There is nothing more delicious during grilling season than chicken kebabs. These Mediterranean Grilled Chicken Skewers are full of juicy chicken marinated in a yogurt-feta marinade, sweet grape tomatoes and red onions. The tangy cool dipping sauce is the finishing touch to these Greek chicken kabobs! Grilling time is 10-15 minutes.
Grilling chicken kabobs is a perfect summer meal. This chicken kabobs recipes uses an amazing marinade the doubles as a sauce. It's been slimmed down still delivering that tangy Mediterranean flavors perfect for hot summer days.
The chicken kabobs recipe with colorful vegetables can be pulled together at the last minute and marinated as little as 30 minutes. That makes these chicken shish kabobs easy to whip up on a weeknight. Serve them with our Mediterranean shrimp for a light and satisfying feast!
You can make these on a gas grill, charcoal grill or even on an indoor grill if you don't want to use an outdoor grill. We have Expert Tips to make sure you chicken kabob recipe comes out perfectly every time.
Like our Lebanese chicken skewers this is an easy chicken recipe to add to your grilling recipes.
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What makes this skinny?
Using non-fat Greek yogurt and fat-free feta cheese. This reduces the calories significantly. One cup of non-fat plain Greek yogurt has 120 calories whereas one cup of plain whole fat Greek yogurt has 230 calories. One ounce of feta cheese has 75 calories versus 35 calories for fat-free feta cheese.
Only 2 tablespoons of oil are used for the marinade/sauce. Usually chicken marinade will have more vegetable oil. Because of the tenderizing quality of the yogurt more oil is not needed to get the end results.
Lean chicken breast is used. A great lean protein and it stays moist when grilling due to the marinade. And grilling over medium heat.
Recipe Ingredients Notes
Non-fat plain Greek yogurt. We prefer Chobani brand for its flavor and texture though any non-fat plain Greek yogurt can be used.
Fat-free feta cheese. This has all the flavor of full fat feta cheese but half the calories. You'll need 3 ounces or ¾ cup. You can purchase crumbles or a block as it will go into the blender.
Boneless skinless chicken breasts. You'll need 1 pound cut into bite-size pieces (1 to 2-inch cubes).
Grape tomatoes. These will grill on the skewers and are small and sweet. If desired cherry tomatoes can be substituted.
Red onion. This will also be cut into 1-inch pieces to go onto the skewers.
How to make Grilled Chicken Skewers
Printable recipe card at the end of the blog post.
STEP 1. Make the yogurt marinade/sauce
In a blender combine the Greek yogurt, feta cheese, garlic clove, lemon juice, basil, and olive oil (photos 1-2). Blend until smooth.
STEP 2. Marinate the chicken
Combine ¼ cup of the sauce with Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, kosher salt and paprika (photo 3). Stir to combine.
Add the cubed chicken to a gallon Ziploc bag along yogurt marinade you just mixed (photo 4 - shown here in a bowl for easier viewing). Force as much air out of the bag as possible and seal. From the outside of the bag, massage the chicken kabob marinade to coat the chicken. If the chicken is not fully coated (it does not have to be a thick coating) add a bit more of the yogurt marinade.
Place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 30 minutes and not longer than 8 hours.
Seal and refrigerate the remaining sauce.
STEP 3. Assemble the skewers
Thread the chicken, grape tomatoes and onions onto skewers (metal skewers or sturdy bamboo skewers), alternating ingredients leaving about 3 inches at the blunt end. Discard the chicken marinade and bag (photos 5-6).
Allow a little bit of space between ingredients if possible. This should make 7 regular length skewers each with 4-5 pieces of chicken.
Spritz lightly with olive oil spray.
STEP 4. Grill
While heating the grill take the remaining yogurt sauce out of the refrigerator and allow it to warm to room temperature.
Heat the grill to medium heat (around 350 degrees). Use a grill brush to scrape off any food residue from the hot grill grates. Oil the grates well.
Place skewers on the grill (photo 7) with a strip of foil underneath the end of the skewers if using bamboo skewers.
Close the lid and allow chicken kabobs to cook 10-15 minutes, rotating them on each side during the cooking (2-3 minutes a side).
The chicken should register 165 degrees F internal temperature, have no pink color in the middle before removing all the skewers from these grill. You'll have nice grill marks too (photo 8)!
Serve immediately with yogurt sauce for dipping.
Expert Tips for Grilling Kabobs
Use flat skewers. The biggest issue with grilling skewers or kebabs is the ingredients spin on the skewer as you rotate them on the grill. There are two solutions for this. Use flat skewers or double skewer. With this recipe having smaller ingredients makes double skewering not possible. If you have flat skewers those are the best to allow the kebobs to cook on all sides without the ingredients moving.
Turn with tongs. Rather than rotating grilling chicken skewers with a gloved hand use tongs. This makes it easier to turn the entire skewer over minimizing rotating ingredients (ensures even cooking of the ingredients).
Use a homemade grill guard. If using bamboo skewers you don't need to soak them. Take a long piece of foil, fold in half lengthwise and place it on the front edge of the prepared grill. When adding the chicken skewers ensure the blunt end with no ingredients is sitting above the foil. Then the skewers won't burn and no soaking time is required.
Don't cram the ingredients together on the skewer. Giving a bit of space between ingredients allows them to cook better on the grill.
Do not reuse the marinade. Once raw meat has been in marinade ingredients I should not be used again. After removing the chicken pieces discard the bag of marinade.
How to store leftovers
Remove the contents from the skewers and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Store the sauce separately (any sauce that hasn't already been used for dipping) in a jar with lid in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yogurt acts to tenderize the chicken. Acidic and citrus based marinades can toughen chicken especially if it marinates too long. Yogurt gives it a wonderful consistency and keeps it moist when grilling.
No! Experiments have shown soaked bamboo skewers and soaked bamboo skewers catch fire in the same amount of time. Instead we use a homemade grill guard. Simply take a long piece of heavy foil folded in half lengthwise and place it on the front end of the grill. When adding the skewers to the grill place them so the exposed blunt end is over the foil. No burning!
If you’re prepping the chicken and sauce ahead of time you can marinate the chicken for up to 8 hours, but no more than 8 hours.
Yes, you can achieve a similar result with Italian Parsley. While the flavor will be entirely different, dill is delicious, and so is cilantro. Swap any of these at a 1:1 ratio!
For this recipe I like to use a blend of apple, pecan, and hickory. This will infuse a nice, sweet, smoky-flavor. If you’re using a pellet grill, just be sure to open the vent and use the grill as a traditional “grill” rather than a smoker.
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Recipe
Mediterranean Grilled Chicken Skewers
Ingredients
Yogurt sauce and marinade
- 1 cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt we use Chobani brand
- ¾ cup fat-free feta cheese crumble reduced fat could also be used
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Mediterranean chicken
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-size cubes
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Kabob ingredients
- 1 cup grape tomatoes rinsed
- 1 small red onion cut into 1-inch pieces
Instructions
- In a blender combine the Greek yogurt, feta cheese, garlic clove, lemon juice, basil, and olive oil. Blend until smooth.
- Combine ¼ cup of the sauce with Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, kosher salt and paprika. Stir to combine.
- Add the cubed chicken to a gallon Ziploc bag along yogurt marinade you just mixed. Force as much air out of the bag as possible and seal. From the outside of the bag, massage the chicken kabob marinade to coat the chicken.
- Place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 30 minutes and not longer than 8 hours.
- Seal and refrigerate the remaining sauce.
When ready to grill....
- Thread the chicken, grape tomatoes and onions onto 7 skewers (metal skewers or sturdy bamboo skewers), alternating ingredients leaving about 3 inches at the blunt end if using bamboo or wooden skewers. Allow a little bit of space between ingredients if possible. This should make 7 regular length skewers each with 4-5 pieces of chicken.
- Discard the marinade and Ziploc bag.
- Spritz the skewers lightly with olive oil spray.
Grill
- Heat the grill to medium heat (around 350 degrees). Use a grill brush to scrape off any food residue from the hot grill grates. Oil the grates well.
- While heating the grill take the remaining yogurt sauce out of the refrigerator and allow it to warm to room temperature.
- Place skewers on the grill with a strip of foil underneath the exposed blunt end of the skewers if using bamboo skewers.
- Close the lid and allow chicken kabobs to cook 10-15 minutes, rotating them on each side during the cooking (2-3 minutes a side).
- The chicken should register 165 degrees F internal temperature, have no pink color in the middle before removing all the skewers from these grill. You'll have nice grill marks too!
- Serve immediately with yogurt sauce for dipping.
Notes
- 6-7 skewers
- 1 ¼ cups sauce/marinade. One cup of the sauce will be left for dipping.
- The nutrition facts and WW Personal Points equal 1 skewer and 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon dipping sauce per serving. You may choose to eat more but this is the basis for the calculations.
Alane says
We loved it!
Thank you Toni, for another keeper!
Toni Dash says
So glad you liked them!
Gigi says
This was amazingly delicious and satisfying. We loved every bite.
Jennie says
I grilled up these skewers on the grill tonight! Absolutely delicious. Everyone asked for seconds.
Liz says
This chicken was so tender, flavorful and delicious!! I'll be making these skewers again very soon!!!
Sara says
These had so much flavor! Served them over some mixed greens with kalamata olives and it was the perfect meal!
Mairead says
I love preparing meals on my grill during the hot summer months, so this recipe is a keeper for me. Thanks for the tip to leave a little space between the ingredients on the skewer to help with cooking.
Dana says
I absolutely LOVE these. We had them with some basmati rice and tzatziki and it was such a wonderfully refreshing dinner! Definitely going to make these again.
Paula K says
Simply delicious! We loved this marinade so much. I will definitely make these again.
GUNJAN says
Came out so flavorful and juicy with being well cooked from inside. Perfectly written recipe.