Honey Garlic Chicken Skewers Recipe

Once summer starts to dwindle and thoughts of hearty, cozy meals begin to take precedence, the pressure's on to get those last few grilled recipes in before season's end. This honey garlic chicken skewers recipe is a great candidate for a late summer meal, one that offers the perfect balance of convenience, ease, and char-grilled flavor. It's also a great recipe for those who are already thinking about dinner by late afternoon, as you can get the skewers soaking and the chicken marinating early on, so all that's left to do by dinnertime is fire up the grill.

While there are many things to love about this recipe, from how easy it is to prepare to the tender, juicy chunks of chicken you end up with, the honey-garlic marinade is no doubt the standout feature. Although marinating the chicken does tack on some additional time to the overall recipe, it's well worth it for those distinctly savory, slightly sweet, and deep garlicky notes that get a zesty kick from just a touch of fresh ginger. After cooking the marinated skewers on the grill, the chicken will have a sticky, glossy glaze to it, with just the right hints of smoke and caramelization. 

This recipe starts with boneless, skinless chicken breasts, though chicken thighs would work just as well. For the marinade, you'll need honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, crushed garlic, minced ginger, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. When it comes time to grill, you'll need avocado oil to grease the grates, and when it comes time to garnish, have sesame seeds and scallions on hand.

Soak wooden skewers in water.

Cut the chicken breasts into 2-inch pieces.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, pepper, and red pepper flakes until well combined.

Reserve ½ cup of marinade and refrigerate until ready to use.

Pour the remaining marinade over the chicken. Cover and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours.

Place the remaining marinade in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Simmer for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened.

Thread the chicken evenly onto 7 to 8 skewers.

Preheat the barbecue grill to 400 F.

Brush the avocado oil on the grill.

Place the skewers on the grill and cook for 4 to 5 minutes.

Flip the skewers and cook for another 4 to 5 minutes.

Move the skewers to indirect heat and brush the skewers on both sides with the glaze. Remove the skewers from the heat when they reach 165 F.

Garnish the skewers with the sesame seeds and scallions and serve.

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If you don't feel like firing up the grill for whatever reason (or you don't happen to have an outdoor grill to begin with), fear not — you can still make this recipe. Both the air fryer and oven are viable alternative cooking options, and for both methods, begin the recipe the same way by preparing the marinade, setting some aside to simmer/reduce into a glaze, and marinating the chicken for at least two hours.

For the air fryer route, first, make sure you're working with skewers that will fit in your basket or appliance. Air fry the skewers at 400 F for about 10 to 12 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 F, and make sure to rotate the skewers halfway through. When there's about 3 minutes of cooking time left, brush the skewers with the reserved glaze. Keep in mind that you'll likely have to work in batches if you go with the air fryer, and make sure you're leaving enough room in between the skewers to allow for air circulation.

The oven is an ideal method if you'd like to cook all of the skewers at once. Bake the skewers on a sheet pan in a 425 F oven for 18 to 20 minutes, flipping them halfway through. Brush the skewers with the reduced glaze when there are about 5 minutes of baking time left.

This recipe already boasts great make-ahead potential because you can marinate the chicken for upwards of 4 hours. If you'd like to extend the make-ahead potential to days, weeks, or even months, then you'll want to skip the refrigerated marination period and make use of the freezer instead. 

To go the freezer route, place the raw, cubed chicken and marinade in a freezer-safe, sealable container. Transfer the chicken to the freezer and keep it there for upwards of three months. When you're ready to cook the chicken, allow it to thaw in the fridge overnight before threading it onto skewers and proceeding with the recipe as written. 

Also, remember to reserve that small portion of marinade before adding the rest to the chicken and freezing it. You can freeze the reserved marinade, but you'll want to keep it separate from the raw chicken and make sure to discard any marinade that came in contact with the meat. By freezing the marinated chicken (and reserved marinade), you'll end up with chicken skewers that have even more depth of flavor once cooked, and the honey and soy sauce notes will shine through even more intensely after grilling.

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