These easy chicken skewers are a sure-fire crowd pleaser. If you marinate the chicken ahead of time, they’re ready in just 10 minutes! Serve them with cilantro rice or sesame carrot salad for a quick meal.
We had a great food weekend this past weekend. From Friday night’s risotto (a culinary school assignment) to blackened mahi sandwiches at a lakeside restaurant (what is it about being on the water that makes everything taste better?) to new recipes for carrot and quinoa salads, we had one great meal after another. One of the highlights of the weekend were these Hoisin-glazed chicken kebabs – they’re simple to make, but extremely satisfying.
The inspiration was this month’s Progressive Eats theme, which is a kebab party! How fun is that? I could definitely get into a party with course after course of food served on sticks.
For these chicken kebabs, I mixed up an easy and flavorful marinade that helps keep the chicken moist during grilling. I whisked some hoisin sauce into half of the marinade to make a sticky sweet glaze for finishing the kebabs. I’m a huge fan of hoisin – it’s pungent flavor isn’t really like anything else I can think of, but it’s delicious.
In oder to have the various ingredients on the skewers cook evenly, I made sure to cut the chicken relatively small, chose small mushrooms (about the same size as the chicken pieces), and cut the zucchini into cubes instead of rounds. I also let the kebabs cook almost entirely through before adding the glaze so that it didn’t burn.
Once the kebabs are done, sprinkle them with lime juice, chopped scallions, and crushed peanuts. Doing this adds some acidity that brightens up their flavor. It also makes them look super fun and festive!
Hoisin Glazed Chicken Kebabs
Prep time
60 mins
Cook time
10 mins
Total time
1 hour 10 mins
Author: Lauren Keating
- ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons Hoisin sauce
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 6-10 bamboo skewers, soaked
- 1 zucchini, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 pint crimini (baby bella) mushrooms
- 1 lime, juiced
- 2 scallions, chopped
- 1 tablespoon peanuts, crushed
- In a measuring cup, mix the soy sauce, sesame oil. brown sugar, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Pour half of the marinade into a large, zip-top bag. Add to the bag, seal, and shake to combine. Refrigerate at least 1 hour. Whisk the Hoisin sauce into the remaining marinade and set aside.
- Heat the grill to high heat (about 500ºF).
- Thread the marinaded chicken, zucchini, and mushrooms onto the skewers. Grill for 2-3 minutes per side, until grill lines appear and the chicken is mostly cooked through. Brush with glaze and cook another 1-2 minutes per side, or until cooked through.
- Transfer to a plate a sprinkle with lime juice, chopped scallions, and crushed peanuts.
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Welcome to Progressive Eats, our virtual version of a Progressive Dinner Party. This month’s theme is a Kebab Fest and is hosted by Anshie Dhar who blogs at Spice Roots. Join us and make something unique and delicious!
If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, a progressive dinner involves going from house to house, enjoying a different course at each location. With Progressive Eats, a theme is chosen each month, members share recipes suitable for a delicious meal or party, and you can hop from blog to blog to check them out.
We have a core group of 12 bloggers, but we will always need substitutes and if there is enough interest would consider additional groups. To see our upcoming themes and how you can participate, please check out the schedule at Creative Culinary or contact Barb for more information.
Kebabs
Galouti Kebab from Spice Roots
Salad Kebabs from Miss in the Kitchen
Hoisin Glazed Chicken Kebabs from Healthy Delicious
Grilled Vegetable Shish Kebabs from Mother Would Know
How to Cook Perfect Steak Kabobs from Barbara Bakes
Salmon Kebabs from Stetted
Bread
Naan – A Traditional Indian Flatbread from Creative Culinary
Side/Dip/Chutney
Basmati Rice with Apples, Dried Cranberries & Almonds from The Heritage Cook
Paneer Biryani with Cucumber Raita and Mint Chutney from The Wimpy Vegetarian
Drinks
Bloody Beer w/ Antipasto Kebab garnish from girlichef
Desserts
Strawberry-Rose Kulfi with Pistachios from Pastry Chef Online
Fruit Kebabs with White Chocolate Mascarpone Dip from That Skinny Chick Can Bake