Oven Chicken Kabobs are an easy dinner without fan fare that are perfect any night of the week! Juicy and succulent with sweet pineapple, peppers and marinated teriyaki chicken you will want to make this recipe again and again. Chicken skewers in the oven, can be as straightforward as get set and go!
Recipes like my Air Fryer Chicken Skewers and Air Fryer Beef Kabobs make for fuss free cooking any night of the week!
Both pair well with my Garlic Yogurt Sauce and Herb Salad.
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🤍 Recipe Highlights
I have summarized the reasons why you will love this recipe in the points below. There any many delightful reasons to enjoy!
- Dinner made easy: ain't nobody got time to get home from work and stand in the kitchen for 2 hours cooking. This recipe will take less than an hour and can be served with store bought microwave rice or quinoa for convenience!
- Everyday ingredients: all of the ingredients needed for the recipe are simple and easy to find at the local store. The chicken thighs freeze really well, so you can have some in the freezer and grab them out to whip this up when the craving or occasion arises.
- Fruit and vegetables: we use both pineapple and capsicum for the recipe, so you get a little bit of both of these kinds of yum!
- Sweet and savory: the chicken is so juicy, the sweet honey teriyaki sauce really complimenting the succulent nature of the soft, tender thighs. The capsicum cooks perfectly is robust and so moist on the inside with a firm outer skin.
- Taste and texture: the sauce brings the flavour and the skewers enable the variety of texture in the dish. Whether you like to eat your kebabs piece by piece, slide all of it off with a fork, or chow on down to the stick, the balance between the chicken and fruit and veggies works so well as a combination!
🥗 Ingredients
The photo below is to show you everything you need to make the recipe. Please refer to the printable recipe card for specific ingredient measurements.
As you can see, the recipe calls for:
- Chicken thighs: skinless boneless chicken thighs. I find they are much more tender than chicken breast. We need 1 kg of these (2.2 pounds) which is approximately 8-9 chicken thighs. Sometimes when you purchase the packaged version it can be hard to tell if they have the bone in or not. A solution to this is to purchase them from the delicatessen, as those ones are almost always skinless and boneless.
- Red capsicum (bell pepper): this is such a great ingredient for skewers (kebabs, kabobs). They add colour, take minimal effort to prepare and are firm, yet juicy when cooked.
- Pineapple: I use tinned pineapple, drain, not rinsed. If you get a large tin, this will be perfect. Avoid 'crushed' pineapple as this is all mushed up, so you wouldn't be able to thread any of it 😭 !
- Teriyaki sauce: one of the main components of the chicken marinade and helping to bring the colour to the recipe, this is store bought. See my tasty tip below on this ingredient.
- Honey: what an absolute joy this ingredient is to cook with! When mixing with the teriyaki sauce, it brings a more subtle flavour than its usual perfect sweetness.
- Salt and pepper: we only need a small amount of each of these. We use them to season the chicken. Simply add them to the sauce when whisking and they will do their thing when you pour the sauce over the chicken pieces.
Tasty Tip: You will find a variety of teriyaki sauces when at the shops. There are some that are thick, like an oyster sauce texture and labelled 'marinade'. Other versions are thin, labelled 'teriyaki sauce' and have the consistency of soy sauce. It is the latter version we want. If in doubt, when in the store, take the bottle and roll it around. The colour will be the same across a marinade bottle and a thin sauce bottle, however, you will noticeably be able to see that the sauce has a thin texture.
🍳 Instructions
Here are the step by step instructions to make the recipe. You will need to chop the chicken and capsicum as a starting point and then grab a glass jug and mini whisk so that we can make the marinade.
- Gather the marinade ingredients (Photo 1)
- Pour over the chicken pieces (Photo 2)
- Stir and cover, place in fridge for 30 mins (Photo 3)
- Soak the timber skewers (Photo 4)
👩🍳 How to Make Oven Chicken Kabobs
To make the chicken kabobs, use a knife and chopping board to prepare the chicken and capsicum. Then combine the honey, teriyaki sauce, salt and pepper using a mini whisk. Pour the marinade over the chicken pieces, stir to coat, then cover with cling wrap and place in the fridge for 30 mins to get the flavours going.
During the time that the chicken is marinating, place the timber skewers into a baking dish and pour over enough water to cover.
- Drain the marinade from the chicken (Photo 5)
- Thread the chicken and veggies onto skewers (Photo 6)
- Cook for 15 mins (Photo 7)
- Remove, rotate and cook for another 15 mins (Photo 8)
Once the 30 mins is up, remove the chicken from the fridge, drain and discard the marinade. Drain the water from the skewers and set the pineapple, capsicum and marinated chicken next to a chopping board.
Working one by one, thread the chicken onto the skewers, inserting pieces of capsicum every now and then as well as a pineapple piece or 2.
Repeat this process till all of the chicken is used up.
Once the chicken skewers are all ready to go, they need to be popped into the oven (preheated) for an initial 15 mins. Let them bake during this time. Then use oven mits to remove the tray, set on a heat proof surface and rotate each kabob so that underside is up. You can use kitchen tongs for this or simply grab the ends of the skewers and flip to the other side. Place the tray back into the oven and cook for a further 15 mins. The total cook time for the recipe is 30 mins (woot woot and yum to follow that 😁).
🍽 Serving Suggestions
Once the kabobs are oven baked, it will be hard to stop your mouth watering whilst you turn them into a meal (😂❤ xo). I like to serve them with my Garlic Yogurt Sauce and for further sauce inspiration you can check out all of my homemade sauces.
Lemon wedges are a great way to dress them up, along with some fresh herbs.
If you want to add some carbs, pair with the Gravy Fries or Air Fryer Chips for a super simple option.
For a super fast and easy, convenient, almost meal prepped option, purchase some of those cooked rice and or cooked quinoa packets at the local Walmart, Tesco, Aldi, Woolies or Coles.
Pop it in the microwave and you have yourself a well rounded dish that took barely moments to bring together!
👍 How to Guide
How to Store
Store cooked skewers in a sealed air tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Or wrap with cling wrap if you don't have a container that is long enough.
How to Freeze
You can freeze the kabobs either raw or cooked and cooled.
If freezing raw, place in a flat row in a plastic container or zip lock bag. Also separate layers with plastic (freezer wrap).
How to Reheat
You can reheat kabobs in the oven, microwave or air fryer.
If using the microwave, keep an eye on them so the timber doesn't alight. Also keep in mind that you cannot place metal skewers into the microwave as they will park.
To reheat in the oven, use a moderate oven and cook for 10 mins.
The air fryer will reheat the fastest, only taking 5 to 7 mins.
You can reheat kabobs from frozen, however, thawing 1st will enable you to be aware of the temperature and not having to test multiple times to ensure that they are cooked through.
😉 Substitutions and Variations
Here are my sub in and outs that you might like to try when you make the recipe.
- You can use green capsicum (bell pepper) if you prefer.
- Add some red onion to the skewers as another vegetable.
- Pop some thickly sliced zucchini on there as another option.
- Switch out the pineapple and use a piece of cubed feta if you are after more protein and less of a sweet dish.
- Personally I find chicken breast less tender than chicken thighs, however, I do use it regularly just the same. If you want to use chicken breast instead of thighs, I won't hold it against you 😉.
🛎 Tasty Tips
Here are my top tips and tricks that I want to share with you so that you can master the recipe from the 1st attempt:
- If there is any tough white skin left on the chicken, cut this off as you are chopping the thighs into pieces.
- You will find timber skewers, metal skewers and silicon covered (for the hold bit) skewers. I recommend the timber skewers. They won't burn your fingers if you accidently touch them during the process and they are super cheap, like budget friendly, buy a bag and it lasts a year cheap. You can however, use your favourite type of skewer my friend.
- Preheat the oven, but only about 15 mins before cooking, not at the start as you want to marinate the chicken for 30 mins 1st.
- It is not essential to marinate the chicken (and refrigerate). However, you will get more full flavoured kabobs. So if you have time, take this step and if you are flat out, you can skip it.
- If any of the skewers splinter at the top when threading, discard and use another one.
- Drizzle some additional teriyaki sauce over the skewers for serving.
- Pop some sliced lemon wedges on the plate.
- Garnish with finely chopped parsley (from your garden if you grow it! (😍).
🤓 Frequently Asked Questions
Can you cook kabobs in an oven?
Yes, absolutely you can! Cooking kabobs in the oven is an easy and straight forward process.
How long does it take for kabobs to cook in the oven?
It will take 30 minutes to cook kabobs in the oven.
Cook for 15 mins, remove, rotate, then cook for a further 15 mins.
What temperature do you cook chicken kabobs?
Chicken kabobs are best cooked at 180 to 190 C (350–375 F). This is a reasonably standard oven temperature.
What's the best way to cook chicken kabobs?
The best way to cook chicken kabobs is to use the method that suits you the most.
If you are away for a weekend, you might not have access to an air fryer, so the BBQ might work better.
If the grill is tied up with hamburgers, popping them in the oven is a great way to get them cooked but not have to wait.
What goes good with chicken kabobs?
Chicken kabobs make a great dinner (or BBQ) and pair exceptionally well with a number of other ingredients. Try one of the following 7 serving suggestions:
- Chips
- Rice
- Quinoa
- Salad
- Coleslaw
- Mashed potatoes
- Roast potatoes
😍 More Easy Chicken Recipes
If Winner Winner Chicken Dinner is your thing, then here are some more recipes that you might like.
- Baked BBQ Chicken Thighs
- Air Fryer Roast Chicken
- Italian Herb Chicken Thighs
- Chicken Yaki Udon
- Asian Chicken Pizza
- Sweet Chilli Chicken Thighs
- Chicken Sausage Rolls
- Air Fryer Chicken Legs
- Air Fryer Honey BBQ Chicken Wings
All of my chicken recipes are in the one spot for your easy reference!
Adrianne xx
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📖 Recipe
Oven Chicken Kabobs
Equipment
- Medium sized mixing bowl
- 1 Glass jug
- 1 Mini whisk
- 1 Baking dish to soak the skewers
- Wooden skewers soaked for 30 mins
- 1 Spray cooking oil
- 1 Baking tray
- 1 Silicon Baking Mat
- 1 Wire Rack
- Kitchen Tongs
Ingredients
- 1 kg/2.2 pounds chicken thighs skinless, boneless, chopped into 1-2cm pieces
- 2 cups red capsicum seeds removed, chopped into 1-2cm pieces
- 2 cups pineapple pieces drained, not rinsed , 1 can
Marinade
- ½ cup honey
- ½ cup teriyaki sauce Note 1
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
Instructions
- See the 7th instruction in the recipe card below for oven temperature and timing. You need to marinate the chicken (optional, but worth it) to start and there is no need to have the oven on during this time.
- Marinade: add honey, teriyaki sauce, salt and pepper to a glass jug and use a mini whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Chicken: add chopped chicken thighs to medium sized mixing bowl. Pour marinade over to cover and use a wooden spoon to stir. Cover with cling wrap and place in fridge for 30 mins to marinade (optional, Note 2).
- Skewers: add wooden skewers to a baking dish, fill with water to cover skewers and set aside. Soak for 30 mins.
- Marinated chicken: remove chicken from fridge, discard cling wrap, pour into colander and let excess marinade drain. Transfer marinated chicken pieces back into mixing bowl.
- Threading: drain the water from the skewers. Have the pineapple pieces, capsicum and marinated chicken pieces in a line and work one skewer at a time threading chicken pieces and capsicum with pineapple. Repeat to use up all ingredients. Place chicken kebabs onto wire baking rack with tray underneath. Note 3
- Preheat the oven: preheat the oven to 180°C / 350-375°F / Gas Mark 4-5.
- Oven bake: place chicken kabobs into the oven and bake for 15 mins, remove, turn each skewer to the oven side and then place the tray back into the oven for a further 15 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy: once the 30 mins is up, the kebabs will be cooked. Use oven mits to remove the tray, place on heat proof surface and rest for 1 to 2 mins. Pair with rice or quinoa and fresh lemon wedges with finely chopped parsley over the top for garnish.
Notes
- Note 1 - Teriyaki sauce: You will find a variety of teriyaki sauces when at the shops. There are some that are thick, like an oyster sauce texture and labelled 'marinade'. Other versions are thin, labelled 'teriyaki sauce' and have the consistency of soy sauce. It is the latter version we want. If in doubt, when in the store, take the bottle and roll it around. The colour will be the same across a marinade bottle and a thin sauce bottle, however, you will noticeably be able to see that the sauce has a thin texture.
- Note 2 - Marinading time: if you are super flat out, like busy, busy, no time for anything, need to get dinner sorted stat, then you can skip this step. The recipe will still work and be tasty. If however, you have the time, it is worth it as marinading the chicken for 30 mins allows the flavour to develop and is truly delicious. Plus 30 mins goes pretty quickly and if you are soaking the skewers during this time, it will likely fly by!
- Note 3 - Silicon baking mat: you will see my technique in the instructions photos for cooking the skewers, yet minimising clean up time. By placing the silicon underneath the wire rack, not on top of it we achieve 2 things. 1 is that we allow the chicken to reach its most succulent, juicy potential, as it is lifted off a solid material and sits on the open grill like rack. The 2nd thing is that the juices from the kebabs will drip down onto this, when you are cleaning up, simply boil the kettle and pour that hot water over the top and it will slide right off. Ain't nobody got the time or desire to stand and scrub the baking dish when there are kabobs to be devoured!!
- Note - Portion size: the recipe will make at least 12 kabobs. I do a 2 skewers per person portion size.
Nutrition
Recipe published September 2022, updated in October 2022 with more tasty tips for you 🥰!
Belinda says
Wow another great one. They look so good. Will add these to the list to try. Thank-you.
Adrianne says
Thanks Belinda! I hope you enjoy it, it is a favourite recipe of mine 🙂 .
Bonnie Kyle says
Yum, we made these for dinner and everyone enjoyed them, so easy thanks.
Adrianne says
Thanks Bonnie, I am happy to hear that! Thanks for the feedback.
Erin Turner says
These are delicious! We will make them again for sure.
Adrianne says
Great to hear Erin, thanks for your feedback!