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Grilled Lemon Chicken Shish Kabobs

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During the summer, I love to have friends over for a cook out. So I’m always looking for easy recipes to make on the grill. This delicious grilled lemon chicken shish kabobs recipe is one of my favorites!

Lemon Chicken Shish Kabobs Recipe

These grilled lemon chicken shish kabobs are easy to make and have a ton of flavor.

Since they benefit from being marinated for a couple of hours, they do need to be made a little in advance, but I think they are worth the wait!

And being made in advance can work in your favor if you’re looking for a tasty finger food to serve for a party.

Chicken Shish Kabobs on a plate with salad

Ingredients

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Okay, here’s your shopping list:

  • Chicken: 2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts.
  • Oil: ¼ cup of any mild flavored oil will work, but I like to use olive oil
  • Acid: juice of half a lemon. This will help to keep the chicken breast tender.
  • Spices: 1 teaspoon Oregano, ½ teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon cilantro, ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes for flavor.
  • Seasoning: ½ teaspoon sale, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper.
  • Garlic: Mincing 2 fresh garlic cloves tastes best, but you can also use 2 teaspoons of pre-minced garlic

Supplies

  • a bowl large enough to hold the chicken, or a large ziploc bag
  • carving knife
  • 15 shish ka bob skewers
  • grilling basket (optional)

How To Make Grilled Lemon Chicken Shish Kabobs

Prep work

Chop the chicken breasts into 1 inch cubes.

To make sure the chicken cooks evenly, try to cut all the pieces about the same size.

Juice half of a lemon.

Mince 2 cloves of garlic (if you are not using the pre-minced kind).

Marinate the chicken

Cubes of chicken marinating in a bowl

Mix all of the ingredients except the chicken in a large bowl or ziploc bag.

Add the chicken to the bowl (or bag) and toss it until the chicken is coated with the marinade.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 24 hours.

Grill

Chicken on shish kabob skewers before grilling

When you are almost ready to start grilling, take the chicken out of the refrigator and let it warm warm to room temperature, about 30 minutes. This will help it to cook through evenly.

Pre-heat the grill to medium temperature.

In the meantime, if you are using wood skewers, soak them in water for about 15 minutes to prevent them from burning on the grill.

Then thread 4 to 5 cubes of meat onto each of the wooden skewers.

Lemon chicken shish kabobs in a grilling basket

Placing the shish kabobs in a grilling basket will make managing all of the skewers easier.

Grill over medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes or until no longer pink inside, turning every 3 to 4 minutes.

You can also broil them in the oven on a baking sheet for about the same amount of time if you prefer.

Grilled Chicken Shish Kabobs

Serve the chicken on the skewers for an easy to eat finger food. Or remove them from the skewers to serve over rice.

Other grilling recipes you might like

Chicken Shish Kabobs

Grilled Lemon Chicken Shish Kabobs

Wanda Simone
These grilled lemon chicken shish kabobs are easy to make and have a ton of flavor.  Since they benefit from being marinated for a couple of hours, they do need to be made a little in advance, but I think they are worth the wait!
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Marinating 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes
Course Appetizer
Cuisine Mediterranean
Servings 15 skewers
Calories 103 kcal

Equipment

  • 15 skewers
  • 1 mixing bowl or ziploc bag
  • measuring cups and spoons
  • grilling basket (optional)

Ingredients
  

  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • ½ lemon juiced
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon  cilantro
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts

Instructions
 

To Marinate:

  • Mix all of the ingredients except for the chicken in a large bowl.
  • Chop the chicken into 1″ squares.
  • Add the chicken to the marinade and toss to coat.
  • Cover the chicken and let it marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, and up to 24 hours.

To Grill:

  • Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and let sit for 30 minutes.
  • Pre-heat the grill to medium high (or turn on the broiler if you are going to cook them in the oven).
  • Thread the chicken on to skewers.  
  • Cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until no longer pink inside, turning every 3 to 4 minutes.

Notes

To prevent wooden skewers from burning, soak them in water for a few minutes before putting the chicken on them.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 skewerCalories: 103 kcalCarbohydrates: 1 gProtein: 13 gFat: 5 gSaturated Fat: 1 gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1 gMonounsaturated Fat: 3 gTrans Fat: 1 gCholesterol: 39 mgSodium: 149 mgPotassium: 233 mgFiber: 1 gSugar: 1 gVitamin A: 43 IUVitamin C: 2 mgCalcium: 7 mgIron: 1 mg

Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.

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grilled lemon chicken shish kabobs

This post was originally published on July 28, 2016 but was updated with new content on July 19, 2023.


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