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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I never write reviews but for this, I just had to! I discovered your web page just two days ago and tried this recipe first. It was absolutely delicious and super easy to make and clean up (very important after a long work day). I didn’t have time to skewer the thighs so I broiled them whole with the cut up red onion and they were perfectly moist with the a nice slight char as if they had been grilled. 10 minutes on one side, 5 on the other did the trick. Thank you so much – looking forward to trying many more of your recipes.
Awesome Recipe!
So, so, so good. Made for dinner last night and had leftovers for lunch AND dinner today. Still not tired of this dish.
If I wanted to meal prep these… would you recommend marinading them and leaving them for 2-3 days before cooking… or cook everything and then warm up later?
Hi Bonnie, You can marinate these. I wouldn’t push the marinating past two days so if you think it may be longer, I’d cook them and reheat. Hope you enjoy!
Thank you!
Would this marinade work on halloumi for a vegetarian alternative?
Hi Lizzie, I’ve never cooked with halloumi, but I suspect it shoud work. I’d love to hear how it turns out if you make it!
My wife and I loved these. I would highly recommend marinating the chicken and onions (un-skewered) in a plastic bag overnight, instead of brushing the marinade on the skewers as recommended in the recipe. We tried it both ways on the grill, and they were much more moist and flavorful by not brushing on the marinade.
It seems everyone loves it and that’s great! I just found this pretty mild, maybe I should put double amount of spices next time. Marinade tasted very good when I tasted before putting it in the chicken, but it kind of got lost.
I’m looking forward to trying this! I see that if I want to add more veggies (like peppers, mushrooms, and zucchini) you suggest putting them on separate skewers since they may have a different cooking time. If I do this, should I marinate the vegetables for the same amount of time or less time? Thanks!
You can marinate them for the same amount of time. Hope you enjoy!
Absolutely superb! Also prepared the rice which was the perfect accompaniment! Thank you!
These were so delicious. This is a fabulous recipe. I ended up using sour cream, cuz that’s what I had in the house, and they worked amazingly.
Thanks for such a delicious and easy recipe!
Absolutely delicious! We were out of propane, so I just broiled them for 10 minutes, turning them once. They came out perfect. Served with the recommended basmati rice and a little Major Grey’s chutney on the side. My picky husband even liked it. Thank you.
I’ve made this many times and love it but I always make it with the rice. If I made it with baby potatoes on the side, what herbs and/or spices would you use?
Hi Cam, If you want to make potatoes with these, I think they would be really nice seasoned with za’atar. This recipe looks like a good basic one to give you an idea. (And glad you like the kabobs!)