These Chicken Skewers are the tastiest way to prepare chicken for a crowd. They’re marinated with onion juice, lemon, and spices that make them incredibly easy to make but also something everyone is bound to enjoy!

What are Chicken Skewers?

Chicken skewers are marinated chunks of chicken threaded onto skewers, usually along with some vegetables as well (though not necessarily so). You can alternate the chicken pieces with vegetables, or just stack up cubed chickens on top of each other.

Close up image of chicken skewers served on a plate.

How Do I Prep My Skewers Before Grilling?

If you’re using bamboo or wood ones, soak your skewers in water for at least 30 minutes. If possible, soaking them overnight is best!

The reason why we do this is that the bamboo ones can catch fire or burn while grilling. Leaving them in water allows water to soak up the moisture from them and prevent any burning or breakage.

Can I Prep my Chicken Skewers the Night Before?

Absolutely! This is what makes them perfect for a barbecue party. While you can definitely marinate them for only an hour, leaving them marinated overnight will make them taste even better.

Just place the skewers in a pan or baking sheet and cover it with plastic wrap. Pop them in the fridge overnight, along with the vegetables in the skewers, and take them out before you’re about the start grilling them. Super easy and efficient!

Chicken Skewer Ingredients

Chicken: I’ve opted for skinless chicken breasts in my recipe, but you can also choose to use skinless chicken thighs instead.

Onions: The delicious flavor of the chicken, in part, comes from doing a nifty little thing to the onions! We’ll extract the juice from it (it’s super simple) but read on below to know how exactly. Trust me it’s way easier than it sounds.

Lemon juice and vinegar: Two different acidic agents but both add that extra tang and zest to the recipe.

Olive oil: We’ll only need 1 tbsp of it which makes this recipe great in terms of nutrition and low in calories!

Spices: Black pepper and paprika or red chili powder (optional) are all you need for it. And of course, salt to taste (I’ve used ½ teaspoon in the recipe).

Assorted veggies: I’ve used zucchinis in my recipe, but you can use cherry tomatoes, whole cloves of garlic, bell peppers, onions, or any other vegetable you feel like grilling!

How to Make Middle Eastern Chicken Skewers?

Extract onion juice: Start by mincing or grating onions. Next squeeze them using your hands (make sure to wash them first!), and the juice will come out. Collect it in a bowl.
Create marinade: To the onion juice, add vinegar and the rest of the ingredients excluding the chicken. Mix it all well. The color might turn pink, that’s normal when you mix onion juice with vinegar.
Marinate chicken: Cut the chicken into 2-inch chunks and add them to the marinade you made in the previous step. Cover and refrigerate overnight or at least for four hours.
Chop veggies: Pick whichever veggies you want and cut them into cubes as well.
Skewer the chicken and veggies: Skewer the marinated chicken cubes and veggies on the skewers. Next, grill on a grilling skillet or an electric grill, but make sure the heat is high. Grill the chicken on each side, for 3 minutes or until done. You can reduce the heat to medium-high heat if you’re afraid to burn the chicken.
Ready to serve: When done serve hot with salad on the side, or French fries (if that’s more your thing!).

Chicken on skewers served with lemon slices.

Tips For the juiciest Chicken Skewers

Grilling chicken on high heat will seal it from the outside and keep all the juices inside, this will cook the chicken breast and keep it tender.
Marinating the chicken for at least 4 hours (preferably overnight) will result in the best flavor.
Make sure to soak your bamboo sticks for at least 30 minutes (or preferably overnight) so they don’t burn while you’re grilling the chicken.
Use different veggies according to your preference to make this recipe your own!
When skewering the chicken and veggies, you can do it in whatever order you prefer.

More Recipes to Try

Chicken Tikka.

Shish Tawook.

Teriyaki Chicken.

Please Review and Rate

If you have tried this Chicken Skewers recipe and liked it, please give it a 5-star rating and leave a comment below with your experience!