With grilling season upon us, I’ll be enjoying my Greek Marinated Chicken Kabobs with Lemon. These Easy Chicken Kabobs combine chicken breast, with bell pepper, zucchini and red onion. The Chicken Kabob Marinade is made with fresh lemon zest and juice, extra virgin olive oil, Greek yogurt and seasoning. Perfect for a quick mid week dinner, or weekend backyard BBQ.
GREEK MARINATED CHICKEN KABOBS WITH LEMON
As we move into Spring, and the weather improves, it’s fair to say that my grill is on regularly for summer cookouts.
My family love grilling, it imparts so much flavor into the food, and I find my kids will eat pretty much anything if it’s been cooked on the grill.
The time it takes to prep these kabobs is minimal. You can prepare these Easy Chicken Kabobs in a Greek Marinade earlier in the day, then all I need to do is thread the skewers when I’m ready to cook.
I personally think these are the best chicken kabobs because of all of the flavor the yogurt and spices add. You can serve these Greek Chicken Kabobs with pretty much any veggie side, but I like to add a drizzle of my Tahini Yogurt Sauce.
I’ve used the grill to cook my Greek Chicken Kabobs, but you can also bake or broil the kabobs in the oven on a baking sheet.
If you love grilling as my as I do, then try these recipes, my Mediterranean Beef Kabobs, Yogurt Marinated Chicken, Turkey Kofta Kebab Recipe, Lebanese Chicken Kebabs or these Chicken Kofta Kebabs.
Aside from today’s recipe I think this Greek Marinated Chicken uses the best greek chicken marinade.
Greek Chicken Kabob Marinade Ingredients
- Chicken: I used boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks. You can also use chicken thighs or chicken tenderloins cut into chunks. I personally find the chicken breast creates juicy chicken but any cut will do.
- Vegetables: I used a combination of red bell peppers and green bell peppers, zucchini and red onion for these kabobs.
- Lemon: I used both the zest and juice of a lemon in the marinade. It adds a nice zest, citrus flavor and creates tender chicken.
- Oil: For the best flavor I always use extra virgin olive oil in the marinade, but you can use regular olive oil, or any other oil you like to cook with.
- Seasoning: The marinade is seasoned with salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper.
- Yogurt: I always use full fat Greek yogurt for the best flavor and consistency. You can swap with other natural yogurt.
- Skewers: Use wooden or metal skewers. If you use wooden skewers make sure to soak them first.
Recipe Tips and Modifications for Greek Chicken Kebabs
- Chicken: I’ve used chicken breast, but you could also use boneless skinless chicken thighs.
- Peppers: Feel free to use whatever color bell pepper you like.
- Veggies: You can add any other vegetables to these kabobs, including eggplant, zucchini and mushrooms.
- Seasoning: Add the spices and seasoning that you enjoy eating, eg paprika; dried oregano; thyme, Greek seasoning, ground cinnamon or cumin.
- Cheese: Adding feta cheese is a nice finishing touch to these Greek kabobs.
- Chili Heat: A pinch of red pepper flakes or chili powder can be added to the marinade for a bit of heat.
Recipe FAQ
If using wooden, just remember to soak them for an hour in cold water first to stop them burning on the grill.
Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Reheat leftover kabobs in the microwave using a medium heat.
Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 1 month.
I always recommend using skinless and boneless chicken breast or thighs, both work equally well and are quick to cook.
I recommend marinating these Greek Chicken Kabobs for at least 2 hours, to impart lots of flavor into the chicken. You can marinate for up to 2 hours, but I don’t suggest any longer in this marinade as it contains lemon juice. After 2 hours the lemon juice will start to break down the chicken and it can become mushy.
How to Make Greek Marinated Chicken Kabobs
Step 1. Marinate the Chicken: Start by adding the chicken pieces, bell pepper, green bell pepper, zucchini, red onion, sea salt, ground black pepper, fresh lemon juice, zest of a lemon, extra virgin olive oil, garlic powder, cayenne pepper and Greek yogurt in a large ziplock bag or a large bowl.
Use tongs or your hands and coat the chicken and vegetables in the marinade. Cover and marinate for up to 2 hours in the refrigerator. If using bamboo skewers or wooden skewers soak them in cold water for an hour or use metal skewers.
Step 2. Thread the kabobs: When ready to cook the kabobs, remove the marinated chicken and the vegetables from the fridge.
Thread the chicken and vegetables onto the skewers, alternating until the chicken is gone.
Drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the skewers.
Step 3. Grill the Chicken Shish Kabob: Heat to grill to a medium-high heat.
Then brush the grill with the remaining olive oil and place the skewers directly onto the grill. Grill the kabobs for 6 minutes on each side. The chicken is cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
Step 3: Serve: Now remove the kabobs from the grill and serve warm with a garnish of fresh herbs like fresh parsley. I like to add a creamy tzatziki sauce for dipping.
What Should I Serve With Greek Chicken Kabobs?
- SALAD: I always serve side salads with chicken kabobs, try my Mediterranean Bean Salad, Lemon Arugula Salad with Pine Nuts, Summer Orzo Pasta Salad or this Easy Lebanese Salad.
- SIDE DISHES: Prefer a vegetable side then try these Lebanese Green Beans, Turmeric Roasted Cauliflower or these Mediterranean Roasted Vegetables .
- POTATOES: Another great addition to this meal is potatoes. I often make Gouda Smashed Potatoes, Air Fryer Twice Baked Potato, or Spicy Lebanese Potatoes.
- BREAD: We like to serve these kabobs alongside pita bread, naan or pita chips.
Check Out These Other Greek Inspired Recipes:
- GREEK LEMON CHICKEN
- GREEK PIZZA
- GRILLED CHICKEN GREEK SALAD
- GREEK BAKED EGGS
- GREEK BAKED TILAPIA
- EASY GREEK BURGER
If you try it, please leave me a star rating and comment below, and follow me on Instagram @acedarspoon for more delicious recipes!
Lemon Greek Marinated Chicken Kabobs
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs. chicken breast, boneless, skinless, cut in 1 1/2 inch chunks
- 1 cup red bell pepper, cut in 1 1/2 inch chunks
- 1 cup green bell pepper, cut in 1 1/2 inch chunks
- 1 cup zucchini, cut in 1 1/2 inch chunks
- 1 large red onion, cut in 1 1/2 inch chunks
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
- Juice of a lemon
- Zest of a lemon
- 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 3/4 cup greek yogurt
- Wooden or metal skewers
Instructions
- Add the chicken, bell pepper, green bell pepper, zucchini, red onion, sea salt, ground black pepper, juice of a lemon, zest of a lemon, extra virgin olive oil, garlis powder, cayenne pepper and Greek yogurt in a large ziplock bag or a large mixing bowl. Use tongs or your hands and coat the chicken and vegetables in the marinade. Cover and marinate for up to 2 hours in the refrigerator.
- Remove the chicken and the vegetables from the fridge.
- If you are using wooden skewers, soak 10 of them in cold water for an hour.
- Thread the chicken and vegetables onto the skewers, alternating until the chicken is gone. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the skewers.
- Heat the grill over medium high heat.
- Brush the grill with the remaining olive oil and place the skewers on the grill. Grill for 6 minutes on each side. Chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Remove the kabobs from the grill and serve warm with fresh cilantro or parsley and green onion.
Notes
- Feel free to use whatever color bell pepper you like.
- Other vegetables you could use include zucchini and mushrooms.
