Making healthy and delicious oven-baked chicken kabobs in your home kitchen couldn’t be easier. Forget the take-out and use our simple recipe to make flavorful chicken kebabs that will rival your favorite Middle-Eastern restaurant.
And you don’t need a grill or a grill pan to make them!
Made with simple ingredients, our Indian-inspired seasonings add a depth of flavor to the oven-baked chicken kabobs that will tantalize your taste buds.
Our homemade Riata sauce is the perfect accompaniment for our delightfully seasoned, juicy chicken kabobs. The Greek yogurt in the sauce, along with the cucumbers, has a cooling effect that compliments the seasonings.
Our flavorful chicken kabobs are guaranteed to become a family favorite. It’s one of my favorite easy chicken recipes that I never get tired of making or eating.
I like to set up the skewers the night before for those busy weeknight dinners that seem to come more often than I would like. And with the foil-lined pan, clean-up is a breeze!
If you enjoyed our oven-baked chicken skewers, make sure to try our beef kofta kabobs and shrimp and pineapple skewers!
Ingredients to make Chicken Kabobs
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make our easy Chicken Kabob recipe. In Chef Speak, this is called the Mise en Place, which translates into Everything in its Place.
Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed the cooking process, but it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
Can I change up the chicken kabobs recipe?
Absolutely. If Indian seasonings aren’t your favorite or you just want to change up the recipe, you can use any of your favorite seasonings to make the recipe. For the less adventurous palate, keep it simple with onion powder, garlic powder, sweet paprika, salt, and black pepper. For a touch of heat, add a little cayenne pepper.
You can also use premade seasonings. Lemon pepper, cajun seasoning, Italian seasoning, jerk seasoning, and taco seasoning are great options.
You can also make a chicken kabob marinade to suit your taste preference. Soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, honey, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic cloves, and fresh herbs can be used as marinade ingredients.
We used boneless skinless chicken breasts to make the recipe, but you can also use boneless skinless chicken thighs. The dark meat will actually be more juicy and flavorful. This recipe will also work with beef, pork, and seafood.
For vegetable kabobs, leave out the protein and add other vegetables. Cherry tomatoes, zucchini, broccoli, and mushrooms would make good additions.
How to make Chicken Kabobs
- Remove the chicken from the refrigerator 15 minutes before preparing to let it begin to come to room temperature.
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
- Line a sheet pan (or rimmed baking sheet) with aluminum foil (or parchment paper); place a wire rack on top of the foil-lined baking sheet, then spray with cooking spray. Set aside until needed.
*The foil will make for an easy clean up.
- Add the smoked paprika, cumin, turmeric, coriander, black pepper, and sea salt to a small bowl.
- Mix the seasonings together until well blended.
- Slice the peppers into 1 ½ – 2” wide pieces and slice the red onion in half and then half again, cutting it into quarters.
- Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel, then slice it into 1” – 1 ½” pieces.
- Add the prepared chicken, onion, and bell pepper into a large bowl
- Drizzle olive oil over the fresh veggies and raw chicken pieces. Toss to get a good coating on them. Then, sprinkle half of the dry seasoning blend over the pieces of chicken and vegetables and toss to combine.
- Add the remaining seasoning mixture and toss again to get a good coating on them.
*Let the mixture sit for at least 30 minutes before cooking to marinate in the seasonings. If you have time, let them sit for 4 -8 hours before cooking. - To assemble the chicken kabobs, start with a piece of bell pepper, then a piece of chicken, followed by a piece of red onions. Continue the process until the skewer is complete.
*The chicken kebabs should have about 5-6 pieces of chicken on each skewer. - Place the finished skewers on the wire rack and repeat the process until completed.
*If you have leftover onions and peppers, put them on the baking sheet and cook them along with the kabobs. - Place the baking sheet on the top rack of your preheated 400-degree oven and bake for 20 – 25 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees F.
*If you don’t use a wire rack, turn the skewers over halfway through the cooking process. - Remove the chicken kebabs from the oven and let them rest for 5 minutes before serving.
We used metal skewers to make the chicken kabobs, but you can also use wooden skewers or bamboo skewers.
Serve our delicious chicken kabobs with our homemade Riata sauce, pita bread, or nann bread, along with your favorite rice or grain.
Leftovers should be stored refrigerated in an airtight container or well covered with plastic wrap or aluminum foil for 2-3 days. They can be frozen, but it’s not recommended.
Recipe FAQ’s
Absolutely. When grilling, it’s recommended that the wooded skewers be soaked in water for 30 minutes before use.
You should be alright without soaking at 400 degrees for 25 minutes, but it definitely won’t hurt if you’d rather not take the chance.
At higher temperatures, such as 425F-450F, skewers tend to burn faster, and they do need to be soaked prior to use.
Yes, you can. Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F.
Place the skewers in the preheated air fryer and cook for 10-12 minutes, turning halfway through, until seared on the outside and tender on the inside.
The internal temperature of the chicken needs to be at least 165 degrees before serving.
Absolutely. They can be made up to 24 hours in advance. Keep them well covered until ready to cook. Remove them from the refrigerator and let them sit at room for 30 minutes before cooking.
Of course. They can be cooked on a gas or charcoal grill or a grill pan on the range. Cooking time on an outdoor grill will be 15-20 minutes.
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Chicken Kabobs Recipe
Equipment
- skewers
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lb chicken breasts boneless, skinless cut into chunks or boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 medium bell peppers
- 1 large red onion
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika or sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper or ¼ teaspoon regular black pepper
- ½ teaspoon coriander
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
Instructions
- Remove the chicken from the refrigerator 15 minutes before preparing to let it begin to come to room temperature.
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
- Slice the peppers into 1 ½ – 2” wide pieces
- Slice the onion in half and then half again cutting it into quarters.
- Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel, then slice it into 1” – 1 ½” pieces.
- Add the smoked paprika, cumin, turmeric, coriander, black pepper, and sea salt to a small bowl. Mix together until well blended.
- Add the prepared chicken, onion, and bell pepper into a large bowl
- Drizzle olive oil over the vegetables and chicken. Toss to get a good coating on them.
- Pour half of the dry seasoning blend over the chicken and vegetables and toss to combine. Then add the remaining seasoning mixture and toss again to get a good coating on them.
- Let the mixture sit for at least 30 minutes before cooking to marinate in the seasonings. If you have time, let them sit for 4 -8 hours before cooking.
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil (or parchment paper); place a wire rack on top of the foil-lined baking sheet, then spray with cooking spray
- To assemble the chicken kabobs, start with a piece of bell pepper, then a piece of chicken, followed by a piece of onion. Continue the process until the skewer is full.*Build the kabobs so that each piece of chicken is between a pepper and an onion to give it a well-balanced flavor profile. Each kabob should have about 5-6 pieces of chicken.
- Place the finished skewers on the wire rack and repeat the process until completed.
- If you have leftover onions and peppers, put them on the baking sheet and cook them along with the kabobs.
- Place the baking sheet on the top rack of your preheated 400-degree oven and bake for 20 – 25 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. If you don't use a wire rack, turn the skewers over halfway through the cooking process.
- Remove the chicken skewers from the oven and let them rest for 5 minutes before serving.
- Serve with Riata sauce which compliments the seasoning blend, pita bread or nann bread.
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