it on lamb please?
Sure!
I would say this is more of a tandoori chicken than middle eastern chicken. It was good, just not what I was looking for in a recipe.
I agree. It was really good / flavorful, but I was looking for more of a Persian chicken recipe and this was more tandoori.
Hi, I’ve made this many times and served to many people and everyone loves it. But I have a question…..I’m out of skewers……and I want to make this tomorrow and have no time to pick some up. Do you think I can just put them in a broiling pan and broil it? Or do I need to somehow get myself to a store and pick some skewers up? Thanks so much!
Sure, Marie – it’s perfectly fine to broil the chicken w/o skewers.
i followed everything in your recipe and i loved it. I cooked it for my (picky) friends and they loved it too. One of the best and easiest dish to cook. If i’m too lazy to cook, baking it tastes as good. Thank you very very much.
Hi! When the recipe says 2-1/2, does that mean 2-2,5?
Hi Felicia, it’s two and a half pounds. Hope you enjoy! 🙂
Hi Jenn,
I am an inexperienced broiler. It’s going to be about 15° when I need to do these so it’s a must that I do them in my oven. I have searched through most of the reviews but can’t find the answer to my questions. I even looked for a tutorial on YouTube. How close to the broiler should the chicken be and should it be resting in the broiler pan or suspended a little? Is it possible to do them right on the baking sheet that they are marinating on?
Sorry for the technical questions. First go at these kebabs! Looking forward to this.
Total fan of your website and have used many of your recipes time and time again. Also have your cookbook. Wonderful!! Thanks so much.
Hi Rebecca, So glad you enjoy the recipes! I’d use the broiler using a broiling pan. (They can rest right on the broiling pan, but the drippings will go into the pan underneath.) Put your broiler on high approximately 3 inches from the heating elements and cook it for about the same time as indicated in the recipe – and you’ll need to turn it occasionally just as you would on a grill so that it browns evenly. Hope that helps and that you enjoy!
Hello Jenn. I’m looking forward to trying this dish. Have you ever used goat or sheep milk yogurt to make this dish? I can’t have cows milk. Thank you in advance.
Hi Mrs. S, I can’t say that I have but I suspect it would work. Please LMK how they turn out if you try it with either of these!