BBQ Lemon & Herb chicken skewers grilled to perfection are soft, juicy and packed with flavour. They are very easy to prepare (just marinade-and-cook) which makes for great camping food to cook on the grill or barbecue.
Preparing chicken skewers, chicken kabobs or chicken kebabs as they are also called, to grill on the barbecue is always nice. There are so many variations in marinades to add some extra flavour to the chicken. When the barbecue is out while camping or in the garden, what is nicer than eating grilled chicken with some delicious side dishes to complement the meal.
Why make bbq grilled chicken skewers?
For Camping food
Any type of skewers make great camping food. Just light the coals or the gas grill, assemble the skewers and you’re ready to go. You can even prepare and marinade the chicken at home and when arriving at your campsite, place the skewers on a grill and start cooking. And for minimal washing and cleaning up, just eat the chicken straight from the skewer with some dips like this Tzatziki sauce and some Mediterranean foil grilled vegetables or grilled potatoes and you have a great camping meal.
For outdoor cooking
Lemon & Herb skewered chicken is easy to make in advance, which is handy when having friends and family over for an outdoor meal. You can prepare everything way in advance and just assemble when the grill or coals are ready for the meat. No standing in the kitchen while your guests are having a good time in the garden.
Lemon & herb grilled chicken skewers
Note: All the exact quantities of the ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to make lemon and herb marinade for chicken skewers
Marinating chicken pieces before cooking keeps them juicy and flavoursome. Any acidity in the marinade will make them tender. Why buy ready made marinade when making lemon & herb marinade from scratch is so easy and fast with just a few ingredients?
Here is what you need to make a herb and lemon chicken marinade:
- lemon zest
- lemon juice
- olive oil
- rosemary
- sage
- garlic
- dried oregano
- dried basil
- salt
- pepper
Combine the zest and juice of 1 lemon with olive oil, crushed garlic, sage, rosemary, oregano, basil, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl and stir well. That’s it. Fast and easy. For a slight change in flavour you can add different or more herbs to the mix, like thyme, marjoram or parsley.
How to make chicken kebabs
For making chicken skewers, either use chicken breast or boneless chicken thighs. I’ve used chicken breast for this recipe. Dice the chicken fillets into cubes of 2-3 cm (or 1 inch). Now use either a mixing bowl or a ziplock bag to combine the marinade with the chicken. When using a ziplock bag, add both the chicken and marinade, remove the air from the bag, close tightly and mix well by rubbing the bag. Place the bag or the covered mixing bowl in the fridge and let it marinade for at least 30 minutes before using, preferably a few hours to get the best flavour.
When using wooden skewers, place them in water for at least 15 minutes before using, otherwise they might burn on the grill. You can also opt to use metallic skewers instead. Just before cooking, thread the chicken on to the skewers, closely together and pour the rest of the marinade over the skewers. Place them carefully on the grill on medium coals or medium heat gas flame. Turn often on all sides to guarantee even cooking. Move the skewers to a colder area of the grill if they start charring too fast to prevent having burned chicken on the outside and raw on the inside.
Tip: What you should rather not do is marinade the meat after threading them on the skewers, always do it before. Otherwise not all sides will be properly coated with the marinade.
Serving suggestions
Serve the skewers from the grill on a plate with some extra slices of lemon. Or forget the plate and eat them direct from the grill with your fingers if you want less washing up afterwards. Just be careful, things straight off a grill tend to be rather hot.
Serve with sauces like homemade Tzatziki or Baba Ganoush. As a side dish serve a refreshing watermelon and cucumber salad, spicy Mexican style rice, BBQ grilled potatoes or Grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches South Africa style.
Did you make this recipe? I’d love to hear how it turned out! Leave a comment with rating below and share a picture with the hashtag #thetastychilli and tag me on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.
BBQ Lemon herb chicken skewers
Equipment
- 8 wooden skewers or 8 metal skewers
Ingredients
Skewers
- 4 large chicken breasts cut in cubes of 1 inch or 2,5 cm
Lemon Herb Marinade
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 rosemary sprig
- 6 leaves sage
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients of the marinade in a mixing bowl or ziplock bag.
- Cut the chicken breast in cubes of around 2-3 cm or 1 inch. Add the chicken cubes to the marinade in the mixing bowl or ziplock bag. Mix well to coat all the cubes evenly with the marinade. Seal the bag or cover the bowl and put in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or longer until ready to use.
- When using wooden skewers, let them soak in water for 15 minutes just before assembling them.
- Prepare the coals of the barbecue. The coals should have medium heat. Or preheat the grill (oven or gasbarbecue) to medium heat. Thread the chicken cubes on the skewers and place them on the grill. Turn regularly and observe an even cooking on each side until the chicken is cooked through and golden brown on each side.
Notes
- Using a ziplock bag to marinade the chicken allows you to coat all pieces better with the marinade. Rather don’t thread the chicken on the skewers first and then marinade since not all pieces will be marinated evenly.
- Rotate the chicken skewers carefully on all sides to allow even cooking. Don’t leave them too long on the grill otherwise the chicken will dry out but make sure you don’t serve raw chicken pieces either.
Inspired to prepare this recipe? Don’t forget to pin it to your Pinterest boards for later:
Grilled Lemon & Herb chicken skewers looks so delicious and inviting. Loved the use of herbs they sound so Flavourful.
Would love to make these for weekend lunch.
Yum! With so many food allergies in our family, this recipe is perfect. It’s quick, easy, delicious and we all enjoy it. It’s such a treat to have something different than just plain chicken.
I prefer dark meat, do you think this recipe will work well with chicken thighs too?
Oh yes indeed, this recipe will work really well with deboned chicken thighs.
These skewers look so healthy and flavorful! Love lemon anything, so will be definitely trying this soon.
That zesty lemon taste makes such a difference in the taste! Scrumptious.
Simple and delicious, those chicken skewers look amazing, healthy and so flavorful. Love the lemon and all the herbs you used.
Thank you for sharing.
I think forget the plate and eat them straight! 🙂
This is exactly how I marined meats for barbeque – super yummy result! Now that the weather is getting better and the days longer, all I need to do is ask my partner to clean and oil the barbeque and get it ready for the summer:)))
I love how healthy this recipe is. The fact that it can be done outside and not make a mess in the kitchen is awesome.
This recipe will be awesome to make at the cottage this year! I love the combination of lemon and herbs. Super delish!