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!
This is one of the best things about summer.
No, wait. The two best things about summer. 1. Super sticky, saucy Asian chicken kabobs. And 2. Ice cold beer.
That’s basically what we’ve been doing in this summer heat, which beats those parka-glove-beanie-Chiberia days by a mile.
No, we don’t miss those days at all.
Instead, I’m on marinade duty all summer – letting the chicken soak up all that saucy goodness – oyster sauce, ketchup, honey, chili garlic sauce, Dijon, garlic and ginger. For added heat, feel free to add additional chili garlic sauce or Sriracha.
Once it’s been swimming in all this glory, Ben fires up the grill to let these get beautifully smoky and charred.
Serve with ice cold beer for a complete meal.
CAN I USE CHICKEN BREASTS?
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 when thrown on the grill.
WHAT IF I DON’T HAVE A GRILL?
No grill, no problem. A cast iron grill pan or a large cast iron skillet will work beautifully here, especially during those winter month when it’s too cold to grill out!
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.
Did you make this recipe?
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Delicious!!!
This is probably one of the most delicious marinades I have every made. Wow. Thought my husband and I would have a ton of leftovers…we had NONE! Already want to make it again!
This was the absolutely best recipe for chicken skewers!!! I unfortunately didn’t have fresh ginger, but a teaspoon of ground ginger worked just fine. Fresh would definitely be better. This was the perfect balance between sweet and heat. We loved it.
This recipe is to die for. Definitely a fam favorite
It was delicious. Even my picky eaters liked it.
Entire family loved it. Definitely a “make again”.
Do you have a nutrition/calorie count for this recipe?
SO SO GOOD! It was devoured by husband and son — left the thighs intact (no kabobs) and left it in the marinade for about 10 hours. Other than adding chili flakes for some extra heat, I followed the recipe as is and it’s perfect. Thank you for another great recipe!
I was slightly worried that the chicken wouldn’t have a lot of flavor because I had only marinated it for about 2.5 hours but it was great! I omitted the chili sauce and my 5 yr old said he was really loving the chicken as he was shoving his face! Served with white rice and broccoli. Easy meal.
I love your recipes, unfortunately this one was just okay. I used breasts that I cut up into medallions and used my indoor electric grill press.
So you didn’t follow the recipe, and then you didn’t like the recipe =P
I have been meaning to write a review for this….I tried this a while back and it is a super easy dinner to make for the family. Instead of oyster sauce, I used soy sauce and it still came out great! thank you for all your amazing recipes
I was wondering what a good substitute would be, thanks for sharing!
This marinade is excellent!! I’ve used it many times and it’s always great! Will it affect the recipe if it marinates for 2 days?
This was really delicious and so simple. I let it marinate for about four hours. I highly recommend this – it’s a perfect summer dish! I paired with a cucumber salad.
Hands down the best marinade recipe I have ever encountered. I was so surprised at how well seasoned the chicken came out and how much marinade they soaked up. I hate the oily feeling in my ziplock bag for other recipes that call for some sort of oil in the marinade. I will be making lots more based on this recipe here on out. Delicious! <3
I am going to make this recipe at our Mother’s Day bbq. I accidentally bought the wrong chili. I didn’t he threw one you mention (chili garlic sauce) but just the regular chili paste. Will it change the taste?
I’m planning to make this and was wondering if I these kabobs can be made with veggies on them as well? I’d just double up on the marinade and let the veggies sit in a separate ziploc bag overnight before adding them to the skewers. Thoughts?
I used chicken breast, but it still came out great. I served it with pancit.
Best sweet spicy/tangy chicken EVER! First time I’ve made it. Served it with a sweet potato but would go great with jasmine rice with extra sauce! Will definitely make this again! I grilled bone in, skin on chicken thighs.
Is there a good alternative to oyster sauce? My boyfriend is allergic to shellfish and I doubt I can use this ingredient – thanks!
I accidentally used soy sauce instead of oyster sauce and it still came out great!
Taste & look delicious.