Quick and Easy Grilled Honey Lemon Chicken Skewers. Served over a delicate arugula & basil salad, this skewer and salad combo is perfect for weeknight dinners and summer entertaining!
Well hey there, friends!
I’m baaaaaaack!
I’m a year older (yes, I had a birthday) and I have a new address (we moved!), but I. Am. BACK!
…Cue some AC/DC Back in Black . Except I’m not wearing any black right now. Hello summer. It’s entirely too dang hot for black articles of clothing.
Anyways, did you miss me?!
I definitely missed you!
While I’ve been gone I certainly hope you’ve been enjoying your summer!
I feel like we have SO much to catch up on, but my little blog leave of absence was a far cry from a relaxing sabbatical. And I’m suuuuuper exhausted.
So, we are going to keep things short and sweet today…
But don’t worry, I’ll fill you in on all the deets of what’s going on over here at the SuBourbon Country Cottage 2.0 soon!
Until then, let’s FEAST!
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About this grilled honey lemon chicken skewer recipe
Also lovingly referred to as fancy pants skewers with salad.
Juicy, succulent cubes of chicken flavored with tart lemon, sweet honey, aromatic basil and smoky char from the grill. Served atop a bed of peppery arugula scattered with pungent shallots, salty grated pecorino cheese, crunchy pine nuts and herbaceous fresh basil.
These skewers are SO much more than just meat on a stick. The mix of the honey-lemon chicken with the fresh greens is a delicious, delicate dance of light summer flavors. It is HEAVENLY, friends.
PLUS, these skewers only require 20 minutes, or less, of hands on time! (Read: SUPER quick and easy!)
Basically, THIS is how you should summer.
Tips for the best honey lemon chicken skewers
- Chicken for skewers: You can use either chicken breasts or chicken thighs for these grilled honey lemon chicken skewers, just make sure you are using boneless, skinless chicken. Be sure to cut the chicken into cubes roughly 1 – 1 ½’’ in size. Chicken cut too small in size is prone to overcooking and drying out.
- Marinating chicken. When you marinate the chicken, make sure you marinate it for at least 30 minutes. However, since there is lemon juice in the marinade, do NOT marinate for any longer than 4 or 5 hours. The lemon juice will “cook” the meat, so if you marinate it too long the chicken will end up dry and mushy in texture.
- Wood skewers: If you are using wooden skewers for your kebobs, make sure you soak the skewers for at least 30 minutes in water to prevent them from burning on the grill!
Serving lemon chicken skewers
These lemony chicken skewers with peppery arugula are the perfect pairing! However, it’s made all the better with a sauce. I love serving this with a simple Greek yogurt dipping sauce made with a mixture of honey, dijon mustard, lemon juice, salt and pepper. However, it’s equally delicious with Alabama white sauce or avocado dressing!
Quick, easy and delightfully delicious, these Grilled Honey Lemon Chicken Skewers with Arugula & Basil Salad NEED to be a part of your summer line up!
Until Thursday, friends, cheers! To gussied up chicken on a stick.
XOXO
Cheyanne
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How to make Grilled Honey Lemon Chicken Skewers with Arugula & Basil Salad at home👇
Grilled Honey Lemon Chicken Skewers with Arugula & Basil Salad
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 1 ½ pounds Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts or Thighs – cut into 1 – 1 ½’’ cubes
- 1 large Lemon – Juice and Zest (approximately 1/4 cup juice and a scant TBS zest)
- 4 TBS Honey
- 3 TBS Olive Oil
- 2 cloves Garlic – peeled and thickly sliced
- 1 Cup + 2 TBS Fresh Basil divided (1 cup leaves and 2 TBS chiffonade)
Salad:
- 2 Cups Arugula packed
- 1 large Shallot – thinly sliced
- 1/3 Cup Pecorino Cheese – freshly grated or more to taste
- 2 TBS Pine Nuts
Optional Garnishes: Micro Greens, Grilled Lemon Wedges, Cherry Tomatoes
Instructions
- For the marinade: In a small non-reactive bowl whisk together the lemon juice, zest, honey, garlic and 2 tablespoons of basil. Place the cubed chicken into a large zip-closure bag and pour all but 2 tablespoons of the honey-lemon mixture over the chicken. Seal the bag and toss to coat. Transfer the bag to the refrigerator and let it marinate for at least 30 minutes. Set the remaining honey-lemon mixture aside (you will use this to brush on the chicken as it is grilling).
- Preheat grill to medium heat. Remove chicken from the bag and discard marinade. Thread the chicken onto skewers* and season generously with salt and pepper.
- Grill the skewers for 4-5 minutes on each side for a total of 8-10 minutes, or until cooked through, brushing occasionally with the reserved honey-lemon mixture.
- To Serve: In a large bowl toss together the arugula, remaining 1 cup of basil, shallot and cheese. Transfer to a platter and sprinkle with pine nuts. Top the salad with the skewers and serve with optional garnishes. Enjoy!
I hope your birthday was fabulous and the move was not too stressful! These skewers look fabulous! 🙂
You had me at ‘pungent; then add in some sweet and sour and I am so there. Happy belated birthday. Seems like you will now have a perfect gift of moving onto a new adventure.
Happy belated birthday, Chey!! Congrats on your new home! Enjoy the process
of adding your personal touch. These chicken skewers look DELICIOUS!! They are light, healthy, and and easy to make, a perfect summer dish! Yum!
I missed you Cheyanne! I hope you had a wonder-filled birthday because you deserve it. I totally missed you but I love that you took a nice break. I always need a vacation from my vacation I know that sounds horrible but it’s so true. I used to make chicken skewers for my exboyfriend and he went crazy for them. I’m going to forwards him this recipe, it’s easy enough for him to pull off. I’m so happy you are back. That salad looks delicious and healthy.
Happy birthday (and happy new addy)! I could definitely celebrate a special day with these skewers…but why wait for a special day? I am putting these on the menu for this week!!
Yay for birthdays and yay for moving down the street! I so excited to hear more about / come see your new digs (ahem nothing like inviting myself over again – at least this time I don’t need your kitchen lol)!!! And these skewers sound fantastic – loving that salad too!
Gussied up meat on a stick? Perfect for a summer’s eve! Sounds like you’ve been busy!
Happy (belated) Birthday! I hope you had a fantastic day, Cheyanne! How exciting that you moved! Although, I don’t envy all that packing and unpacking 😉 Can’t wait to hear the details! Anyway, these grilled honey lemon chicken skewers look FAB. I’m dying over that arugula and basil salad… cuz hello! I love both. Gotta try this!
Welcome back! Hope the move and birthday were both great (even though the moving process is never really that great!). I’d say this is a pretty damn delicious recipe to come back with – i’m always in need of more chicken recipes, and that arugula basil salad is literally PERFECTION. I could eat this meal on repeat. Have a great week!
I can’t wait to hear all about it!! This marinade makes my mouth water and the pecorino and pine nuts in the salad…sign me up!! I love summer time meals like this! Pinned. Take care.
So glad to have you back! Hope you had a great birthday and can’t wait to hear the details of your new house! And yay for chicken skewers! I love everything about this…that honey lemon flavor is calling my name, as is that salad! so perfect for the summer! Pinned! Happy Monday!
A very Happy Birthday Chey. Welcome back, you have been missed. 🙂 These grilled honey lemon chicken skewers look so pretty and delish. And I just love how beautifully you have paired it with arugula basil salad. I am sure my chicken loving family would go gaga over this. This is gonna make a light, easy and quick summer meal. Yum.
I hope you had a happy, happy birthday my friend! And I can’t wait to hear all about the new house – so fun! But I bet you are exhausted… hopefully you’re settled enough to be dining on all the delicious eats, like this gorgeous skewer-salad combo! YUM! Definitely perfect for summer eats! Have a great week! XO
I knew, I knew! When you mentioned a few posts back that there would be news shortly, I assumed you were going to change the address. Well, I was joking, but my prediction worked well:) Wait, there are my manners? Chey is back, Chey is back (dancing). Importantly, Chey has brought a delightful summer recipe. This chicken looks and sounds seriously delicious!
I knew, I knew! When you mentioned a few posts back that there would be news shortly, I assumed you were going to change the address. Well, I was joking, but my prediction worked well:) Wait, there are my manners? Chey is back, Chey is back (dancing). Importantly, Chey has brought a delightful summer recipe. This chicken looks and sounds seriously delicious!
I knew, I knew! When you mentioned a few posts back that there would be news shortly, I assumed you were going to change the address. Well, I was joking, but my prediction worked well:) Wait, there are my manners? Chey is back, Chey is back (dancing). Welcome back! Importantly, Chey has brought a delightful summer recipe. This chicken looks and sounds seriously delicious! P.S. Happy belated birthday!
Congratulations! Happy Birthday! And Welcome Back! You were definitely missed! Okay – I love this recipe!! 🙂 Summer on a platter! I love how bright and fresh this dish is! Between the arugula and basil, I’d be singing through the entire meal! This will definitely be happening this weekend! Cheers, my dear! XOXO
OK, ignore me if I’m commenting multiple times but my computer is being weird so I can’t tell if my last one went through. But YAAAAAYYYYY! You’re back! I hope your move went smoothly and I can’t wait to hear more about your new house! LOVE this dinner, Chey! Anything to make my life easier this time of year is great with me :). Have a fabulous week, my dear!
Happy belated birthday and congrats on being done with your move! Or being moved in…I’m sure there’s entirely too much organizing left to do. Moving is hard!
I live for grilling in the summer and kebabs are always so fun. This looks so fresh and light which is exactly the way I want to eat right now!
YAAAAAY Cheyanne! I’m so glad you’re back! I can’t wait to hear all about your new house :). I hope the move went smoothly! I’m loving how simple this dinner is. Anything to make meals quick this time of year is great with me! Have a lovely week!
Congrats on the move and your birthday, Cheyanne! Moving is so exhausting – this look the perfect quick meal to make while you’re trying to figure out which box holds that missing illusive item (at my last move that was the corkscrew!). Have a great week!
Woo hoo to gussied up meat on a stick 😉 I don’t know what I would love to dig in first – the skewers or that salad! And you really can’t beat quick, healthy meals like this during the summer (or any time for that matter). All those ingredients work so well together too; it’s like all my favourite things in one! Like a little party for ma taste buds, lol 😀 Pinning!
You’ve had a busy couple of weeks, that’s for sure, but super exciting! I’m sure that you will fill us in when you catch a breath real soon on the Subourbon Country Cottage 2.0 😉 Can’t wait!
Have a great week, girl! XO
Welcome back Chey! I hope the move went well! Happy belated birthday too! I can’t wait to try these skewers for guests at the beach. I think Tom can even help with this recipe! I can make the salad and he can be in charge of the marinade and the grilling! Have a great week!
Welcome back Chey!! Hope the move went well! These skewers look fabulous. I’ll definitely be giving these a try for our summer guests at the beach. I think Tom can even manage this recipe. So I’ll make the salad and he can do the marinade and grilling! Hope you have a great week!
Belated Happy Birthday and congratulations on your new home, too! You have been busy, so I’m thrilled you had time to share these awesome chicken skewers with me, because I’m totally making and sharing these 🙂
Why is your arugula salad looks so GOOD while mine is just shabby? Those grilled lemon slices make such a nice garnish. This is a perfect meal for those hot summer days.