Easy herby lemon chicken skewers
Easy lemon chicken skewers with garlic and herbs are delicious, healthy and fast making them perfect for dinner any time of the year served with simple side dishes. I also love meal prepping this ahead for easy grab and go lunches.
Ingredients
These chicken skewers require a handful of ingredients, most of which you probably already have in the pantry. Feel free to add more spices or seasonings if you prefer but they are delicious as is.
- Chicken. I used boneless skinless chicken breasts but boneless chicken thighs can also be used.
- Extra-virgin olive oil. Any oil suitable for cooking will work. Canola, avocado, sunflower, etc.
- Lemon juice + zest. Lime juice can be substituted.
- Garlic.
- Herbs. I used rosemary, oregano and parsley but thyme and sage are also delicious with chicken.
- Salt and pepper.
- Optional: Vegetables like bell peppers, zucchini, mushrooms and cherry tomatoes can be threaded on to the skewers with the chicken.
How to grill chicken skewers
- Make the marinade: Combine olive oil, lemon juice and zest, crushed garlic and herbs of your choice with salt and pepper. Slice chicken breasts or boneless thighs into bite-size pieces and place in a large bowl. Pour over the marinade. Allow the chicken to marinate for at least 30 minutes but up to 24 hours covered in the fridge.
- Assemble the skewers: Thread the chicken onto soaked bamboo or metal skewers. Soaking wooden skewers prevents them from burning on the grill on in the oven. I added a few sprigs of fresh rosemary in between the chicken pieces to infuse even more flavor into the skewers.
- Cook: Preheat an outdoor grill or stove-top grill pan for a few minute. Add the chicken and cook until golden brown and cooked through. Remove the grilled chicken from the heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Can you put wooden skewers in the oven?
Soaking wooden skewers for at least 30 minutes in boiling water will prevent them from burning on the grill on in the oven.
Can I cook this in the oven?
Yes, preheat the oven’s grill or broiler of your oven and cook the chicken skewers, turning every 5 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.
Can you freeze marinated chicken skewers?
Yes, you can. Marinate the chicken then thread the meat onto soaked wooden skewers/metal skewers and place in freezer bags or a freezer-proof container in a single layer before placing in the freezer. Skewers can be frozen for up to a month and must be de-frosted completely before cooking.
What to serve with chicken skewers
These skewers are delicious served with veggies or salad for an easy, healthy dinner. My favorite side dishes are a simple cucumber salad or sautéed broccolini but anything from crispy potatoes and rice to creamy pasta salad will work with chicken.
- Easy cucumber, tomato and red onion salad
- Spicy garlic potato wedges
- Caprese pasta salad
- Grilled corn avocado salad
- Sauteed broccolini
Easy herby lemon skewers
Ingredients
For the marinade
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- zest of 1 lemon
- 2-3 garlic clove crushed
- 2 tsp fresh thyme
- 2 tsp rosemary
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
For the skewers
- 4 large chicken breasts skinless, boneless
- wooden skewers soaked in boiling water for 30 minutes
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients for the marinade.
- Slice the chicken into bite-sized chunks and place in a bowl. Pour over the marinade, cover and allow to marinade for at least 30 minutes but up to 24 hours, covered in the fridge.
- Thread the marinated chicken onto soaked wooden skewers or metal skewers.
- Heat an outdoor grill or stovetop grill pan then cook the skewers, turning every 3-5 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and golden brown on all sides.
- Remove from the heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Do you have recipe for tomato, cucumber, red radish salad that is in photo w/Easy Herby Lemon Chicken Skewers? Thanks!
I just cut up cherry tomatoes, cucumber and radish and dressed with olive oil, lemon and salt 🙂
Can you freeze the prepped chicken in marinade before cooking to use later?
Absolutely!
Looking at trying this. Do you have the recipe for the salad?
It’s just cucumber, tomatoes and radish dressed with lemon, salt and pepper 🙂
I made this for my family the other night and it was amazing. My only problem was that the chicken seemed overcooked. Do you have any tips on making sure the chicken is done the right amount. Thanks!
I always take my chicken off the heat a minute or two before it’s completely cooked through as it will continue cooking as it rests before serving.
I made this for dinner tonight with the cucumber salad as a side and it was absolutely delicious! Bravo! Thanks for sharing it.
Loved these! I have a kiddo with severe food intolerance. I loved that these were flavorful and free of the main allergens so the whole family could enjoy. I’ve done both the oven and grill and both work just fine.
When it said heat up the stove top, how hot do we heat it up?
Medium-high heat.
This looks good and I’m going to try it, but I got confused when it says 30 minutes of marinating but 24 hours??
You can marinate the skewers for at least 30 minutes but up to 24 hours in the fridge if you’d like to prepare them ahead of time.
Soooo good! Definitely will be making this again!
Very tasty! I actually put this chicken recipe in the air fryer without the skewers. Highly recommend.
That’s a great idea!
What temp and how long did you do it for in air fryer?
I was hoping to use the marinaded chicken in a cold pasta salad what salads could you add to that?
Do you mean vegetables? In that case, you could add anything from chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, sugar snap peas, carrots, etc. to steamed and cooled broccoli. Really anything will work because this chicken is flavored in a way that will go with a lot of different vegetables.
These are absolutely delicious. I added mushrooms in between th chicken and they were a crowd favorite.
Love that idea!
Made these skewers and use rosemary out of my garden for the skewers. Fantastic recipe, great flavor and juicy chicken. Perfect!
Oh, that is the BEST idea. So glad you liked the skewers Gwen. 🙂
What is the recipe for the side dish pictured with the skewers? It looks like radishes, tomatoes and cucumbers. Is there a dressing?
It’s just a simple little salad I threw together. My lemon dressing is a go-to when making salads: https://simply-delicious-food.com/easy-side-salad-with-lemon-dressing/
SO juicy and delicious. Best chicken skewers I’ve tried.
That’s so great to hear. Thanks Tanner! 🙂