Yogurt-Marinated Chicken Kabobs {with warm, bold spices!}

Written by Rachel Barkowski Published on August 27, 2020

Yogurt-Marinated Chicken Kabobs {with warm, bold spices!}

One of my favorite meals to serve when we have guests at our house are these Yogurt-Marinated Chicken Kabobs!

The flavors are just so BOLD and warm….rich and fragrant…I love a lot of flavor, and these kabobs *definitely* bring that!

They are even more delicious when they are served with our Spinach Yogurt “Tzatziki” Sauce (which is SO easy to make…only 4 ingredients…but packs a ton of flavor!).

We have made these kabobs both on the grill and in the oven – whichever is easier for you will work! They’re tasty both ways!

(By the way, Rachael Ray has some BEAUTIFUL stoneware rectangular platters {in red, blue, and cream} that these chicken kabobs would look lovely on! My platters/plates pictured are from IKEA.)

Why marinate chicken kabobs in yogurt?

Yogurt marinades tenderize meat without breaking it down too much that it becomes rubbery (acid-based marinades can do this if they’re left on too long!).

You’ll notice how well-coated the spices are on your meat since the yogurt doesn’t run off – the flavors are literally stuck to the meat so that they get tons of flavor quickly.

That yogurt also seals the moisture into the chicken, so your meat will be very, very juicy!

I’ve you’ve never tried a yogurt marinade, you will be pleasantly surprised after you try it. 😉

Here’s how to make Yogurt-Marinated Chicken Kabobs:

First, mix your marinade ingredients. All those beautiful spices need to be mixed evenly into the yogurt. 🙂

Next, chop your chicken into 1-inch pieces if you haven’t already, and then put the pieces into the marinade.

Toss them around until they’re nice and evenly coated so that every single piece will soak up all the bold flavors.

I usually cover my chicken + marinade and refrigerate for about an hour (you get great results in just a short amount of time with yogurt marinades!)….but if you want to prep the day before, it can also sit overnight in the fridge.

Next you should soak your skewers in water for 20-30 minutes. Why? If you don’t, they may burn to a crisp 🤪…..but another reason is if you thread the meat onto them dry, they will take the moisture from the chicken when they cook. If they’re soaked, they will put moisture INTO the chicken. You definitely don’t want to skip this step.

If you want to add veggies to your skewers, you can prep those while your skewers are soaking – we *love* peppers and onions, specifically RED peppers and RED onions, so that’s usually what I add to our chicken kabobs.

Assemble your chicken and veggies onto the soaked skewers, and you’re ready to cook them!

If you’re using the grill, brush the grate with oil and preheat it so it’s nice and hot. The kabobs will take about 10-15 minutes on the grill (this depends on how hot your grill is) to get to an internal temperature of 165 F. (You’ll need to turn them occasionally).

My husband is our grill master, so I handed the prepped kabobs off to him and he did the grilling. 👍🏼

Roasting chicken kabobs in the oven is also a great option! Preheat the oven to 400 F. I put my kabobs on a baking pan lined with parchment paper and roast for about 20 minutes, or until they are cooked through.

You can switch the oven to broil for just a minute or two at the end if you want to brown them up a bit. 😉 (I did not do that for these ↓ because the roasting process gave them enough charring.)

Yogurt-Marinated Chicken Kabobs

Ingredients

4 large chicken breasts, cut into chunks
red peppers & onions, cubed (optional)
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 Tbsp. sweet paprika
1 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. dried oregano
2 Tbsp. fresh minced garlic
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1.5 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper

Instructions

Mix marinade ingredients together until evenly combined.
Add chicken pieces to marinade, stirring to coat each piece.
Marinate for at least 1 hour (covered and in the fridge).
Soak skewers in water for about 30 minutes.
Thread chicken, peppers, and onions onto skewers and grill or roast in the oven.

(To roast these in the oven, cook at 400 degrees F. for 20-30 minutes, until the meat is completely cooked through.)

(To grill the kabobs, cook over high heat until meat is completely cooked through. This will be different based on your grill and how thick your chicken pieces are.)