I think I’ve mentioned before that although I’ve always loved to play around in the kitchen, I didn’t really start exploring my inner foodie until I moved to an apartment my sophomore year of college and had my own (well, shared with 3 other girls, but not my parents) kitchen for the first time. These grilled chicken veggie skewers are literally one of the first dishes I made on a regular basis that wasn’t 100% from a cookbook. And I mean, it’s really not rocket science, but believe me, marinating and grilling vegetables was a long, long way from Some-Kind-of-Browned-Meat-in-Cream-of Something-Soup-Over-Some-Kind-of-Starch-ville where I grew up.
Ingredient and Equipment Notes
- Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast – Steak would work as well.
- Your Favorite Veggies For Grilling – zucchini, yellow squash, onion, peppers, mushrooms, eggplant, etc.
- Italian Dressing – This homemade version is best, but your favorite store-bought variety will work in a pinch. The dressing contains:
- Vinegar
- Lemon juice
- Sugar
- Dry mustard
- Kosher salt
- Red pepper flakes
- Black pepper
- Fresh garlic
- Neutral oil or olive oil
- Parmesan cheese
- Italian seasoning
- Skewers – You can use metal or bamboo skewers. Just remember that skewers made form bamboo or wood need to be soaked in water for 30 minutes before being placed on the grill so they hold up to the heat. See the note below about my preferred variety of metal skewers with a wood handle.
How To Make Grilled Chicken and Veggie Skewers
- Place your veggies in a gallon-sized Ziploc bag and drizzle about 3/4 of the dressing over the vegetables.
- Place the cut-up chicken in another large Ziploc bag and pour the remaining dressing over the chicken. Seal and refrigerate both bags for at least 4 hours, no more than 24 hours.
- When you’re ready to cook, preheat your grill over medium heat to about 425°F.
- Thread the meat and veggies loosely onto the skewers.
- Lightly oil the grill grates before adding the skewers and then grill for 4-5 minutes. Flip the skewers and grill another 4-5 minutes on the other side and voila! You have one of my most favorite meals of all time!
A Note About Skewers
Bamboo skewers have to be soaked and are hard to handle once hot on the grill. Metal skewers can also be troublesome when trying to turn. I did some poking around the internet and stumbled across lots of options for metal skewers with wooden handles and I love them! There are also varieties with silicone handles available. You leave the handle on the outside of the grill (the lid still closes just fine) and then you can easily turn your skewers– no soaking, no fires, no burned fingers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Be sure to cut all of your veggies and meat into similarly sized pieces. When threading your skewers, don’t pack the ingredients tightly together. Leave a little space for the heat of the grill to cook everything through.
Chicken and Vegetable Skewers
Equipment
Ingredients
Marinade
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 cup neutral oil or extra-virgin olive oil
- ⅓ cup parmesan cheese either fresh or from a can
- ¾ teaspoon Italian seasoning more if desired
Skewers
- 1 pound chicken breasts, boneless, skinless cut into small, bite-sized pieces
- 1 each zucchini squash, yellow and green cut in half (if large) and sliced
- 8 ounces mushrooms, small, whole sliced in half
- 2-3 cups sweet peppers, mini
- 1 red onion, small carefully cut into bite-sized chunks (try to keep as much of the pieces in tact as possible)
Instructions
Marinade Prep
- Place vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, mustard, salt, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and garlic in the jar of a blender and blend until smooth. While the blender is running, add the oil in a steady stream. Remove the blender jar from the blender and mix in the cheese and Italian seasoning by hand. Set aside.
Marinating
- Chop and prepare vegetables, and place in a large zip-top bag. Drizzle about ¾ of the dressing over the vegetables, seal, and place in the refrigerator.
- Place the chicken breast pieces into a large zip-top bag and add the remaining dressing. Seal and place in the refrigerator. Marinate both bags for at least 4 hours, no more than 24 hours.
Grilling
- About 30 minutes before serving, remove both bags and skewer the chicken and vegetables onto the skewers (if using bamboo skewers, be sure to soak them in water for at least 30 minutes before skewering the food). I usually try to get about 3 pieces of chicken plus as many vegetables as I can onto each skewer.When ready to cook, preheat the grill to about 425 degrees F. Lightly grease the grill grates, then add the skewers. Cook for 4-5 minutes on one side, flip, and cook for another 4-5 minutes. Remove from grill and serve immediately.
Notes
- Note that bamboo skewers need to be soaked in water for 30 minutes before being used and put on the grill. I prefer metal skewers with wooden or silicone handles. The handles stick out of the grill so that they are always cool to the touch and make flipping easy.
- Be sure to cut your veggies and meat about the same size for even cooking.
- Don’t pack your ingredients too tightly onto the skewers. Thread them loosely so the heat from the grill can cook everything evenly.
Questions & Reviews
I think I'm going to make this over the weekend for Mother's Day. About how many people does this recipe feed?
We made these the other night and they were delicious! The dressing is soooo good!
We had these twice this past week. YUM! We did zuchini, orange pepper, red onion, chicken, and canned potatoes. They were delish! We will definitely be making these more all summer long!
We went to a bar-be-que this weekend and I said, "I've been dying to try this new receipe" so I'll bring the main dish, and I'll also bring the drink!" I made these skewers and the Brazilian Lemonade! They were both hits! All I heard while everyone was eating were moans and groans of happiness! Thanks for such a great blog, you make me look good!
We made these last night for dinner and we loved them. Quick, easy, and so so yummy. Kate, you'll be happy to know that I also ate the mushrooms!
Thanks for sharing this.
Kricket- thanks for the nice comment first of all. We love to see you lurkers come out of hiding!
On the pizza pictured, I used Kate's pizza sauce recipe:
https://fit-over50.news/2008/06/pizza-sauce.html%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
And I topped it with slices of fresh, whole milk mozzarella, roma tomatoes and fresh basil and oregano. (A simple classic!) If you use fresh herbs, make sure to sprinkle them on at the very end, just before serving. Good luck!
I realized I have a question. What are the ingredients on your tutorial for the BBQ Grilled Pizza. I know you said we can use different things but I want to eat what you have pictured. Is it mozzarella, tomatoes, basil and green onions?
I am a long time lurker too, and I LOVE your blog. I am using your Asian BBQ chicken tonight. Thanks for ALL of the great recipes and pictures.
These look so good! I still need to master the grill for myself, I rely on my husband for grilling, but so many of your recipes are inspiring me to take grilling into my own hands. Hello, pizza on the grill, I sooo need to try it!