Honey Garlic Asian Chicken Kabobs
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This honey garlic marinade is to die for! Marinate overnight and throw on the grill when ready to serve. So easy + fast!
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reasons to make honey garlic asian chicken kabobs
- Perfect for summer. This is one of the best summer treats – super sticky, saucy Asian chicken kabobs grilled to perfection for those favorited smoky, charred flavors + grill marks served alongside some cold, cold beers.
- Can be made all year long. Too cold to grill out? No worries – these can easily be thrown on a cast iron grill pan or a large cast iron skillet to be made all year long, rain or shine.
- Prep ahead of time. The chicken can be soaked up in all that saucy goodness – oyster sauce, ketchup, honey, chili garlic sauce, Dijon, garlic and ginger – for 2 hours up to 8 hours, perfect for quick weeknight dinners or summer entertaining.
- Flexible recipe. Increase the heat levels as needed (or omit for the littles) , or add as much or as little garlic as desired. Some like it super garlicky, others not so much!
tips and tricks for success
- An outdoor grill is not necessary. Too cold to grill outside? A cast iron grill pan can be used to get those favorited grill marks and charred flavor.
- Oyster sauce is key. Oyster sauce, the secret ingredient here, will add a rich, savory umami flavor to the chicken skewers – slightly sweet and salty, and will not taste strongly of oysters.
- Work in batches. An overcrowded grill or pan can lead to uneven cooking and poor browning. Work in batches to maintain high heat for a good sear and crispy crust on each chicken skewer.
- Add some heat. For a kick of heat, increase the chili garlic sauce (sambal oelek) or add Sriracha, to taste.
- Use an instant-read thermometer for the most accurate results. The internal temperature should reach 165°F.
- Let your meat rest. Let your chicken kabob rest for at least 5 minutes prior to serving, allowing the juices to redistribute – this will allow for maximum flavor and juiciness.
- Reheat in the oven. Leftover chicken can be rubbery when reheated. For best results with leftovers, reheat in the oven at 350°F, covered in aluminum foil until warmed through
what to serve with honey garlic asian chicken kabobs
Tools For This Recipe
Metal skewers or wooden skewers
Honey Garlic Asian Chicken Kabobs: Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, chicken breasts can absolutely be used here but chicken thighs have more dark meat and a higher fat content which will yield juicier, more flavorful chicken.
Metal skewers are sturdy and reusable but note that they will retain heat so please be careful when serving. Wooden skewers can also be used but can burn over a hot grill. I recommend soaking them overnight in water (or at least 30 minutes) prior to using.
No grill, no problem. A cast iron grill pan or a large cast iron skillet will work beautifully here, especially during those winter months when it’s too cold to grill out!
To ensure juicy, moist chicken, marinate the chicken for at least 1 hour, avoid overcooking (use an instant-read thermometer) and let it rest prior to serving.
Yes! The chicken can be marinated overnight and placed in the fridge.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
Honey Garlic Asian Chicken Kabobs
Ingredients
- ¼ cup oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 ½ tablespoons canola oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- ½ teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine oyster sauce, ketchup, honey, chili garlic sauce, Dijon, garlic, ginger and 1 tablespoon water. Reserve 1/3 cup and set aside.
- In a gallon size Ziploc bag or large bowl, combine oyster sauce mixture and chicken; marinate for at least 2 hours to overnight, up to 8 hours, turning the bag occasionally. Drain the chicken from the marinade.
- Thread chicken onto skewers. Brush with canola oil; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Preheat grill to medium heat.
- Add skewers to grill, and cook, turning occasionally, until the chicken is completely cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 10 minutes. Brush skewers with reserved oyster sauce mixture, cooking for an additional 1-2 minutes.
- Serve immediately, garnished with green onions and sesame seeds, if desired.
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Making this tonight! I hope it’s good!!!
This recipe is delish! I’ve made it many times. Do you think it would be ok to let it sit in marinade for 48 hours?
Can I sub the oyster sauce for something? Deathly allergic.
You can use soy sauce, Worcestershire to sub for oyster sauce.
You can use Hoisen sauce
Best marinade ever! Made chicken street tacos with it. Scrumptious.
*******to die for so damn delicious!!
We are doing a Gilligan’s Island themed fund raiser for 80+ people. Can these be grilled and then kept in a foil pan until serving or will they dry out as they sit out?
Has anyone used this marinade for skirt steak?
Made these the other night with 2 small adjustments. 1) I didn’t feel like cubing and skewering the chicken, so we left the thighs whole and grilled them like that. Worked out perfectly! 2) My boyfriend was leery of the amount of oyster sauce, so we used 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce and 3 tablespoons of hoisin sauce instead of all oyster sauce. The marinade was so delicious! Very flavorful and it charred or caramelized a little on the grill and was a little crispy. So good. I made a cauliflower fried rice to serve these with and we loved it!
Can you leave the chicken marinated for 12-24 hours? I want to marinate it the day before if possible due to my work schedule
I marinated for close to 24 hours and they were fine.
Looks delicious, will have to try this in another way, perhaps in the slow cooker???? Yummy!
What would you do for side dishes? I have this marinating for dinner tomorrow… any help would be appreciated
super easy and so good. will be a keeper.
What chili garlic sauce did you use? I can’t seem to find one at the store.
I believe mine is Thai Kitchen. I know Trader Joe’s makes one. It’s just called sweet chili sauce (in the US) but if you read the ingredients, it has garlic in it. That’s what I use.
About to make this recipe again for another friend get together! These didn’t last long everyone was asking for the recipe. 1000000% a keeper
Seriously one of the best recipes ever. I can’t do ANY heat on my meals, so instead of the chili sauce, I just added a tish more ketchup and garlic. The hubs had 3 kabobs and seriously contemplated a 4th. About 20 minutes after dinner, he sits up and goes “man, that was good chicken”. He repeated that statement about an hour later. Great flavor profile. Easy to make. New favorite.
I made this last night and my picky children actually ate it without complaining and happily said they would eat it again!
I found this recipe a few months ago and it gets requested about once a week now! I usually double the sauce so my kids can pour some on the rice I serve with it. We eat a lot of chicken and this is one of the only recipes that my family doesn’t get sick of.
I haven’t made it on the grill yet but it is super easy on the stove! I’ve made it with both thighs and breasts and honestly love it either way. Thanks for sharing this yummy recipe 🙂
Can I make this on an indoor grill pan
Did you make any modifications for using chicken breast?
This was ok. I followed the recipe exactly except used chicken breasts. I also marinated for 3 hours. For me, I think it might have been too much chili sauce (that style of chili sauce isn’t my favorite). It just felt like it was just missing something…maybe an acid or heat?
For those who can’t have shellfish/seafood there is a vegetarian oyster sauce made with mushrooms. You’d probably have to look in an Asian grocery but it’s surprising good stuff and I hate mushrooms. Or another good substitution is hoisin sauce. It’s slightly sweet where oyster sauce is not so you might have to adjust the honey but it’s easy to find or you can mix in a little soy or Worcestershire sauce into the hoisin to balance the sweetness.
Absolutely delicious, even my picky eater said “I could have eaten all of them” x
Delicious. Great flavor. The whole family loved it. My picky eater said it was the best chicken ever. Definitely going into rotation.
D A N G ! ! ! This recipe was incredible! My picky family completely devoured this. I was a little hesitant at first to make this since I didn’t have oyster sauce or chili garlic sauce on hand. But I’m sure glad I did because it was absolutely worth it. I used chicken breasts instead of thighs since chicken thighs freak me out lol. I served it over basmati with cilantro in it and a little bit of soy sauce. This will definitely be in my regular rotation for meals. Thanks for a fantastic and easy recipe!!
I was wondering if I could substitute breasts.