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In this post, you’ll find everything you need to know to make the classic recipe indoors and enjoy fuss-free baked kabobs in the oven.
Baked Chicken Kabobs
When we sold our previous house, the grill went with it, leaving us without a BBQ for more than five years! But that didn’t stop me from enjoying this family favorite meal; instead, I began cooking the chicken and beef kabobs in the oven.
The grill isn’t the only place to cook juicy chicken kabobs. In fact, I personally love cooking them in the oven because the temperature is more consistent.
This post includes tested tips on cooking them perfectly in the oven: what to put on them, the veggies, the oven temperatures, and more. If it’s too hot out for the oeven, you can also try making kabobs on the stove!
What to Put On Chicken Kabobs
The recipe card below includes all the ingredients and amounts needed to make incredible chicken kabobs in the oven. However, at a minimum you’ll need:
- Chicken: chicken breasts or thighs. Make sure to cube them approximately the same size for even cooking.
- Marinade: while not required, it’s highly recommended to use a chicken marinade to add flavor to your chicken.
- Veggies: you can make plain kabobs or add mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, onion, and zucchini to make them epic. Any extras turn them into veggie kabobs.
- Skewers: use wooden or metal, whichever you have on hand. These are my favorite skewers for kabobs.
How to Prep the Skewers for Baking
Similarly to grilling skewers on a grill, you’ll need to soak the skewers in water for 20 minutes if they’re wooden. Reusable metal skewers don’t need soaking.
How to Bake Chicken Kabobs in the Oven
The process of baking chicken kabobs is simple, especially if you follow the step-by-step recipe below. Here are a few tips within each step that I’ve learned over the years:
- Marinate the chicken
Make the marinade and get the chicken marinating first so it absorbs as much flavor from the marinade as possible. All you need is 20 minutes. - Season the veggies
Toss the veggies in a bowl with some of the chicken marinade (reserved before adding the chicken) and a little extra olive oil. - Soak the wooden skewers
I’ve found that a sheet pan is the perfect vessel for soaking wooden skewers. They fit, and they hold water! - Preheat the oven
I usually bake the chicken kabobs with the oven rack in the middle(ish) of the oven position. This is especially important if your kabobs have veggies so they don’t burn. - Make the kabobs
Thread the chicken and the seasoned veggies through the soaked skewers. - Bake the kabobs in the oven
Flipping them halfway through ensures that the chicken is cooked through and the veggies don’t burn just on one side. If you want grill-like tips, broil them for about 1 minute once they’re done cooking.
What Temperature to Bake Chicken Kabobs
I recommend baking chicken kabobs at 400F in the oven because this temperature is hot enough to cook the chicken in about 20 minutes and crisp up the veggies without burning them.
A hotter oven temperature doesn’t mean faster cooking. In fact, veggies will often burn and the chicken will dry out. At lower temperatures, the chicken will take a long time and the veggies will be rubber and burned.
How Long to Cook Chicken Skewers in the Oven
While I recommend baking skewers at 400F, if your veggies are small you could bake the kabobs at 375. Here is a chart for time and temperature for cooking chicken skewers in the oven:
| Chicken Size | Temp | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1-1.5″ cubes | 375F | 22-25min |
| 1-1.5″ cubes | 400F | 16-20min |
How to Know When Oven Chicken Kabobs are Done
Regardless of the cooking method, chicken is always done by measuring the internal temperature of the meat. Kabobs made with chicken breasts should reach an internal temperature of 165F and those made with chicken thighs should read 175F.
What to Serve with Oven Chicken Kabobs
The best part about oven kabobs is that in the 20 minutes it takes to cook them you can make a healthy side to serve with them. We enjoy these with oven corn on the cobb, cheddar mac and cheese, or an incredible black bean and avocado salsa.
Juicy Chicken Kabobs in the Oven
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken breasts, cubed
- 1 Epic chicken kabob marinade
- 8 oz button mushrooms, stems removed
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, whole
- 2 bell peppers, seeded and cut into chunks
- 1 red onion, ends trimmed, cut into wedges
- 2 large zucchinis, ends trimmed, sliced thick
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Wooden or metal skewers
Instructions
Prep:
- Make the marinade in a bowl or zip bag. Reserve 1 tablespoon of marinade for the veggies by placing it in another bowl or zip bag. Use my incredible lemon, garlic, and herb recipe linked above or your favorite.
- Marinate the chicken by combining cubed chicken breasts with most of the marinade in the bowl or zip bag. Marinate at room temperature for 20 minutes or refrigerate if you’re going to cook them later.
- Season the veggies in a bowl or zip bag with the 1 tablespoon of the marinade you set aside plus and additional tablespoon of olive oil. Toss to combine.
- Soak the wooden skewers in water while the chicken marinates and you assemble the kabobs.
- Preheat the oven to 400F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper or foil.
Assemble the chicken kabobs:
- Thread the chicken and the seasoned veggies through the soaked skewers, alternating ingredients as you go. Leave 1 inch of space on each end of the skewer, and place them directly on the prepared pan.
Bake:
- Bake the chicken kabobs in the preheated oven for 16 to 20 minutes, flipping them over with tongs halfway through cooking. When the chicken’s internal temperature reaches 165F, the kabobs are done. Remove them from the oven and serve. For toasty tips that resemble grill marks, broil the kabobs for 1 to 2 minutes under the broiler.
Gary Cousins says
Making these again tonight. I’m using chicken thighs rather than breasts which I thought dried out a bit, as well as marinating the meat for 8 hrs. I’m hoping to extend the cooking time by using the convection feature on the oven in order to simulate bbq effect.
Sam says
My husband normally grills these, but I tried the oven method and he was so happy he didn’t have to cook! These were delish