Fire up your grill and turn your favorite barbecue chicken into BBQ Chicken Kebabs! Tender, juicy, spice rubbed BBQ chicken skewers smothered in sweet and tangy barbecue sauce will be a new family and company favorite!
Barbecue Sauce. I can’t think of a more beloved all American sauce. It makes everything better. Whether smothering Ribs (a must try), steak taquitos (my very first post!), pork, chicken wings, chicken tenderloins, or any kind of chicken, its sweet and tangy sauciness moistens and infuses every bite with lip smacking deliciousness.
So naturally, in order to create the best barbecue chicken with the most surface area to be coated in an intoxicating spice blend including smoked paprika, brown sugar, and chili powder then smothered in spell bounding homemade barbecue sauce, I chose to create barbecue chicken shish kebabs (small pieces of meat grilled on a skewer).
These chicken skewers are my go to grill recipe because not only are they delish, they don’t require any marinating, simply coating them with a little olive oil, then spices. Once grilled (or broiled) for 8-10 minutes, the tender spiced morsels are brushed with barbecue sauce so the barbecue sauce caramelizes and becomes even more delicious.
Now I am sure you have your favorite barbecue sauce, but I implore you to give this homemade version a try. Its a super simple whisking of reserved spices from your Chicken Rub with ketchup, brown sugar, molasses, cider vinegar, Dijon and butter for extra silkiness. You will fall in love.
And once you brush it on all over your barbecue chicken kebabs, you will stay in love forever with BBQ Chicken Kebabs. forever and forever.
Looking for more summer recipes?
- Slow Cooker Barbecue Ribs
- Pineapple Peanut Thai Chicken Satay
- Berry Salad in Mascarpone
- Teriyaki Chicken Tacos with Grilled Pineapple Pear Salsa
- Chipotle BBQ Chicken Salad with Tomatillo Avocado Ranch
- Strawberry Broccoli Salad with Creamy Poppy Seed Dressing
- Mini Strawberry Pies with Sugar Cookie Crust
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BBQ Chicken Kebabs
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Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken breasts (4-6 breasts) chopped into bite size pieces
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Chicken Rub
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
BBQ Sauce
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons molasses
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon reserved Spices (in directions)
Instructions
- If using wooden skewers, soak for at least 30 minutes in water before grilling or broiling.
- Mix all of the Chicken Rub Ingredients together in a small bowl. Remove 1 teaspoon spices to a small saucepan for the Barbecue Sauce.
- Add chicken to large bowl and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil; toss evenly to coat. Add Chicken Rub and toss evenly to coat. Thread chicken onto skewers. Set aside.
- To the small saucepan with the 1 teaspoon spices, add all of the BBQ Sauce ingredients and heat over medium heat until butter is melted and sauce is heated through.
- TO GRILL: Generously grease grill and heat to medium-high heat. Grill chicken for approximately 8-10 minutes, rotating every couple minutes until nicely browned and slightly charred on each side and chicken is cooked through.
- Brush tops of chicken with barbecue sauce, flip and cook for about one minute then brush top side of chicken, flip and cook for one minute. Serve with remaining barbecue sauce.
- TO OVEN BROIL: Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray. Add the skewers in a single layer and broil, turning every 5 minutes until cooked through, about 10- 15 minutes depending on thickness of chicken. Brush cooked chicken with BBQ Sauce and broil 1-2 minutes to caramelize. Serve with remaining barbecue sauce.
Notes
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Dorothy Dunton says
Hi Jen! My mouth is crying again! We have some fresh sweetcorn (not from our garden as it’s too early) and fresh asparagus from our garden and I think they would go nicely with this chicken! This recipe wold also be good using pork tenderloin. Kevin and Nagi are calling this afternoon, I am SO excited!
Jen says
I LOVE sweet corn – and I can only imagine how much more delicious it is from your own garden! I hope you enjoy corn with this recipe when its ready 🙂 and oh my goodness, that is AWESOME Nagi and Kevin are calling you this afternoon – so fun! I dropped Nagi off at Kevin’s on Monday and was so sad to say goodbye – such wonderful and talented people. Hope you had a blast chatting it up! xo
Dorothy Dunton says
Hi Jen! I had an amazing conversation with Kevin and Nagi (Dave piped in a couple of times too)! Yes, they are such GOOD people! Down to earth, honest people, just like you! 🙂
Jen says
YAY, I am so glad you had such a wonderful call with them- we all love you so much and the light you bring to our lives! xo
Kevin | Keviniscooking says
These look mouthwatering Jenn. My favorite BBQ sauce is from Loveless Cafe in Nashville and I order it online. So good – sweet, tangy and spicy all in one. Need to try this one! Great seeing you the other day, too.
Jen says
So great seeing you last week Kevin! I hope you had a blast with Nagi – so much talent in one house! and it was great meeting your dogs too 🙂 I am so intrigued about your favorite BBQ Sauce you order special online – I am going to have to check it out – there is nothing like a favorite BBQ Sauce!
Julie says
Made these tonight and they were delicious! Thanks for a simple and yummy recipe to add to my list of keepers.
Jen says
Hi Julie, I’m so happy you found this simple and delicious – win, win! Thank you so much!!
Kara says
The general consensus around the dinner table — a perfect 10!!!! These were fabulous! Thanks for another scrumptious recipe!
Jen says
YES! its hard to get a perfect 10 from everyone -thank you Kara! I am thrilled these were such a hit!
Sharon says
These look delicious…just wondering if they are too spicy for children. If so, any other recommendations for the rub? Thanks.
Jen says
Hi Sharon, I don’t think the rub i s too spicy for children but if they are extra sensitive the you could use only 1/2 teaspoon chili powder. Hope that helps, enjoy!
Kendrick says
Hey Jen,
Great recipe. It looks so delicious and so easy to make. I think I will try to cook it tomorrow.
Thank You!
Jen says
You are so welcome! Enjoy!
Alyssa says
Hello! I’m looking to make these this weekend for a bbq lunch. There will be 4 of us. I’m curious how many kabobs this recipe makes? I see it says serving size is 6. Is that 1 kabob per person? Thank you!
Jen says
Hi Alyssa, sorry for the delay as I’ve been traveling. This recipe makes 4-6 kabobs depending on the size of the skewer (I have extra long ones so it makes 4 for me). I think one recipe of this should be perfect for 4 people. You could also make some kabobs of just veggies or add some zucchini/onions/peppers to the kabobs tossed in a little olive oil and salt and pepper as well in order to stretch the kabobs. Have fun!
Anya says
What temperature should I use when oven broiling?
Jen says
Anywhere from 400-500 degrees Fahrenheit will work! Just keep an eye on your chicken and when the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees you know they’re ready!
Boyan Minchev says
A Realy great recipe, this BBQ Chicken Kebabs are so delicious and not so hard to make. I’ve made them last week for my girlfriend and she was so impressed, so HAPPY 🙂 Thank you for sharing this recipe with us.
Jen says
Thank you so much Boyan! I’m so happy both you and your girlfriend loved them! Its always awesome when a man can show off his cooking skilzzzz!
Eva says
Wow, wow, wow!! These are SO good!! THE BEST chicken recipe I have ever made, and I’ve made a lot of chicken recipes! What I did is cut the chicken into tenders, and I burnt them slightly on the grill which added to the deliciousness! Then I did the BBQ sauce and broiled it. So, so good! Oh, and I didn’t have apple cider vinegar so I omitted that and added some worstechire sauce.
Jen says
Hi Eva, thank you so much for your glowing comment, I am thrilled this was the “best chicken” recipe you’ve ever made – wahoo! They sound delicious as chicken tenders too!
tausili logoleo says
Made these tonight and they were delicious!
Jen says
Thank you so much Tausili! I’m so happy you enjoyed them!
Varun Sharma says
Delicious and so easy to make! Made it for a dinner party and it was a huge hit!
Jen says
Thank you, I’m so happy these BBQ Chicken Kebabs were a winner!
George says
Great recipe, They look so delicious and so easy to make. I am going to try cooking them on Sunday for my family. Thank You!
Jen says
Thanks George, enjoy!
SmoQ says
BBQ Chicken Kebabs is great! I just finished it last night and the result was unexpected, my wife and daughter both liked it, which made me happy. Thanks for your recipe
Jen says
I’m so happy to hear they were a winner, thank you!
Cindy says
This looks delicious. Can’t wait to try it. Can I omit the butter in the bbq sauce? Cannot eat dairy. Thanks!
Jen says
Yes!
Glenn Howard says
Regarding your Barbeque Chicken Kabobs recipe: It says in the recipe for the spices to (see in directions)!!
The recipe does tell you about any spices in the category of directions?
Jen says
Step 2: Mix all of the Chicken Rub Ingredients together in a small bowl. Remove 1 teaspoon spices to a small saucepan for the Barbecue Sauce.