These beginner-friendly honey garlic chicken skewers are an easy way to put a flavorful dinner on the table. An easy marinade makes tender chicken and colorful vegetables for a complete meal on one skewer.
❓ Quick Answer: What Is Honey Garlic Chicken Marinade?
Honey garlic chicken marinade uses just 5 ingredients to make one of the best sweet and savory marinades for chicken skewers (kabobs).
- Ingredients: Honey, soy sauce, garlic, olive oil, and black pepper.
- How long to marinate: 30 minutes to 2 hours for the best flavor.
Jump To (scroll for more)
- TL;DR — Recipe Summary
- 🐓 Ingredients
- 👨🍳 Quick Overview: Honey Garlic Chicken Skewers
- 🥣 Why This Honey Garlic Chicken Marinade Works
- 🧑🍳 Tips for Perfect Chicken Skewers
- 🔥 How to Cook Honey Garlic Chicken Skewers in the Oven
- ❓ FAQs
- 🍽️ Serving Suggestions
- 🥡 Storing Leftovers
- 🍢 More Kabob Recipes to Try
- 📖The Recipe Card
Featured Comment by Patty:
"As expected, this was delicious!! "
TL;DR — Recipe Summary
What: Honey garlic chicken skewers with a simple 5-ingredient marinade, colorful bell peppers and onions, cooked on the grill or in the oven.
Why: The honey caramelizes into a flavorful glaze while the soy sauce and garlic help keep the chicken juicy and tender.
How: Marinate for 30 minutes to 2 hours, thread the chicken and vegetables onto skewers, then grill or bake until the chicken reaches 165°F.
🐓 Ingredients
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts – Trimmed and cut into 1-inch chunks
- Bell peppers – Any color; a mix adds more color and flavor
- Red onion – Cut into chunks
Honey Garlic Marinade
- Olive oil – For moisture and flavor
- Low-sodium soy sauce – Adds umami without too much salt
- Honey – Balances the savory with sweetness
- Garlic – Fresh or crushed cloves
- Black pepper – Just enough seasoning
Optional Vegetables
- Cherry tomatoes – Use separate skewers—they cook faster than chicken
- Zucchini – Cut into thick rounds or half-moons
- Mushrooms – Whole or halved; soak up marinade well
👨🍳 Quick Overview: Honey Garlic Chicken Skewers
1. Prepare chicken and vegetables
Chop bell peppers and red onions into chunks. Trim and cut chicken breasts into 1-inch pieces.
2. Marinate
Add chicken and veggies to a ZipLock bag or bowl. Add olive oil, soy sauce, honey, black pepper, and crushed garlic. Mix well and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 2 hours.
3. Assemble the skewers
Preheat the grill to a surface temperature of 450°–500°F. Thread the chicken and veggies onto skewers.
✅ Pro Tip: The chicken and veggies should touch but not squish together for best cooking.
4. Grill
Cook over direct heat, turning every 5–6 minutes. Grill until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F—about 12–15 minutes total.
✅ Pro Tip: Chicken must be cooked to a safe internal temperature of 165°F, according to the USDA. Use a meat thermometer to check the thickest pieces near the center of the skewers.
5. Serve
Remove from the grill and serve hot.
👇 Scroll down for the printable recipe card and complete step-by-step photo instructions—or keep reading for tips, veggie options, and serving ideas.
🥣 Why This Honey Garlic Chicken Marinade Works
This easy honey garlic chicken marinade uses just five pantry ingredients that work together for juicy, flavorful chicken skewers (kabobs).
- Honey caramelizes into a light honey glaze.
- Soy sauce adds savory flavor and salt.
- Garlic gives the marinade its classic flavor.
- Olive oil helps coat the chicken and vegetables evenly.
- Marinating 30 minutes to 2 hours gives plenty of flavor—longer isn't needed.
This honey garlic marinade also works well with boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, pork tenderloin, and shrimp.
🧑🍳 Tips for Perfect Chicken Skewers
👉 Use the Right Skewers
✅ Pro Tip: Metal skewers help chicken cook evenly by conducting heat into the center of each piece.
Wood skewers are fine, too—just soak them in warm water for 15–30 minutes so they don’t burn. (Yes, they will burn.)
👉 Best Vegetables for Chicken Skewers (Kabobs)
If you mix bell peppers and onions with the chicken on the same skewer, they’ll cook at about the same rate—so no need to separate them unless you prefer it.
If you’re using slower-cooking vegetables like potatoes or thick chunks of carrot, they’ll take much longer and should go on separate skewers or be pre-cooked.
Cherry tomatoes cook quickly and often burst—use separate skewers or skip them entirely.
Save this recipe!
Enter your email address and we'll send the link straight to your inbox!
🔥 How to Cook Honey Garlic Chicken Skewers in the Oven
No grill? No problem. You can bake the skewers on a tray at 450°F for about 15 minutes. The honey caramelizes as they cook, giving them a delicious, glossy honey glaze.
✅ Pro Tip: Just like on the grill, cook chicken to an internal temperature of 165°F for food safety.
Oven times can vary depending on your pan, oven, and how big your chicken pieces are—start checking early.
The same honey garlic marinade works just as well in the oven, creating juicy chicken skewers with a caramelized honey glaze.
❓ FAQs
Yes, this honey garlic chicken skewers recipe works with either breasts or thighs.
Just be sure to cook them to a final internal temperature of 185°F for the best texture. Thighs will take longer than breasts, so I recommend putting them on separate skewers to prevent the vegetables from overcooking or burning.
Any grill where you can control the temperature will work. Gas, charcoal, and pellet grills all cook these honey garlic chicken skewers well. Aim for a grill surface temperature of 450°–500°F and cook the chicken to 165°F.
For more on managing grill temps, check out my guide to Grill Temperature.
Yes, but don’t overdo the marinating. The chicken only needs 30 minutes to 2 hours in the marinade—longer than that, and the texture can suffer. If you want to get ahead, chop the chicken and veggies earlier in the day, store them separately in the fridge, and marinate closer to cook time. You can also assemble the skewers up to an hour in advance and keep them chilled until grilling.
“Yes. Bake at 450°F for about 15 minutes, or until the chicken reaches 165°F. It’s the same honey garlic chicken skewers recipe, and the honey caramelizes in the oven into a glossy honey glaze.”
🍽️ Serving Suggestions
These skewers go with just about any summer side. Try them with:
- Simple Spinach Salad
- Grilled Mixed Vegetables
- Grilled Baby Red Potatoes
- Cold Macaroni Salad
- Microwave Corn on the Cob or Grilled Corn
Easy to scale up for a cookout or serve as a no-fuss dinner for two.
🥡 Storing Leftovers
Refrigerate leftover chicken and vegetables in an airtight container for up to 3 days. You can freeze the cooked chicken for up to 3 months, but skip freezing the vegetables—they don’t hold up well after thawing.
🍢 More Kabob Recipes to Try
Make it a kabob summer with more easy, flavorful skewers:
- Steak Kabob Marinade – Bold flavor for sirloin, strip steak, or your favorite cut
- Easy Beef Kabobs – Classic and customizable for grill nights
- BBQ Chicken Kabobs – Sweet, smoky, and saucy
- Buttermilk Ranch Chicken Kabobs – Tender and tangy with a creamy twist
Perfect if you're cooking for two or feeding a backyard crowd.
📖The Recipe Card
Honey Garlic Chicken Skewers with Honey Garlic Marinade
Ingredients
- 2 skinless boneless chicken breasts - 1½ to 2 pounds
- 2 bell peppers, any color
- 2 medium red onion
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup soy sauce - Low Sodium
- ¼ cup honey
- 4 cloves garlic
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Step-by-Step Instructions
Prepare chicken and vegetables
- Prep two peppers (any color) and two medium red onions. Chop into chunks.
- Trim two skinless boneless chicken breasts and chop them into 1-inch cubes.
Marinate
- Add the chicken and veggies to a one-gallon ZipLock bag or bowl. Add ¼ cup of olive oil, ¼ cup of low-sodium soy sauce, and ¼ cup of honey. Add ½ teaspoon of black pepper and 4 cloves of crushed garlic. Seal the bag and mix well. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to 2 hours.
Assemble the skewers
- Place meat and veggies on kabob skewers. Metal skewers preferred, but soaked wood skewers will work.
Grill
- Preheat the grill to a surface temperature of 450°–500°F.
- Grill over direct heat, turning every 5–6 minutes, until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F—about 12–15 minutes total.
Serve
- Remove from the grill and serve hot.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- A very easy recipe to scale up or down to the amount you need.
- If using chicken thighs, cook to a final internal temperature of 185°F for the best texture. Keep vegetables on separate skewers to avoid burning
- I prefer metal skewers since they will transfer heat to the center of the chicken.
- You can use wooden skewers, but be sure to soak them in water for about 30 minutes to prevent them from catching on fire.
- The grill surface temperature should be in the 450°-500°F range.
- Always cook chicken to a minimum of 165°F (per USDA guidelines).
- You can also bake these in an oven—about 15 minutes at 450°F.
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You can adjust the number of servings above; however, only the amount in the ingredient list is adjusted, not the instructions.
Nutrition Estimate (may vary)
Originally published April 24, 2016. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Susan says
Would it be advantageous to brine the chicken first?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Susan,
The soy sauce (even the low sodium) has lots of salt already. It acts a little like a brine. So I wouldn't bother.
Dan
Patty says
As expected this was delicious!! I've found its easier & less messy to put everything on the skewers before I marinating. Depending on how big I'm making them I may have to marinade in a pan instead of a bag. Thanks for your great recipes!!
DrDan says
I have a tupperware container specifically made for marinading. But I had something else in it plus I try to do a technique the readers can follow, so the bag won. So you don't like chicken stuff on your fingers....
Thanks so much for the note.
Dan
Jual Genset says
Hmm so tasty, thank you for share this recipe, so i can try it at home.
Cindy says
Sounds delicious as many of your recipes. I see in the photo looks like you are grilling small potatoes in the pan next to the skewers. Do you have a recipe for those? I never know whether to parboil or not and seasonings. Thank you!
DrDan says
Hi Cindy, Thanks for the comment.
The potatoes are something my wife brought home are called "tiny potatoes". They are white skinned and about 1 inch to a little less. No real instructions came with them so I made it up. Since I was controlling the surface temp in this recipe at 450, think of it as an oven. So I coated with olive oil and gave them a good coating of my 7:2:2 (see Food FAQs in the menu). Into a grill pan and stir when I flipped the kabobs every 6-7 minutes. At about 15 minutes I added a couple of cut up squash. Cook another 10-15 minutes and everything was done just as the kabobs were done. I know somebody was going to ask.
DrDan