It was a long winter in Indiana and we got our first taste of Spring with warm weather this weekend. Of course, nothing says Spring to me like grilling outdoors again and one of our favorite things to cook in the summer just happens to be grilled kabobs! Kabobs are a fantastic way to create a dish for each individual family member that incorporates each of their favorite meats and vegetables. It also happens to allow for individual personalization without the inconvenience of being a short-order chef.
Today I wanted to share three easy grilled kabob recipes that are sure to be a hit with your family and when entertaining. These recipes deserved their constant rotation in your menu planner because they are easy to prepare and the leftovers can be recreated into delicious salads and wraps. Unfortunately, no matter how much I prepare, these kabobs go unbelievably quick in our house. I hope you will have more leftovers to enjoy than we do!
Without further adieu, here are three fun recipes for grilled kabobs to try on your grill!
The rosemary and ranch add such a wonderful depth of flavor to the chicken and these come off the grill so juicy! 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.
This shrimp tastes exactly like something you would eat at a fancy restaurant and it is bursting with flavor. It is unbelievable how these simple pantry ingredients can make the shrimp taste so good, but I doubt I will ever make another shrimp recipe again! It is the perfect dish to entertain with since it can be served hot or cold. The marinade adds so much flavor that there is no need for any special sauce accompaniment. You have to love anything that only requires four or five minutes on the grill and is still wildly impressive to your dinner guests!
Marinated Grilled Shrimp (Adapted from AllRecipes)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup tomato sauce
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (I omitted because we did not have any on hand)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 pound fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
Skewers
In a large bowl, stir together the garlic, olive oil, tomato sauce, and red wine vinegar. Season with basil, salt, and cayenne pepper. Add shrimp to the bowl, and stir until evenly coated. Cover, and refrigerate for 1-2 hours, stirring once or twice. Preheat grill for medium heat. Thread shrimp onto skewers, piercing once near the tail and once near the head. Discard marinade. Lightly oil grill grate. Cook shrimp on preheated grill for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until opaque.
This marinade can be prepared up to a day before and makes a deliciously sweet (but not too sweet) meat. The flavors remind me a little bit of those port-a-pit chickens that are sold for fundraisers… just as messy, but not half as greasy.
Yummy Honey Chicken Kabobs (Adapted from AllRecipes)
1/4 cup canola oil
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves – cut into 1 inch cubes (I used one bag thawed frozen chicken breasts)
2 cloves garlic
5 small onions, cut into 2 inch pieces
2 red bell peppers, cut into 2 inch pieces
Skewers
In a large bowl, whisk together oil, honey, soy sauce, and pepper. Before adding chicken, reserve a small amount of marinade to brush onto kabobs while cooking. Place the chicken, garlic, onions and peppers in the bowl, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 2 hours (the longer the better). Preheat the grill for high heat. Drain marinade from the chicken and vegetables, and discard marinade. Thread chicken and vegetables alternately onto the skewers. Lightly oil the grill grate. Place the skewers on the grill. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until chicken juices run clear. Turn and brush with reserved marinade frequently.
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Quick Grilling Tip:
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!
What are your favorite grilling recipes in your house? Feel free to share your recipes and links here! I would love to get some new grilling recipes for our menu planner!