Quick and Easy Grilled Honey Lemon Chicken Skewers. Served over a delicate salad of arugula and basil, this skewer and salad combo is perfect for weeknight dinners and summer entertaining!
Make the honey lemon marinade: In a large zip-closure storage bag, whisk together the lemon juice, zest, honey, garlic and 2 tablespoons of basil. Remove 2 tablespoons of the marinade and set aside to use later as a glaze.
Marinate the chicken: Place the cubed chicken into bag with the marinade, press out the air, and seal the bag. Toss the chicken well to coat in the marinade. Then, transfer the bag to the refrigerator and let the chicken marinate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 5 hours.
Preheat grill and prepare chicken for grilling: Preheat your grill to medium heat. Remove chicken from the bag and discard marinade. Thread the chicken onto skewers and season generously with salt and pepper. (SEE NOTES)
Grill chicken: Placethe chicken skewers onto the hot grill and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side for a total of 8-10 minutes, or until cooked through. During the last few minutes of grilling, use a pastry brush to brush the reserved honey lemon sauce all over the chicken.
To Serve: Transfer the hot honey lemon chicken skewers to a serving platter and garnish with fresh lemon zest, basil, and lemon wedges, if using. Enjoy immediately.
Notes
Chicken: You can use either chicken breasts or chicken thighs for these 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: Make sure you marinate it for at least 30 minutes, but since there is lemon juice in the marinade, do NOT marinate for 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)
Skewers: If you are using wooden skewers, make sure you soak the skewers for at least 30 minutes in water to prevent them from burning on the grill!
Chicken is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F and the juices run clear.
Dipping Sauce Option: I am a big fan of dipping sauces so I served my skewers with a simple lemony yogurt sauce for dipping. I mix Greek yogurt with honey, Dijon, lemon juice, salt and pepper – all to taste.
Nutritional information is an estimate based upon 4 servings. Exact information will depend upon the brands of ingredients and precise measurements used.