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The best part is that this marinade will infuse your chicken with loads of flavor in as little as 20 minutes!
Should Chicken Kabobs Be Marinated Before Grilling?
If you’re going to use a chicken marinade to make your chicken kabobs more flavorful, you’ll need to do this before grilling the kabobs.
The main reason for using a marinade is to make your chicken more flavorful. With a citrus marinade, you only need 20 minutes to 4 hours to add flavor.
Ingredients
You’ll find the amounts for this chicken kabob marinade in the recipe card below. Before you omit an ingredient, this is why each is important:
- Olive oil: it helps coat the chicken with the marinade ingredients.
- Lemon: you’ll zest it (grate the peel) into the marinade and use the lemon juice. Fresh lemon is a must! Have a lime? Use this cilantro lime marinade instead.
- Garlic: it’s lemon’s bff. You can chop it or grate it through the zester for a paste-like texture that will add more flavor to the marinade. Use 1 teaspoon garlic powder if you don’t have whole cloves.
- Salt & pepper: two must-have ingredients for seasoning in any marinade. The salt is essential to tenderize the chicken.
- Dried oregano: a delicious herb that adds lots of flavor. Can be swapped with 1 tablespoon of fresh oregano.
Do you Cut Chicken Before or After Marinating?
The chicken for kabobs should be cut into 1-inch cubes before adding it to the marinade so it absorbs as much of the flavors in the marinade as possible. If you’re using this marinade on a chicken breast and plan on grilling it, then there’s no need to cut it.
How Long to Marinate Chicken Kabobs?
When using a marinade that contains citrus in the ingredients, you only need 20 minutes and up to 4 hours to get the most of the flavor. Marinades without it, like a Korean chicken marinade, a pesto marinade, or a spicy chicken marinade, can sit in the marinade overnight.
Grilling Tips for Marinated Chicken Kabobs
Cooking marinated kabobs is simple. Some helpful notes before you fire up the grill include:
Don’t skip soaking the skewers. This is especially important if you’re using wooden skewers, as they can burn or, worse, catch fire.
This marinade works on veggies, too! I like to add a couple of tablespoons to a bowl before adding the chicken to the marinade bag, and then toss the veggies with it to give them some flavor.
Cut the chicken into large enough cubes, about 1-inch, so they thread easily through the middle of the skewer and won’t fall through the grilling grates.
Once the grill is hot and you’re ready to grill them, grease the grill first, then place the kabobs on there. Cook them with the lid open until your flip them over and then close the lid till the end.
Chicken Kabob Marinade (20-Min Recipe)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large lemon, juiced & zested
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 lbs of chicken breasts, cubed
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk the olive oil with lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, salt, and black pepper. Pour the marinade into a large zip bag.
- Add the cubed chicken breasts to the marinade, and seal. Refrigerate for 20 minutes to 4 hours.
- Tip: while the chicken marinades, this is a great time to soak your wooden skewers (if using).
- Thread the marinated chicken onto the skewers, alternating with vegetables if using. Discard the marinade.
Summan Ali says
How long should i grill it for in oven ? And what temperature it should be on
Laura says
My full instructions for making marinated chicken kabobs in the oven can be found here. Enjoy!
Candace Hollis says
Can it chill overnight, too?
Laura Fuentes says
I’ve done this numerous times and the results have been delicious.