These chicken kabobs are one of the first recipes I make every spring when the weather warms up enough to kick off grilling season. I love grilling chicken on skewers because the bite-size pieces of chicken have more surface area to soak up extra flavor from the marinade. This means that every bite is intensely flavorful and satisfying. When you pop the skewered meat and veggies on the grill, all that surface area is ready for delicious caramelization on the hot grill grates.

The secret to the best chicken kabobs is in the marinade. In this recipe, I use my very favorite chicken marinade, a savory combination of soy sauce, lemon juice, fresh garlic and seasonings. While I’ve tried coating the veggies in the marinade as well, I prefer to toss them with a simple mix of olive oil, salt and pepper to let the flavor of the grilled vegetables shine. If you don’t have a grill or it’s not grilling season, you can bake the kabobs in the oven. You’ll find all the details below!

What You’ll Need

For this recipe you’ll need boneless, skinless chicken breasts and vegetables, plus a few ingredients for the homemade marinade. You’ll also need metal or wooden skewers.

For the vegetables, I used zucchini, red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper and red onion. Other vegetables that work well on kabobs are mushrooms, green bell peppers and cherry tomatoes. Cut the vegetables into 1-inch pieces. Mushrooms and cherry tomatoes can be left whole.

The Chicken Marinade

You are going to love the chicken marinade that I use in this recipe! It’s my favorite marinade for grilled chicken and it brings incredible flavor to these chicken kabobs.

For the marinade you’ll need:

• Olive Oil: Helps to infuse the flavor of the other marinade ingredients into the chicken.
• Soy Sauce: Look for a low sodium soy sauce for less salt.
• Lemon Juice: Adds flavor and helps to tenderize the meat.
• Worcestershire Sauce: Adds umami flavor.
• Brown Sugar: Adds a hint of sweetness. You can substitute honey or omit the sugar if you prefer.
• Garlic, Italian Seasoning and Black Pepper: For seasoning. In place of Italian seasoning, you could also use dried oregano.

How to Make Chicken Kabobs

Here’s a quick overview of how to make this recipe. See the printable recipe card below for the full recipe with measurements.

Mix together the marinade ingredients, either in a zip-top plastic bag or bowl. Optional: reserve a few tablespoons of the marinade to brush over the chicken kabobs near the end of the cooking time.

Marinate the chicken. First cut it into 1-inch pieces. Then add the chicken to the marinade and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours.

Soak wooden skewers in warm water for at least 20 minutes.

Season the veggies. Drizzle olive oil over the zucchini, bell peppers and red onion and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss gently to distribute the oil, salt and pepper. Keep a few layers of onion together so that the onion doesn’t burn on the grill.

Thread the chicken and vegetables onto the skewers. Discard any used marinade that came in contact with the raw chicken.

Then cook the kabobs, either on the grill or in the oven.

How to Cook Kabobs in the Oven

When it’s not grilling weather, I like to cook these chicken kabobs in the oven. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Bake chicken kabobs on the baking sheet at 425° F for 24-30 minutes, turning them occasionally, until chicken is cooked to 165° F. I use kitchen tongs to turn the kabobs, since the skewers are hot.

Chicken kabobs can be served on the skewers or you can remove the chicken and vegetables from the skewers before plating. Just be sure to slide the chicken and veggies off the skewers before eating. And be careful if you use metal skewers, as they will get very hot while cooking.