Honey soy chicken and vegetable kebabs

Who doesn't love a good chicken kebab!? With plenty of vegetables, these work really well when wrapped in a flatbread with some lettuce leaves, or served alongside a salad.

The perfect option for a lazy summer BBQ, they don't take too long to marinade - as little as an hour. Made with tender chicken breast and a variety of veggies (and pineapple!), these are very popular with my kids and always get cleaned up.

Honey soy kebab ingredients

• Red and green capsicum/bell pepper
• Soy sauce - preferably light Chinese.
• Pineapple - half a pineapple is what you need with the default recipe. It won't work with canned pineapple because it falls off the skewers.
• Honey - any type is fine.
• Garlic - as always, don't use the stuff out of a jar. Mince it freshly.
• Red onion
• Zucchini
• Chicken - the recipe uses chicken breasts but feel free to sub for thigh if you'd prefer.
• White pepper and chilli/red pepper flakes - not pictured, but add a complementary flavour that works well. Leave it out if you'd prefer.

How to make honey soy kebabs

1. Prepare vegetables - you want to get everything about the same size so that it cooks evenly and looks the part. A good size is about 1.5cm cubes/squares.
   Onion & capsicum - cut into squares.
   Zucchini - halve or quarter and then slice, depending on the diameter.
   Garlic - mince it with a garlic press or using a knife.
   Pineapple - halve and cut into strips about 1.5cm wide. Remove the exterior skin and cut into cubes.

   

2. Prepare the chicken - cut the chicken into cubes and remove any skin, sinew, bones, etc that may be present.

   

3. Add to bowl - add the onion, capsicum/bell peppers, zucchini, garlic, pineapple and chicken to a large bowl, along with the white pepper and chilli/red pepper flakes (if using) (1). Stir well to combine (2) and place in the fridge to marinade for at least an hour, up to a maximum of 8 hours.

   

4. Make skewers - place the chicken and vegetables onto skewers.

   

5. Grill - you can cook under a broiler (aka grill in Australia), in a pan or on a BBQ.

   

6. Serve with flatbread or over rice along with a side salad.

How long should I marinade the chicken for?

Give the chicken at least an hour to marinade, up to a maximum of 8. I've found that longer marinades don't work well because the acidity of the soy & honey causes the chicken to partially cook and thusly fall apart.

This tastes plenty good after an hour so don't feel that you have to do a long marinade.

What other vegetables could I put on the skewers?

Some other ideas for vegetables on the skewers:

• Eggplant
• Cherry tomatoes
• Chillis - use whatever your heat tolerance allows
• Mushroom

Metal or wooden skewers?

I prefer to use metal skewers, for a few reasons.

1. They're reusable.
2. They heat up and conduct heat into the the middle of the chicken, helping it to cook faster.
3. You don't need to plan ahead and soak them.
4. They won't fall apart.

If all you have is wooden skewers you'll be fine, but make sure you soak them for at least an hour before using them.

Honey soy chicken kebabs

Unrated

Sam Knight

BBQ Kebab Chicken breast Marinaded

Prep	Cook	Total
15 mins	15 mins	90 mins

Makes 10 kebabs

Perfect for summer grilling, these chicken & vegetable kebabs feature pineapple and a sweet and salty honey soy marinade.

• 1 red capsicum/bell pepper, cut into squares
• 1 green capsicum/bell pepper, cut into squares
• 1 red onion, cut into squares
• 1/2 pineapple, skin removed, cut into cubes
• 1 zucchini, cut into cubes
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 600g chicken breast or thigh, if you prefer
• 3/4 tsp white pepper
• 1/2 tsp chilli flakes aka red pepper flakes, or to taste, optional
• 100ml honey
• 125ml (1/2 cup) soy sauce preferably light Chinese

Steps

1. Add ingredients - add the capsicum, pineapple, zucchini, garlic, chicken and onion to a bowl along with the white pepper and chilli flakes (if using). Add the honey and soy sauce and stir well to combine.
2. Marinate - cover and place in the fridge to marinate for at least an hour, up to a maximum of 8. See note regarding marination time for more detail.
3. Make skewers Thread the ingredients onto skewers.
4. Cook on a BBQ, under a grill (or broiler) or in a pan.
5. Serve with a side salad.

Notes

1. Vegetable size - keep the vegetables and pineapple cut in approximately the same size. You want around 1.5-2cm squares/cubes.
2. Marination time - minimum of 1 hour, maximum of 8. Exceeding this will cause a loss of quality because the chicken will denature due to the acidity of the soy and honey.
3. Leftover raw chicken & vegetables? These stir fry really well; cook in a wok and serve over rice.
4. Serving suggestion - flatbread or rice, along with a salad. Use kewpie mayonnaise, sweet chilli sauce or a sesame dressing for a dipping or drizzling sauce.