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Grilled Chicken Kabobs with Vegetables are perfect for a low-carb summer meal and they’re easy-to-make and delicious! You can vary the vegetables based on what you your family prefers, and this recipe is also gluten-free and dairy-free.
PIN the grilled chicken kabobs to try them later!
These favorite Grilled Chicken Kabobs with Vegetables are the chicken kabobs I made so often when I used to cater houseboat trips on beautiful Lake Powell in Southern Utah, and kabobs were always a hit on the houseboat. They’re made with a flavorful marinade using dried herbs and other ingredients you probably always have on hand.
For years this recipe was back in the archives with a photo that wasn’t really showing off how delicious these chicken kabobs are, and although I struggled a bit with the new photos, they’re a big improvement. And I think this is perfect for an inexpensive summer dinner that’s sure to impress; I hope you enjoy making them!
And leftover chicken and veggies is delicious reheated, so if you have enough skewers I wouldn’t hesitate to double the recipe so you’ll have leftovers!
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
Tips for making Grilled Chicken Kabobs with Vegetables:
These grilled chicken kabobs aren’t difficult to make, but it’s important to cut the food in same-size pieces so it will cook evenly. The other thing that can be tricky is putting the ingredients on the skewers tightly enough that food doesn’t “spin” around when you turn the kabobs on the grill. If you’re lucky enough to have Double Kabob Skewers (affiliate link) or flatter and wider Blade-Type Skewers (affiliate link) like I used, that eliminates the problem of spinning.
How long do you marinate the chicken for Grilled Chicken Kabobs?
In this recipe I’m recommending a minimum marinating time of at least four hours for the chicken. But if you can marinate even longer, even marinating overnight to cook the chicken the following evening, that will only make the flavor better. No matter how long you’re able to marinate your chicken, don’t add the vegetables to the marinating chicken until 1-2 hours before you’re going to cook.
What other vegetables could you use for Grilled Chicken Kabobs?
Besides the red onion, red bell pepper, and zucchini in this recipe you could also use other summer vegetables like eggplant, yellow summer squash, patty pan squash, and sweet onion. Other vegetables that can work include brown Cremini mushrooms and large cherry tomatoes, although those will get quite soft by the time the chicken is cooked.
How can you use the leftover chicken and vegetables from these kabobs?
I love the leftovers from this recipe. In fact, I had leftover chicken and vegetables when we made this to take new photos and I cut them into smaller pieces, heated a tiny bit of olive oil in a pan, and cooked the chicken and veggies until they were hot. I just ate that on a plate, but it would also be delicious inside low-carb pitas or tortillas. And if you don’t want to bother with reheating, I think the leftover chicken and vegetables is also delicious eaten cold on a salad.
How to make Grilled Chicken Kabobs with Vegetables:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- Trim chicken breasts, and cut into same-size cubes about 2 inches square.
- Mix the olive oil, lemon juice, black pepper, Spike Seasoning, pureed garlic, dried basil, dried oregano, dried sage, and onion powder to make the marinade.
- I’d never make this without Spike Seasoning (affiliate link), but if you don’t have that just use the same amount of another all-purpose seasoning blend.
- Put the chicken in a large Ziploc bag and add marinade.
- Marinate in refrigerator at least 4 hours
- Prep onions, red bell pepper, and zucchini and cut each into pieces that are two inches square.
- Put chunks of red pepper, red onion, and zucchini (if using) in a container and refrigerate while the chicken marinates.
- About 1-2 hours before you want to cook, add vegetables to the bag and continue to marinate.
- When you want to assemble kabobs, drain the chicken and veggies and let ingredients come to room temperature.
- Spray the grill with nonstick spray or brush with a high smoke point oil, and preheat grill to high. (If you’re using a charcoal grill that can’t be turned down, I’d start cooking when the heat is medium-high.)
- Thread ingredients onto kabob skewers, pressing tightly together.
- Put kabobs on the grill and turn grill down to medium-high.
- Turn kabobs when you see grill marks on each side, cooking about 3-4 minutes per side or a total cooking time of about 12-16 minutes. I didn’t take a photo of all four sides, and that third photo shows how why you need to turn to all sides, it just got turned and hadn’t started getting browned yet!
- Kabobs are done when chicken feels firm (not hard) to the touch and veggies are lightly browned.
- Serve hot.
Make it a Low-Carb Meal
The grilled chicken kabobs would taste great with Middle Eastern Tomato Salad, Fattoush Lebanese Salad, Asian Cucumber Salad, Al’s Famous Hungarian Cucumber Salad, or Tomato and Cucumber Salad with Mint and Feta for a low-carb meal. If you don’t mind a few carbs or have family members who want them, I’d love this served with Greek Lemon Rice.
More Tasty Kabobs with Chicken:
Ingredients
- 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts (see notes)
- 1 large red bell pepper
- 1 large red onion
- 1 medium zucchini
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 3 T fresh-squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp. fresh-ground black pepper (or less)
- 2 tsp. Spike Seasoning
- 1 T pureed or minced garlic
- 2 tsp. dried basil
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp. dried sage
- 1 tsp. onion powder.
Instructions
- Trim chicken breasts, and cut the chicken into same-size cubes about 2 inches square.
- Mix the olive oil, lemon juice, black pepper, Spike Seasoning, pureed garlic, dried basil, dried oregano, dried sage, and onion powder to make the marinade.
- Put the chicken in a large Ziploc bag and pour in the marinade and seal the bag
- Marinate the chicken in the refrigerator at least 4 hours. (If you can marinate it longer, that will only improve the flavor. I like to marinate overnight and cook chicken later the next day.)
- Peel onion and cut into pieces about 2 inches square. Cut ends off red pepper, remove seeds, and cut the pepper into pieces about 2 inches square. If you’re using zucchini, cut off ends, cut in half lengthwise, and then cut pieces that are 2 inches wide
- Put chunks of red pepper, red onion, and zucchini (if using) into a container and store in refrigerator while the chicken marinates
- About 1-2 hours before you want to cook the kabobs, add the vegetables to the bag with the chicken and continue to marinate in refrigerator
- When you want to assemble kabobs, drain the chicken and veggies and let ingredients come to room temperature.
- Spray the grill with nonstick spray or brush with a high smoke point oil, and preheat grill to high while you assemble the kabobs. (If you’re using a charcoal grill that can’t be turned down, I’d start cooking kabobs when the heat has reached medium-high.)
- To assemble kabobs, first we laid them out on the cutting board evenly divided into four rows so all our kabobs would be the same. (You might actually prefer to vary them if some family members prefer certain ingredients.) Thread ingredients onto kabob skewers, pressing tightly together.
- Put kabobs on the grill and turn grill down to medium-high.
- Turn kabobs when you see grill marks, cooking about 3-4 minutes on each side or a total cooking time of about 12-16 minutes. (Cooking the kabobs on all four sides is definitely easier if all your pieces are the same size, otherwise they want stay up on all the sides.
- Kabobs are done when chicken feels firm (not hard) to the touch and veggies are lightly browned
- Serve hot.
Notes
I used about 18 ounces of chicken breasts to make four kabobs.
This recipe was a favorite at Powell back in the days when Kalyn was young, lean, and well-tanned and was catering houseboat trips!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4
Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 379Total Fat: 30gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 24gCholesterol: 51mgSodium: 809mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 2gSugar: 4gProtein: 20g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This recipe for Grilled Chicken Kabobs with Vegetables is perfect for low-carb or Keto diets, or any phase of the original South Beach Diet. The recipe is also gluten-free and dairy free!
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Grilling to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
These kabobs with chicken and vegetables were something I made often back in the days when I catered houseboat trips at Utah’s Lake Powell. They were first posted in 2006, without a single photo at first. The photos were improved in 2013 and again in 2023 and the recipe was updated with the option to add zucchini.
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