Best Ever Balsamic Grilled Chicken Kabobs

These balsamic grilled chicken kabobs are packed full of flavorful chicken and colorful veggies marinated in my rich, tangy balsamic chicken marinade. They’re truly the best for summer grilling. The sugar in the balsamic and honey caramelizes as these grilled chicken kabobs cook, giving the chicken and veggies a perfect char. 

If you’re looking for an easy grilled chicken skewer recipe for summer dinners, cookouts, and gatherings, these need to be on your radar! Also, try my chicken pineapple kabobs and Mediterranean chicken kabobs.

Why These Grilled Chicken Kabobs Are a Hit

• Easy marinade. My homemade balsamic marinade is super simple and tasty, made with only 5 ingredients. No more dry, flavorless kabobs at the cookout.
• Great for grilling season. I’ll show you how to make the best grilled chicken kabobs this summer.
• Customizable veggies. Of course, you can change up the veggies for these kabobs, the marinade, and serving suggestions as you’d like. There’s more than one way to enjoy a juicy chicken kabob hot off the grill!

Ingredients Needed

The ingredients for these chicken vegetable kabobs are fresh, easy, and perfect for summer grilling! I cover the key ingredients below, along with some notes. Scroll down to the recipe card for a printable list with the full recipe amounts.

• Boneless skinless chicken breasts – I like to use boneless, skinless chicken breast. I prefer the whiter meat, and I find that breasts are easier to cut into uniform pieces for more predictable grill times. However, you could use boneless, skinless chicken thighs if you love the fat and flavor of dark meat. Cut the fat away, then cut the chicken into larger 1″ chunks so that they are ready to marinate or be skewered.
• Bell Peppers – I like to use chopped red and yellow peppers, but any color works.
• Red onion – You could also use yellow onion or white onion, cut into cubes.
• Cherry tomatoes – Cherry or grape tomatoes are sweet and juicy, perfect for grilling. You could use larger tomatoes and slice them in half.
• Squash – Yellow summer squash and zucchini. You can also use pattypan squash!

For the Balsamic Marinade

• Balsamic vinegar – I always choose Balsamic vinegar of Modena or Reggio Emilia, which are quality-protected. If you don’t have balsamic, you could use another vinegar with a sweeter profile, like apple cider vinegar.
• Olive oil – Like the vinegar, I recommend a good-quality extra virgin olive oil.
• Dijon mustard – The flavor is milder than yellow mustard, though yellow or brown mustard would work here, too, in a pinch.
• Honey – You could also use maple syrup.
• Basil – Dried is fine, or you can use finely chopped fresh basil. You’ll need three times the amount of fresh basil as dried.

Best Vegetables for Chicken Kabobs

The goal when putting together grilled vegetable kabobs is to choose veggies that cook quickly, ideally at the same rate as the other veggies on the skewer. My favorite summer vegetables for grilling include:

• Bell peppers
• Red onion
• Cherry tomatoes
• Zucchini
• Mushrooms
• Asparagus

If you’d like to use vegetables with longer cooking times, like carrots, beets, or potatoes, you’ll need to pre-cook the vegetables until tender before they go onto the skewers.

How to Make Balsamic Grilled Chicken Kabobs

Marinating the chicken for these balsamic grilled chicken kabobs is key. It infuses every bite of your kabobs with flavor and tenderizes the meat. Afterward, the kabobs cook quickly on the grill.

Marinate the Chicken

The marinade is the most important step of this recipe. You can marinate the chicken with any of my favorite marinades for grilling. Just don’t skip it! My go-to balsamic marinade for chicken is as follows.

1. Combine the ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together balsamic vinegar with Dijon mustard, honey, dried (or fresh) basil, salt, and pepper. Slowly add in the olive oil while whisking the entire time.
2. Marinate the chicken. Add 3/4 of the marinade to a bowl with the chicken pieces. Stir to make sure all the chicken is coated. Then, cover with plastic wrap and marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes, and up to 1 day ahead. Save the unused marinade for later.

Assemble and Grill the Kabobs

I like having all of the components for my kabobs cut up and lined up in the order they will appear on the skewers ahead of time. This makes assembly quick and easy.

1. Prepare the vegetables. While the chicken is marinating, chop your red pepper, yellow pepper, red onion, yellow squash, and zucchini. Wash and dry the cherry tomatoes.
2. Thread the kabobs. Next, take the marinated chicken out of the fridge. Thread the chicken pieces onto skewers, alternating with the veggies, until everything is used up.
3. Grill. Grill these kabobs for 3-4 minutes per side, basting with the leftover marinade, until they’re juicy and charred. The biggest thing to remember when grilling is that if your protein “sticks” to your grill when you’re trying to flip, it’s not ready to flip. Leave it for another minute or two, then flip. Let your grilled chicken skewers rest for 5-10 minutes after they’ve left the grill. This gives the juices inside the meat a chance to redistribute. Enjoy!

Can I Make Chicken Kabobs Ahead of Time?

Yes! As mentioned, you can marinate the chicken up to 1 day in advance. I’ll usually chop the vegetables, too, and store them in a separate container in the fridge so they’re ready to assemble.

You can also thread the ingredients onto the skewers, and seal the kabobs in a Ziplock bag to keep in the refrigerator several hours before grilling. Refrigerate the reserved marinade in a separate airtight container.

Tips for the Best Grilled Chicken Kabobs

• Start with a clean, well-oiled grill. Otherwise, your kabobs are likely to stick to the grate and/or take on the flavors of whatever you were grilling last. Clean the grate with a grill brush and use cooking spray or an olive oil-soaked rag to grease it up.
• Cut the chicken and vegetables into even-sized pieces. Make sure the kabob ingredients are cut into similar 1-2” cubes. Larger pieces are easier to skewer, and they’ll cook more evenly if they’re all the same size.
• Soak wooden skewers. Wooden bamboo skewers are great because they make for super easy cleanup afterward. You’ll need to soak wooden skewers for at least 30 minutes before assembling the kabobs. This ensures your bamboo skewer doesn’t go up in flames on the hot grill.
• Don’t overcrowd the skewers. Make sure the skewers are full, but not tightly packed, or the contents will steam instead of char.
• Baste the chicken. Reserve half of your marinade to baste the kebabs as they grill. It really enhances the flavor of the chicken and livens up the veggies, too.

Frequently Asked Questions

What to Serve With Balsamic Grilled Chicken Kabobs

Juicy grilled chicken kabobs are great on their own but even better when paired with grilled corn on the cob, a classic potato salad, or a paloma cocktail at the BBQ! Here are some more of my favorite summer side dishes to go with grilled chicken:

• Pasta salad. Try an Italian pasta salad or Mediterranean orzo pasta salad.
• Rice. Serve these chicken skewers over a bed of jasmine rice or cilantro lime rice.
• Summer salads. Serve with this cucumber tomato feta salad or a classic Caesar salad. The balsamic flavors also pair well with a watermelon feta salad or prosciutto and melon salad.
• Grilled veggies. Pair these kabobs with more veggies, like grilled zucchini.

How to Store and Reheat Leftovers

• Refrigerate. When storing grilled chicken kabobs, remove the cooled chicken and veggies from the skewers and store them in an airtight container. They’ll stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
• Reheating grilled chicken. You can warm up the grilled chicken and vegetables under foil in a 350ºF oven for about 20 minutes, or in the microwave.

More Grilling Recipes

• Grilled Beef Kabobs
• Honey Garlic Grilled Shrimp
• BBQ Chicken
• Grilled Whole Chicken
• Grilled Lemon Pepper Salmon