Kabobs are my new favorite food this summer and I have been trying a few new recipes out on our family, as we kick off another season of great grilling. The marinated shrimp kabobs are my kid’s new favorite seafood dish, but these Rosemary Ranch Chicken Kabobs are my new favorite summer dish and I can’t wait to make them again.
The rosemary and ranch add such a wonderful depth of flavor to the chicken and these come off the grill so juicy! For this dish, I not only marinated some chicken in a container, but I also marinated some red peppers in a separate container so that I could do a few vegetable kabobs as a side dish. Could you marinate them together safely? A lot of people do, but I wanted my vegetables nice and crisp and I wanted my chicken to be fully cooked so I opted for two separate kabobs instead of pairing them together. The red peppers were ready to come off the grill in six minutes, while the chicken still needed another six to be fully cooked so it seemed like a good idea to separate them!
I have become a huge fan of those disposable containers for marinating foods because they are so easy to transport out to our grill and are easy to stack, especially if you are headed out for a picnic. It may also be because I have had a few too many leaky bags in my fridge so I find these to be a great option for me! These freezer containers plus our handy dandy meat thermometer have made grilling out practically foolproof and have streamlined our grilling effortlessly.
I love to stick these, marinade and all, in the freezer and prep a few different marinades in one afternoon. Most marinades have similar base ingredients (dressings, olive oil, vinegars, salt, pepper, seasonings, Worcestershire sauce, etc..) and it is so much easier to do this all at once rather than getting them out each time. What a time saver!
If you actually have any meat leftover (which is debatable in our house), I love to put these on top of a salad the next day. The chicken is still surprisingly juicy even after being zapped in the microwave and it has been a wonderful way to spice up my daily salads for lunch!
Rosemary Ranch Chicken Kabobs (Courtesy of AllRecipes)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup ranch dressing
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary (If you haven’t planted rosemary yet like me, 1 teaspoon of the dried stuff works great!)
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
1 tablespoon white sugar, or to taste (optional)
5 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves – cut into 1 inch cubes
In a medium bowl, stir together the olive oil, ranch dressing, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, salt, lemon juice, white vinegar, pepper, and sugar. Let stand for 5 minutes. Place chicken in the bowl, and stir to coat with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Preheat the grill for medium-high heat. Thread chicken onto skewers and discard marinade. Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill skewers for 8 to 12 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, and the juices run clear.
For an easy way to get the grill and patio equipment ready for summer, be sure to visit our Gearing Up for Summer article!
Do you freeze marinades or have a time-saving strategy for grilling? Please share here!
yum – I am definitely trying this recipe out soon! I would love to have the confidence to make my own marinades – I end up buying the prepackaged ones which I know have a lot of sodium plus are pricey even on sale. Keep these recipes coming!
I also love to add leftovers to a salad or in a wrap – I usually make extra just so my husband and I will have leftovers.
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Amy Reply:
May 10th, 2010 at 8:50 am
I bet this would be a huge savings to your grocery budget, S, if you make the marinades yourself. This one came together easily and I use my whisk to mix things well in a separate bowl and pour over the meat. I have a few more marinade recipes in the work so I will definitely keep sharing these and thanks so much for your comment this morning!
.-= Amy´s last blog ..Freebie Friday: May 7, 2010 =-.
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Mmmm, this sounds so good. Perfect for grilling out on a warm spring evening.
.-= Allison´s last blog ..Courage and Learning to Trust Myself =-.
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I will definitely try this one out. Here is my go-to marinade – it’s a hit everytime:
3 T olive oil
3 T lemon juice
couple dashes hot sauce
1 tsp. dried thyme (or use 1 T fresh if you have it)
whisk together and pour 1/2 over chicken, and 1/2 over sliced red onions
marinate a few hours, then grill and put on a salad with some feta cheese sprinkles – yum!!!
The kids like the chicken plain with some rice and broccoli on the side.
.-= Pam´s last blog ..Starbucks Deals! =-.
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Amy Reply:
May 10th, 2010 at 4:04 pm
Oh, that sounds delicious too! Thanks so much for sharing your marinade secrets, Pam!!
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I will definitely be trying this! We love kabobs on the grill.:) I absolutely loved the shrimp recpe you most earlier. Thanks!
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Amy Reply:
May 10th, 2010 at 4:04 pm
Oh, I am so glad that you liked it, Michelle! Kabobs are my new favorite food this year. It is so much easier especially when you have chicken breasts that are all different sizes. This helps my hubby a lot to have them in kabob form
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These sound so good! I can’t wait to try them when the weather warms up. (It’s pouring buckets right now.)
~ Jennifer
.-= ~ Junkyard Jennifer´s last blog ..A Natural Foods Co-Op :: Azure Standard =-.
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I made this last night for dinner and it was a HUGE hit, even with my boys who normally don’t eat chicken – unless it’s fried (ugh). This will now be a staple at my house. I love your ideas. I do miss the monthly menu plans and hope that you’ll share some soon. Please!
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Amy Reply:
May 13th, 2010 at 12:23 pm
Hurray!! I just love hearing these dinner success stories- I have another kabob recipe to share next week that I think your kiddos will like too. As for the menu planners, I have something MAJOR in the works, as we speak, and it should be ready just in time for back-to-school season
I promise that it will be worth the wait!!
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we made these last night…they were totally amazing!! thank you!
.-= Leanne´s last blog .. =-.
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Amy Reply:
May 16th, 2010 at 8:56 am
Oh, that is wonderful to hear, Leanne! I am so glad you guys enjoyed them!
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I made these tonight, they were so good. I think this is my new favorite recipe. Thanks for sharing!
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Amy Reply:
May 18th, 2010 at 6:17 am
Oh, I am so glad you enjoyed them, Christy! I can’t wait to make another batch. I agree, that is one of my new favorite foods around here. Thanks for letting me know you liked them!
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I wanted to say thanks for such a wonderful recipe! I marinated some chicken tenderloins in this (minus the rosemary – I was out and substituted thyme) for lunch today and served it as grilled chicken sandwiches. My husband loved it! I can’t wait to try the honey marinade for dinner later this week.
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Amy Reply:
June 12th, 2010 at 10:17 am
I am so glad you guys liked the recipe, Amanda!! Thanks so much for your comment!!
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Amy – I am so glad you shared this recipe, we have made them so many times. The whole family loves them, and I love that we always have everything on hand. Thanks again!
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I made this for dinner last night and it is one of the best marinades I have ever had! The chicken was amazing on my salad for lunch today as well. Thank you!
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Amy Reply:
August 14th, 2010 at 5:36 pm
Oh, I am so glad you liked it, Heidi! That is one of our favorites too and I just made another double batch for salads last week. I am so happy your family liked it!
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