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    🏠Home » Recipes » Chicken Recipes

    Buttermilk Ranch Chicken Kabobs

    Feb 21, 2020 | Last Updated Apr 15, 2021 by Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan

    Recipe Table of Contents    
    5 from 4 votes

    Delicious buttermilk ranch chicken kabobs will become a summer favorite on your grill for an easy summer dinner the whole family will love. With tender and favorable pieces of chicken, these chicken skewers will even make the picky eater happy.

    chicken kabobs cooked on plate

    Table of Contents
    • 🐓The Chicken
    • 🥣The Marinade
    • ♨️The Grill/Oven
    • ✔️Tips
    • 📖Kabob Recipes
    • 🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
    • 📖Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

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    Introduction

    I love kabobs, and they are great for cooking for two. You can control the amount cook more for leftovers and salads. But most importantly, the side dish is always a veggie kabob that cooks at the same time.

    Start with a marinade of kicked up buttermilk and ranch seasoning. While I don't usually use commercial "seasoning" mixes, I make an exception for the ranch, which is just too hard to duplicate.

    My Rating

    My rating system of a 4 out of 5 so very nice.

    A nice solid 4. Some nice ranch taste and the buttermilk did its job keeping them moist.

    🐓The Chicken

    This is a skinless boneless chicken breast recipe, but chicken thighs would be a great substitute. Both are safe at 165° internal temperature, but I like my thigh meat to reach 180° or a bit more for tenderness. That is overcooked for breast meat. So if using thigh meat, cook a bit longer, and your final internal temperature needs to be higher.

    🥣The Marinade

    This is a fairly simple marinade. I generally don't use things like dried Ranch Dressing powder, but it brings a lot of taste and is the base for this recipe.

    You can use straight ranch dressing. Replace the powder and the buttermilk with ¼ cup of the liquid dressing.

    The buttermilk does bring both tenderizing and flavor to the marinade. But if you use the liquid dressing, pick a buttermilk version. The vinegar in the marinade can handle the tenderizing.

    The other seasoning of note is the thyme, but you can use the same amount of rosemary if you wish. Your taste preference entirely.

    ♨️The Grill/Oven

    Like all good chicken recipes, this uses a grill surface temperature of about 450°. That is about medium or slightly above on most gas grills. On charcoal grills, it is not over the raging coals. For more information on grill temperature, please see A Beginners Guide to Grill Temperature on a Gas Grill.

    No Grill, No Problem: You can just pop them in the oven on a tray at 450° for about 20 minutes. As always, you are cooking to a final internal temperature and not by time alone. Time varies by the oven, the tray, and size of chicken chunks.

    ✔️Tips

    Skewers

    I usually use metal skewers, but wood is fine. You must soak them in water before using so they don't burn (yes, they will burn). A warm water soak of 15-30 minutes will do.

    Vegetable Kabobs

    If cooked on separate kabobs, the standard onion and bell peppers will cook a bit faster than the chicken. But if mixed in with the chicken, they will take about the same time.

    So cook with the chicken or separately but give a good brush of oil before cooking. This is only the bell peppers and onion.

    Some vegetables will require different cooking times. A good example would be potatoes that take much longer. So you need to be aware of the needed cooking times for your vegetables.

    Storage

    Good refrigerated for 3-4 days and makes great salad toppings. You can freeze for a few months.

    📖Kabob Recipes

    Marinated Steak Kabobs

    Easy Beef Kabobs

    Honey Garlic Chicken Kabobs

    30 Minute BBQ Chicken Kabobs

    This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.

    Chicken Breast Recipes, Chicken Recipes, Grill Recipes
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    🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions

    raw chicken breasts with buttermilk and seasonings

    Skinless boneless chicken breast are usually used for this recipe but thighs are fine, but will need to cook to 180° to be tender.

    chicken cut into cubes on red board

    Trim and cut two skinless boneless chicken breasts into 1-inch chunks.

    marinade in bowl
    Double marinade in the picture. I have adjusted the recipe now for less waste.

    Marinade: 2 tablespoons olive oil, ¼ cup buttermilk, 2 teaspoons powdered ranch dressing mix, 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, ¼ teaspoon lemon juice, ¼ teaspoon vinegar, ¼ teaspoon thyme or rosemary. You can substitute liquid buttermilk ranch dressing for the buttermilk and ranch powder.

    marinade in bowl with chicken cubes

    Cover the chicken with marinade and refrigerate for 30 minutes minimum but a few hours is better. If doing a larger amount of chicken, use a gallon size zip-lock bag. For smaller amounts, a bowl will do.

    grill surface thermometer

    Preheat grill. You want to get the surface temperature to 450° or so—medium-high on most grills. On my grill that is medium, but mine is super hot. Clean and oil the grill, also.

    raw chicken on skewers_

    Thread the chicken onto skewers and discard the marinade. I used metal skewers. If using wood, you should soak them in water for 15-30 minutes or they will catch on fire.

    raw chicken on skewers on grill

    Place over direct heat and turn every 5 minutes until an internal temperature of 165°. 15-20 minutes dependent on the grill and chicken size.

    chicken kabobs cooked with some vegetables on plate
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    📖Recipe

    chicken kabobs cooked on plate

    Buttermilk Ranch Chicken Kabobs

    From Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
    Delicious buttermilk ranch chicken kabobs will become a summer favorite on your grill for an easy summer dinner the whole family will love. With tender and favorable pieces of chicken, these chicken skewers will even make the picky eater happy.
    Tap to leave a Rating
    5 from 4 votes
    Print Email CollectionCollected
    Prep Time: 40 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour
    Servings #/Adjust if desired 2

    Ingredients

    • 2 skinless boneless chicken breasts

    Marinade

    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • ¼ cup buttermilk
    • 2 teaspoons powdered ranch dressing mix - ½ package
    • ¼ cup buttermilk ranch dressing - substitute for the buttermilk and ranch powder
    • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ¼ teaspoon pepper
    • ¼ teaspoon lemon juice
    • ¼ teaspoon vinegar
    • ¼ teaspoon thyme - or rosemary

    Instructions

    • Trim and cut two skinless boneless chicken breasts into 1-inch chunks.
    • Marinade: 2 tablespoons olive oil, ¼ cup buttermilk, 2 teaspoons powdered ranch dressing mix, 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, ¼ teaspoon lemon juice, ¼ teaspoon vinegar, ¼ teaspoon thyme or rosemary.  You can substitute liquid buttermilk ranch dressing for the buttermilk and ranch powder.
    • Cover the chicken with marinade and refrigerate for 30 minutes minimum but a few hours is better. If doing a larger amount of chicken, use a gallon size zip-lock bag. For smaller amounts, a bowl will do.
    • Preheat grill. You want to get the surface temperature to 450° or so—medium-high on most grills. On my grill that is medium, but mine is super hot. Clean and oil the grill, also.
    • Thread the chicken onto skewers and discard the marinade. I used metal skewers. If using wood, you should soak them in water for 15-30 minutes or they will catch on fire.
    • Place over direct heat and turn every 5 minutes until an internal temperature of 165°. 15-20 minutes dependent on the grill and chicken size.
    See the step-by-step photos in the post. Some recipes have an option to display the photos here with a switch above these instructions but the photos DO NOT print.

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    Recipe Notes

    Pro Tips

    1. Chicken thighs work fine but cook to a final internal temperature of 180° or a bit more. It will take longer.
    2. You can use liquid buttermilk ranch dressing in this recipe. Replace the ranch powder and the buttermilk with ½ cup of the dressing.
    3. The marinade is enough for a double recipe. You can cut it down if you want.
    4. Marinade for at least 30 minutes but 2-3 hours is better.
    5. If you are using wooden skewers make sure you soak them for 15-30 minutes.
    6. As will all grilled chicken, the grill surface temperature is critical to success. It needs to be in the 450° range.
    7. No Grill, No Problem: You can just pop them in the oven on a tray at 450° for about 20 minutes. As always, you are cooking to a final internal temperature and not by time alone.
    8. For the veggies: The standard onion and bell peppers can be mixed in the kabob with the chicken and cook with it. Or if done separately, they will cook faster- about 10-12 minutes. Give them a good coat of oil either way. Other vegetables are up to you but cooking time is variable with other vegetables.
    9. Good refrigerated for 3-4 days and great on salads. You could also freeze the cooked meat for 3-4 months but that will dry it some.

    To adjust the recipe size:

    You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.

    Nutrition Estimate

    Calories : 131 kcal (7%) | Carbohydrates : 1 g | Protein : 24 g (48%) | Fat : 3 g (5%) | Saturated Fat : 1 g (5%) | Cholesterol : 73 mg (24%) | Sodium : 193 mg (8%) | Potassium : 418 mg (12%) | Sugar : 1 g (1%) | Vitamin A : 34 IU (1%) | Vitamin C : 1 mg (1%) | Calcium : 6 mg (1%) | Iron : 1 mg (6%)
    Serving size is my estimate of a normal size unless stated otherwise. The number of servings per recipe is stated above. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.
    Course : Main Course
    Cuisine : American

    © 101 Cooking for Two, LLC. All content and photographs are copyright protected by us or our vendors. While we appreciate your sharing our recipes, please realize copying, pasting, or duplicating full recipes to any social media, website, or electronic/printed media is strictly prohibited and a violation of our copyrights.

    Originally Published April 26, 2014. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Corey

      June 22, 2019 at 3:01 pm

      5 stars
      I love this grilled chicken!! It’s versatile — I serve it with grilled veggies, rice pilaf, and a salad or throw the chunks in a Pita with a drizzle of Tzatziki sauce or just serve on top of a Greek Salad. Anyway you eat it, it’s delicious and easy!!

      Reply
    2. Elena

      May 30, 2018 at 4:30 pm

      Very nice recipe. I am making it for the third time already and absolutely love it.

      Reply
    3. Kimberly

      June 15, 2014 at 4:48 pm

      Did this yesterday. Best. Grilled. Chicken. Ever. Husband says it was totally "top notch restaurant quality". Will be doing this V often. Thanks! Love your blog & recipies!! :)

      Reply
      • DrDan

        June 15, 2014 at 6:40 pm

        Thanks for the note
        DrDan

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