Do you ever crave grilled food but don’t have enough time to fire up the grill? Yeah, it happens to me too!! That’s when I use a cast iron skillet with ridges to make grilled food indoors. These Grilled Chicken Kabobs (kebabs) marinated in a Mediterranean dressing is just one example. Serve them with a salad, pita, tzatziki or any yogurt based dip and you have an amazing grilled dinner ready in no time.
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You can grill these kabobs in the cast iron grill like I did, or you can grill them in your BBQ grill. Just adjust for temperature and grilling time accordingly. The marinate and the threading process will be the same.
When I use the grill, I also grill vegetable skewers but I don’t thread them with the chicken. I grill them separately because vegetables take less time to be ready than chicken.
In many other countries the word kabob is known as kebab and it has variations based on the language. In my native language we call it ‘qebab’.
Heat the butter and oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add the skewers and sauté, with frequent turning, for 8-10 min until the meat has turned brown. Lower the heat to ‘medium’, then season with salt, pepper, and aromatic herbs.
Recipe Notes & Tips
There’s a video that shows how I make these kabobs from beginning to the end. However, I also wanted to break down the step below. If you’ve cooked this recipe before, feel free to skip straight to the recipe card.
The grill pan I use is similar to this cast iron pan but not same exact brand.
See below all the ingredients together for this recipe.
I see this recipe broken down in steps as follows:
- Soak the Skewers
- Mix chicken with oil, lemon and herbs. Marinate for minimum 1 hour and let chill.
- Thread the skewers
- Grill (either in BBQ grill or cast iron grill pan)
- Enjoy:)
It’s important to soak the skewers in water otherwise they’ll burn out.
Cut chicken breasts in cube shapes, add to a bowl and then add all the ingredients. Mix well and let marinate for at least one hour in the refrigerator. I don’t like to leave chicken overnight but you can definitely let it chill several hours.
Once you are ready to grill, dry the skewers with a clean kitchen towel and then thread the chicken. Depending on your grill pan size try to not to add too many chicken pieces in one skewer.
Also, heat tends to be higher in the middle of the pan then on the sides unlike a real grill so If I cut the chicken pieces a bit unevenly, I tend to thread the smaller pieces in the ends of the skewer and bigger pieces in the middle.
Grill for about 4 minutes on each side and flip accordingly. Move skewers from the sides to the middle to give that well done look on the outside, the chicken will still be tender on the inside. Middle of the pan heats up faster so the chicken skewers in the middle will be done faster. Move the skewers from the sides to the middle and add new skewers on the sides of the pan.
How To Serve Chicken Kabobs?
These chicken kabobs are so versatile. If you are looking for a quick healthy dinner, then just grill the kabobs and serve them with a big, Greek Salad. If you are looking for something more traditional to Mediterranean street food, then make tzatziki or any other yogurt based sauce. Grab some pita bread and fresh vegetables and you can make a kabob pita sandwich. Yumm!!!
There are other nights where I serve the kabobs to my kids with this garlic jasmin rice. While my husband and I will have just chicken and salad since that is the low-carb version.
I love using both oregano and marjoram in this marinate. It brings out Mediterranean flavors so well when mixed with both olive oil and lemon juice.
I grew up in a multigenerational home. My paternal grandparents were from the city of Gjirokastra from South of Albania, very close to the Northern Greece. They grew herbs in pots in our balcony and marjoram was one of them.
Marjoram is often confused with oregano because there are similarities but they are two completely different herbs.
How to Properly Prepare Chicken Kabobs Over the Stove Top – Marie Blanchard
FAQ
What can I use instead of BBQ skewers?
What is the best way to cook kabobs?
Can you use metal skewers in a pan?