The Grilled Rosemary Lemon Chicken Kabob: hearty, healthy and so delicious! With the perfect combination of fresh lemon juice, Dijon mustard, fresh rosemary, salt, pepper, garlic, and honey... creating the most tender and mouthwatering chicken kabob recipe you've ever tasted!
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This post has been updated since its original publish date in August 2018.
I just love me some kabobs! What could be better than some yummy marinated grilled meat on a stick!? Mmm, mmm! The shish kabob is summah-time eating at its best! And this chicken kabob recipe is one of the best!
I love how those small pieces of meat get infused with all that rosemary lemon marinade, making each bite amazingly tasty. Plus, the smaller pieces of meat cook faster! #bonus
The reward of their deliciousness is so worth spending the time to thread them on those metal skewers. You can even get the kiddos involved in the process - it could be a great sensory activity for them, but don’t let them lick their fingers. #JustKeepingItReal
The marinade is literally the secret sauce to making these chicken skewers sooo tender and delicious!! It’s the same recipe I use for my tender and juicy grilled chicken thighs served over some cheesy parmesan polenta – OOTW my friend!!
Not even kidding. Everyone that tastes them always asks for the recipe, and then they make them for company… and all of their friends ask them for the recipe.
Who knows, you probably had them at your neighbor’s cookout last weekend. All kinds of yummy recipe-sharing love going on around herrr!
So you’re probably wondering what’s in this mouthwatering sauce?
It’s nothing overly complicated… just the perfect combination of fresh lemon juice, Dijon mustard, fresh rosemary, salt, pepper, garlic and honey. It’s just so good – I can’t wait for you to try them!
How to Make the Marinade for the Chicken Skewers:
Instead of chopping my rosemary, I have a coffee bean grinder that I use specifically (and only) for grinding herbs and spices.
It’s so quick and easy – the perfect way to save a few minutes on meal prep and clean up.
I add the garlic, rosemary, fresh lemon juice, Dijon mustard, honey and salt and pepper to a small bowl and whisk it together.
By the way the “honey substitute for sugar” trick is one of my favorites! Here’s why:
Using Honey in Recipes:
There’s just something I like about using naturally occurring sweetener like raw honey … it’s “straight from mother nature.” Honey has a lower glycemic index than sugar, meaning it doesn’t raise blood sugar levels as quickly.
Because of its sweetness, honey can be a 1-for-2 substitute for regular sugar (so 1 tablespoon of honey = 2 tablespoons of sugar). Do be aware of your honey nutrition facts: calories in honey and carbs in honey can be slightly higher than regular sugar. And, if you want a substitute for honey, consider pure maple syrup.
How to Make this Tasty Chicken Kabob Recipe:
I cut my boneless skinless chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces (try to make then all the same size so they all cook within the same amount of time).
Add the chicken and the honey mustard sauce (marinade) to a resealable plastic bag, give it a good massage to coat everything with all that flavoring, then refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour or up to 24 hours. The longer it marinates, the more flavor gets infused into the meat.
Next, I cut up two large onions.
And three large peppers into 2-inch pieces.
Finally, I skewer the marinated meat and veggies.
Then grill those babies for about 5-6 minutes on each side. Of course, I check the meat’s temperature with my handy meat thermometer to be sure it cooks to perfection.
These grilled chicken kabobs are moist, tender, and D-licious!
I must say these Grilled Chicken Kabobs are the perfect meal to make when you’re having friends over… just cut up those veggies and marinate the chicken the day before, then skewer and grill just before your people arrive.
Boom – the most amazing summertime meal everr! #crushedit
You might even want to have copies of this chicken kabob recipe already printed up and ready to go... Just saying.
Looking for more amazing summer-time grilling recipes?
- Caprese Balsamic Grilled Chicken
- Sriracha Maple Pork Chops
- Rosemary Lemon Grilled Chicken Thighs
- Secret Sauce” BBQ Baby Back Ribs
I would love to connect with you. Leave a comment or follow me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest!
Grilled Rosemary Lemon Chicken Kabob Recipe
The Grilled Rosemary Lemon Chicken Kabob: hearty, healthy and so delicious! With the perfect combination of fresh lemon juice, Dijon mustard, fresh rosemary, salt, pepper, garlic and honey… creating the most tender and mouthwatering chicken kabobs you’ve ever tasted
Ingredients
- 3 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ½ tablespoons rosemary, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts trimmed of any excess fat and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 large plastic resealable bag
- 2 onions
- 3 bell peppers (red, yellow, orange or green)
- canola cooking or grill spray
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix together garlic, rosemary, lemon juice, honey, Dijon, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
- Cut the chicken into 2-inch pieces, then place in a large resealable plastic bag and pour the marinade over the chicken.
- Seal the bag, and massage the marinade into the chicken, turning to coat.
- Marinate in refrigerator for at least 1 hour (or ideally overnight).
- Remove chicken from fridge, and cut two large onions and three large peppers into 2-inch pieces.
- Preheat grill to high heat. Meanwhile, skewer the marinated meat and veggies.
- Spray each skewer with canola cooking spray, then grill for about 5-6 minutes on both sides, or until the chicken’s internal temperature reaches 165F.
Notes
This recipe requires at least 1 hour of marinating time, ideally marinate the chicken overnight!
Nutrition Information
Yield
8Serving Size
8-10 ouncesAmount Per Serving Calories 191Total Fat 5gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 72mgSodium 468mgCarbohydrates 10gFiber 1gSugar 7gProtein 25g
Debra Bailey
Made it today and the only change I’d make is to assemble the skewers and let the veggies marinate too. I added mushrooms to mine. Turned out wonderfully!
holly
Hi Debra I'm so happy you enjoyed the recipe, I love to marinate as much as I can! j
Loreto Nardelli
I am a huge fan of Kebobs or skewers, so easy to eat and they just seem to cook so well and caramelized. Your combination of the spicy Dijon mustard, and the aromatic rosemary along with that fresh happyness of lemon all sweetened a bit from the honey sounds amazing. Well done!
Cheers!
loreto
holly
Thanks so much! It's one of our favorite marinades - so easy and always delicious!
Michele
What a gorgeous dinner! Those chicken kebabs look so flavorful and delish. Perfect summer recipe!
holly
Thanks a bunch, Michele! It's one of my go-to grilling recipes for sure!
Jenni LeBaron
This is a great classic marinade! Sure to be fantastic for summer grilling as well as in the colder months too. Love that you've served this in kabab form!
holly
Thank you, Jenni! I'm definitely one of those people who grill all year round!
Kim @ Berly's Kitchen
These look way too pretty to eat! Lemon and rosemary on chicken is a great combo. We plan to grill a couple more times this summer and will have to give these a try!
holly
Hi Kim, thanks for your kind words! This is one of my go-to marinades... I use it for chicken thighs, whole chicken breasts and of course kabobs. Hope you enjoy the recipe as much as we do!
Sharon
The marinade for these kabobs sounds so good! Perfect grilling dish for the summer.
holly
Yay! So glad you think so, Sharon! Thank you!
Jessica Pinney
Yum! I've been grilling a lot since it's been so hot and this looks like a great candidate for dinner next week! Thanks for sharing.
holly
That's great to hear, Jessica! I hope you enjoy the recipe! Thanks!
Marisa Franca
This is my type of meal. We eat lots of chicken and we love to grill it. An ideal recipe for a light summer meal when it's too hot to cook indoors. The flavors in your marinade are really great with chicken. This will be on our menu soon.
holly
I love hearing that, Marisa! Thanks you so much! We eat a lot of grilled chicken as well. This marinade is a staple in our house for sure!
Ashley @ Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen
I'm not sure I've ever used my spice grinder for fresh herbs (I use it for dried ones often), but WOW! This looks awesome! What a great flavor combination - and the fact that they cook up so quickly is a big bonus 🙂
holly
Thanks so much, Ashley! We LOVE this marinade - we use it for all cuts of chicken on the grill. The quick cook time is definitely a great bonus!
Kristen
The rosemary added the perfect flavor to these kabobs!! Thank you for the recipe.
holly
I completely agree, Kristen! Thank YOU!
Chellie
So many of my favorite flavors in here! And I've got lots of fresh rosemary in the garden. Putting this on my meal plan. Thanks!!
holly
Love that, Chellie! I feel the same way - thanks!
Vanessa Vickery
Yum these sound delicious!! I am a big fan of rosemary & lemon marinade on meats. My kids would love these too
holly
Hi Vanessa! Thanks a bunch! These kabobs are super popular with the kiddos and the kids at heart for that matter!😜 LOL
Veena Azmanov
I love anything grilled chicken. Love the flavors you have on this recipe. Kebab is the perfect summer thing in our house and these would be a perfect addition.
holly
That's great to hear, Veena! I'm the same way about grilled chicken. I love how grilling chicken that has been marinaded gets all caramelized and delicious! Thank you!
Anne
These looks so good, just perfect for summer grilling! Pinned to my recipes to make real soon board.