These chicken kabobs are marinated in a lime Cilantro vinaigrette dressing then grilled to perfection. Eat them with a salad or a side of rice and your favorite vegetable.

It might be September, but grilling seasoning lives on in my house. In fact, we use our grill all year long, rain or shine – even snow! That’s because, grilling is a quick and convenient way to cook protein without having to turn on your oven.

One of my favorite ways to grill meat, especially chicken, is to make kabobs. The protein cooks faster when it’s cut into pieces, allowing you to get a hot meal on the table quickly. You can also add vegetables and fruit to the skewer, so that everything cooks at the same time. You can make flavorful chicken kabobs by adding different seasoning blends or marinating your chicken in a flavorful dressing prior to grilling.

The chicken kabobs I’m sharing in this recipe are marinated in lime cilantro vinaigrette, then grilled to perfection.

How To Make Chicken Kabobs With Lime Cilantro Vinaigrette Marinade

Making marinated chicken kabobs is a two-step process. First, you need to marinade the chicken. Then, you need to put it on skewers and grill it.

Seasoning And Marinating Your Chicken Kabobs

The first step is to season the chicken. I suggest doing this prior to putting the it on the skewer. Start by trimming the visible fat from the chicken and cutting it into chunks that are slightly larger than bit-sized pieces. You can cut them into smaller pieces but it’s harder to keep the chicken on the skewer. Smaller pieces will also decrease the cooking time.

Once the chicken is cut, put it into a large plastic bag or shallow container, and add your marinade. For this recipe, I added lime cilantro vinaigrette dressing.

For best results, allow the chicken to marinade for at least four hours, or even overnight. The longer you let it sit in the marinade, the stronger the flavor will be. If you’re short on time, at least let it sit in the marinade for at least one hour. That should be enough time for the flavors to mix with the chicken.

How To Make Chicken Kabobs On The Grill

Once the chicken is done marinating, it’s time to put it on skewers. If you plan on adding vegetables or fruit to your kabob, add them to the skewer with the chicken, altering each piece of food.

I like to add ~4 ounces of raw chicken per skewer, which is ~6-7 chunks of chicken. That will yield ~3 ounces of cooked chicken on each kabob. That way, each skewer is ~one portion. Anyone who wants more protein can take a few extra pieces from another skewer, or eat two kabobs. It helps to cut down on food waste.

The best part of grilled chicken is the sear marks formed from placing the chicken skewers directly on the grate. You could also place the kabobs on foil, or anther grill appropriate pan. Just know, you won’t get the signature sear marks from grilling.

Chicken skewers or kabobs will take ~10-15 minutes total to cook. That cooking time varies, though, based on how big your pieces of chicken are. Flip the skewers about half way through so that you get the sear marks on both sides.

Use a food thermometer to make sure that your chicken is cooked all the way through. If you’re not sure how to use a food thermometer properly, check out my post on using a food thermometer.

Once your chicken kabobs are done, use a pair of tongs and transfer them to a clean plate.

Ways To Eat Your Kabobs

Chicken kabobs are a quick way to cook chicken, and there are loads of ways to eat them. I always cook extras so that I have some cooked protein in the refrigerator.

The seasoning blend or marinade that you use can dictate what you pair it with – especially if you choose strong flavors. The lime cilantro vinaigrette dressing I used to marinate these chicken kabobs gives a subtle cilantro flavor but isn’t overpowering. If you’re like me and love cilantro, you can boost the flavor by adding some fresh leaves to the finished product.

Here are some delicious ways to serve and enjoy these chicken kabobs.

On top of a salad with a side of fruit
Served with a corn salsa and tortillas
Over a side of rice with your favorite vegetable
Alongside a yogurt dip and served as an appetizer
Remove the chicken from the skewers and mix into a vegetable or noodle stir-fry.
Paired with corn on the cob for a quick dinner

Do you have a favorite way to eat kabobs? Share in the comments below.

Print Recipe