These grilled Italian chicken skewers are so delicious and so easy to make. They are loaded with flavor from a simple and delicious Italian marinade and the chicken always comes out juicy and tender. If you want an easy Italian grilling recipe, this is it.
I've been making these chicken skewers for years. The recipe was given to me by a family friend back when I first started my family. They got it it from their friend who came from a big Italian family and loved all things cooked on the grill.
I never met them and probably never will but I will always continue to enjoy these chicken skewers.
These Italian chicken skewers get all the flavor from a simple Italian marinade made up of citrus, olive oil and garlic and it is not only loaded with so much flavor, it helps keep the chicken juicy, even after grilling. This recipe is one that you really need to try to see how such simple ingredients are all you need to make an amazing meal.
If you want to impress your guests with a delicious Italian-style BBQ, then make this recipe. Serve it with a simple Italian sauteed zucchini , a Panzanella salad with zucchini , grilled zucchini and peppers for the perfect summer meal.
What You Will Need
Skewers
- Boneless Chicken breasts
- Onion. Red or yellow onion works great with these chicken skewers.
- Green bell peppers.
Italian Marinade
- Garlic: Fresh garlic not granulated.
- Olive Oil: Any type will work.
- Lemon: I like to use fresh lemons.
- Orange: Any variety is fine. If you have mandarins, go ahead and use those.
- Kosher salt and pepper.
How to Make Grilled Chicken Skewers(Italian style)
Make the marinade: The first thing you want to do is make the chicken marinade for the skewers. This is the citrus, garlic and olive oil.
Prep the ingredients and make the marinade: Cut up your chicken and vegetables so they are all the same size. Then make the marinade.
Marinate: Let the chicken and vegetables marinate for at least 30 minutes before grill the skewers.
Assemble skewers: Grab your skewers and thread a vegetable, chicken then another vegetable. Repeat this until the skewer is full.
Grill: Place the skewers on a pre-heated outdoor or grill pan (medium-high heat) and cook for 10 minutes (turning a few times) or until the chicken is cooked all the way through.
Variations
- Mix up the veggies: Use your favorite veggies.
- Try this out with steak or pork: I have tried both of these and they taste great grilled and with the Italian marinade.
- Use just lemon: We make this often with just lemon if we are out of oranges. It tastes great.
- Add fresh herbs: I like to sometimes add oregano. Feel free to use Italian parsley, basil, rosemary, or your favorite herbs.
Top Tips For The Best Chicken Skewers
- Best Skewers To Use: There are two options for skewers when grilling, wooden skewers and metal skewers. I always use metal skewers because they do not burn on the grill. If you do decide to use wood skewers, make sure to soak them for a good hour in water so they do not burn during grilling.
- Allow time for marinating: Make sure to marinate the chicken and vegetables for at least 30 minutes. This is where the flavor is.
Storing And Reheating
These chicken skewers are best eaten right away. If you have leftovers here is what I do to ensure they stay juicy and delicious for leftovers.
- Allow them to come to almost room temperature. Not fully cool because you do not want meat sitting out for too long. Remove the chicken from the skewers then place in a container with a lid and seal it. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- To reheat the chicken, place in some aluminum foil and reheat in a preheated 350-degree oven for 20-25 minutes. This will ensure the chicken is juicy and delicious.
More Italian Recipes Like This
If you love these Italian chicken skewers, you will also like these:
Grilled Chicken Skewers (Italian Style!)
Equipment
- 4 metal skewers
Ingredients
- 3 boneless chicken breasts cut into one inch cubes
- 1 green bell pepper cut into small quarters
- 1 large red onion cut into small quarters
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 large lemon juiced
- 1 orange juiced
- 4 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a large bowl add the garlic, olive oil, lemon, orange, a big pinch of salt and pepper and the oregano and mix well.4 cloves garlic, 1 large lemon, 1 orange, 4 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Add your chicken and vegetables to the bowl and mix them all around in the marinade until everything has been coated evenly.3 boneless chicken breasts, 1 green bell pepper, 1 large red onion
- Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 6 hours if you are making it ahead of time.
- After you are done marinating, you can begin making the kabobs.
- Add the ingredients to the skewers alternating between the chicken, peppers and onions until all of it is used up. I usually get about 4-5 kabobs out of this dish.
- For the left over marinade (in the bowl after making the skewers) you will need to add about ½ cup of water to this. This is what you will use to baste the chicken while you are grilling (see below).
- Cooking
- Preheat your grill or grill pan for 5 minutes on medium high heat. Make sure you have a basting brush for the grilling.
- When the grill or grill pan is heated add your skewers remembering to keep the heat on medium high.
- Cook for 2 minutes covered with the lid of the grill closed.
- After 2 minutes turn the kabobs and baste with some of the leftover marinade.
- Cook for another 2 minutes with the lid closed on the grill.
- Repeat the basting and turning until the chicken is cooked all the way through (about 10-12 minutes depending on the thickness of the chicken and your grill).
- When it is done, remove it from the heat and tent with aluminum foil to let the juices redistribute in the chicken. Let it rest for about 3-5 minutes.
- Enjoy!!
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