You can make smokey, juicy chicken kebabs on the stovetop – no grill needed! A flavorful marinade and cast iron skillet is all you need; perfect for a weeknight dinner that feels like a weekend barbecue.
I absolutely love making chicken kebabs on the grill – the smokey charred protein pairs so well with so many of my favorite vegetable side dishes (such as Greek salad, roasted eggplant, or a spread with hummus, grilled veggies, and warm pita).
However, I don’t always want to fire up the grill, especially on a weekday, so I wanted to find a way to get the same delicious effect on the stovetop. A hot enough cast iron pan does a great job mimicking grill grates, and while you definitely should turn on your oven fan to suck up the smoke, it’s worth it for the resulting juicy-yet-crispy perfectly cooked chicken.
Tools for stovetop kebabs
To make stovetop kebabs you just need a couple of key kitchen tools.
A cast iron skillet is key, as it’s able to get hot enough to mimic the grill without damage to the pan. The texture of the surface also allows for the outside of the chicken to get well charred.
Wooden or metal skewers are what take this dish from grilled chicken to kebabs. It’s key to note that the skewers need to be able to fit flush inside of your pan (so the chicken makes full contact with the bottom of the pan). For this reason I like to use wooden skewers because I can cut them to fit inside my pan perfectly.
The best chicken for kebabs
I recommend using boneless, skinless chicken thighs for these kebabs – they have the most flavor and have the least tendency to dry out when cooked for longer over high heat.
You can also use chicken breasts, however the outside may dry out a bit as this cut is not made for high heat cooking.
Chicken kebab marinade
Another trick for the most flavorful chicken is to marinade it for at least 30 minutes, and up to 24 hours. Not only does it get infused with flavor, but the acid helps keep the chicken moist and tender while cooking. The following is my favorite marinade that gives so much flavor, but is flexible enough to pair with many different types of side dishes:
- 3 clove garlic, minced
- 1 t oregano
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 t salt
- 2 T olive oil
Cooking kebabs on the stovetop
When cooking your kebabs on the stovetop, to get the perfect char on the outside the chicken needs to be added to a hot pan, so the chicken sizzles when it comes into contact with the pan’s surface.
You then rotate the chicken every 3-4 minutes, getting the perfect char on all sides.
I hope you try these awesome stovetop chicken kebabs – if you do, don’t forget to snap a pic and share to Instagram tagging @serialhomecooking, and leave a review below! xo
