Southwest Grilled Chicken Kabobs

Name: Southwest Chicken Kabobs
Prep time: 2 h 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 2 h 25 min
Cuisine: Southwest
Ingredients: 2/3 cup avocado oil or olive oil (I like avocado oil because of it’s high smoke point); 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar (sub: white vinegar); 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (sub: fresh parsley); 4 teaspoons chili powder; 2 teaspoons garlic powder; 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, crush in hand; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, ground; Pinch of red pepper flakes (sub: cayenne pepper); 1 1/2 – 2 pounds chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes

★★★★★ 5 /5

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By: Rachel TiemeyerPosted: 5/25/23Updated: 9/21/23

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Southwest chicken kabobs are a mouthwatering dinner that combines the vibrant flavors of the American Southwest with the irresistible appeal of grilled chicken.

“My husband and I loved the flavor on these kabob and making extra for freezer was a bonus!” ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – Debbie

Have you noticed that we love kabobs around Thriving Home? We already have tasty shrimp kabobs and steak kabobs, so we were in need of a killer chicken kabob recipe.

Boy, oh boy, I think we did it with this combo.

Table of Contents

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need for this skewered recipe:

Olive oil – Avocado oil will work too. I like avocado oil b/c of its high smoke point.
Apple cider vinegar – If you don’t have this you can substitute it with white vinegar. (Gluten-Free: Make sure your vinegar is gluten-free.)
Fresh cilantro – You can substitute this with fresh parsley
Chili powder
Garlic powder
Italian seasoning
Ground cumin
Salt and pepper
Chicken breast – Here is where we get meat you can trust.

Southwest Chicken Kabob ingredients laid out and labeled

How to Make Southwest Chicken Kabobs

The method really couldn’t be easier.

Marinate the Chicken

To get the kabobs started, cut your chicken into evenly sized pieces and throw it in a bag with the marinade. Let it sit in the fridge for an hour or two.

Grilling Tip

While the chicken marinates, place your kabob sticks in some water so they don’t get obliterated on the grill.

Assemble and Grill

Then, all you have to do is quickly thread them on the sticks and grill away. This recipe only takes a few minutes on each side. Chicken is done when its internal temperature is 165.

For juicy, tender bite-sized chicken that will please a crowd try these Southwest Grilled Chicken Kabobs.

The Best Meat Thermometer

When it comes to checking the internal temperature of our meat, we both use and love Thermapen. It’s high quality, waterproof, and recommended by Americas Test Kitchen.

Learn More

How to Serve These Kabobs

As long as you don’t overcook these guys, you’ll end up with very moist, tasty pieces of meat. Serve them over Cilantro Lime Rice, on Southwest Chicken Salad, on a Taco Bar, or on their own with some of your favorite sides, like these…

Side Dish Ideas

How to Grill Asparagus

Chips and Guacamole

Fiesta Chopped Salad

Grilled peach halves with feta cheese, and balsamic drizzle lined up on a serving platter.

Jane’s Grilled Peaches

Rachel Tiemeyer

As co-founder of Thriving Home, Rachel dreams about creating recipes (literally) and uses her husband, her 3 kids, and even the neighbors as guinea pigs several nights a week. She believes that good food has the power to bring families and friends closer together and continues to wake up excited about her job each day, even after 10+ years!