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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Comments
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DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND MAKE THIS! This is the best chicken kebab recipe ever – the flavors are spot on. We make this at least 3x a month and we fight over who gets more chicken every single time. Thanks for this one Jenn.
I mean seriously the best kebab recipe ever! For anyone commenting about it missing a gravy: I recommend a simple tzatziki sauce. I pair this with pita bread and an Israeli salad. Thanks for sharing this with us!
Can I swap out lemons for limes?
Sure!
Hi. Did you try it with limes? What did you think? I’m making for a dinner party and one of my guests is allergic to lemons and I’m trying to accommodate her for at least a few dishes. Thanks! Jill
Five Star Recipe- Just don’t be like some… “I changed from grilling to boiling, thighs to breasts, onion to green beans, I altered the amount and types of seasonings and spices… believe it’s way too strong. I changed the rice to black beans.”
Super recipe, went down a treat with everyone.
If I marinate the chicken thigh pieces the exact same way but want to bake it instead of put ons skewers and grill, how long would you recommend baking for? This recipe is delicious!
Glad you like this! I wouldn’t really recommend baking them as you won’t get that nice char on the outside that makes the chicken so good. If you broil them, I’d recommend about 6 minutes on each side. Please LMK how they turn out if you try it!
Absolutely fantastic- glad that I made an extra package of thighs as these literally disappeared! Paired with the Jerusalem salad and Basmati rice recipes – easy to pull off!
I NEVER comment on recipes, but had to leave one on this.
This is honestly the best chicken weve ever made, and we make quite a few different recipes/in many ways. The marinade is absolutely perfectly balanced. Several different flavors come through and none seem to overpower, which is important in a truly great marinade.
Weve done the kebabs as well as just using the marinade on chicken thighs and cooking them on the grill. Both times we absolutely loved it! I actually even took the leftover kebabs to work and they were amazing the next day.
Made on a George Foreman (electric) grill. Delicious, though I marinated overnight till almost 2 p.m. and then found the seasoning a bit too strong.
Made this chicken last night using cut up breasts. Marinated them for 24hrs. Man, they were just the change of pace we needed. Mine was a little lemon-heavy, but the cumin and garlic were fantastic. I did onion, zucchini, red pepper, mushrooms, and squash for the veggies, light brushing of marinade for only 6hrs. Served it over mildly spiced quinoa. Sadly, I missed some kind of gravy! I’ll have to figure that out for next time.
Dear Jenn,
Thanks so much for this recipe – these are our favorite kebabs!
We’d like to use the marinade for bone-in drumsticks and thighs, to take to a ‘Hebron’ concert in July…
Do you think it would work to omit the yogurt to make them dairy-free, as some people have dietary requirements?
Thanks very much for your advice!
🙂
Hi Savanna, so glad you like these! I don’t think it would work to omit the yogurt in the marinade but you could use a dairy-free yogurt.