Sweet and Tangy Honey Lime Chicken Skewers Belong on Your Grill This Week

There are so many times when I finish up a long day of work and wish for something easy to prepare.

Sometimes you don’t want to chop, dice, saute, bake, or roast at the end of the day, you know?

Instead, I want to throw something quick and delicious on some fire and have dinner on the table in less than 20 minutes. It’s on those days that I turn to the collection of recipes that make my life easier.

And that includes this one right here.

When it comes to the easiest way to cook in the summer, it’s obviously grilling. Not only is it simple to heat up a grill, no matter what kind of grill you have, it doesn’t heat up your entire house as you blast the AC, attempting to battle the 100+ degree weather outside.

Grilling also happens to be a pretty passive cooking method, allowing you to occasionally check in on whatever you are cooking without babysitting it the way you have to do with other more involved recipes.

That’s why most summer evenings you’ll find me hanging out on the back patio with a chilled glass of white wine, grilling up some delicious meats that I marinated throughout the day while I was at work.

That’s exactly why I am sharing this honey lime chicken skewer recipe with you. It’s easy to master, and you’ll find yourself wanting to make it each week.

It all starts with a flavorful marinade that’s full of sweet, tangy, and herbaceous notes. The honey paired with fresh lime zest and lime juice is mixed with fresh cilantro to enhance the flavor of the poultry as you cook it.

I know that cooking in the morning may not be your favorite thing to do, but all you have to do is cube the meat, assemble the marinade, cover it, and let it sit in the refrigerator until you are ready to grill.

It’s a simple weeknight dinner solution that you will not be able to resist. I love to serve these skewers over a bed of rice, but there are multiple serving options you can turn to:

Try grilling up some seasonal vegetables to pair with it, or even think about chopping up the chicken and serving the meat in tortillas for succulent grilled tacos.

Experiment with pairing the skewers with different salsas and hot sauces to dip in each time you make it, so it’s something unique and flavorful over and over and over again.

This is also an incredibly easy recipe to scale up if you want to make it for a party. If you are having a gathering, simply double, triple, or quadruple to recipe to accommodate the amount of people you have coming over.

Instead of sticking with burgers and dogs every single time, step out of the box with this simple weeknight treat, in endless variations.

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Cooking By the Numbers…

Step 1 – Prep and Measure Ingredients

Peel 4 cloves of garlic and finely mince, or push through a garlic press.

Zest two limes and add zest to a small bowl. Juice the zested limes into the same bowl and set aside.

Remove the stems and chop the cilantro leaves.

Cut chicken into approximately 2-inch pieces. (Feeling a bit groggy first thing in the morning? If you drop the poultry by mistake, don’t panic – here’s what to do!)

Measure the remaining ingredients as listed on the ingredients list.

Step 2 – Marinate

Add chicken to a large bowl and season with salt and pepper, tossing to coat.

In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients.

Pour the marinade mixture over the chicken and toss to coat well.

Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator.

Marinate the chicken for at least 4 hours, up to overnight.

Step 3 – Assemble

Soak 4 wooden skewers in a water-filled shallow baking dish for 15 minutes. Or, if you are using metal skewers, you don’t need to do any prep. Just keep in mind that these conduct heat, and your poultry pieces may cook a little more quickly.

Preheat the grill, and divide the marinated chicken evenly between the skewers while you wait for it to heat up.

Step 4 – Grill

Once the grill is hot, grill the skewers over medium-high heat. It should take approximately 4 minutes per side for the chicken to cook through completely.

You can check with a meat thermometer to determine when it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.

Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro and serve immediately over rice, with seasonal grilled vegetables.

Why Are Marinades so Good for Chicken?

One of the easiest ways to impart flavor into chicken is to marinate it. Essentially, the chicken works like a sponge, in the sense that it will soak up the flavors that you impart as you let it soak in the marinade.

While there are all different types of marinades that you can explore, the method stays the same. The golden rule is the longer you let the meat soak in a marinade, the more flavor will be absorbed.

This particular marinade is one that is less liquid and more herbs and spices, a little more like a spice rub than the traditional saucy marinades that might be used to. But the lime juice helps to tenderize the meat, allowing it to absorb more flavor as well.

Looking for another delicious skewer dish to try this summer? Try our recipe for Balsamic Lamb Kabobs with Vegetables.

And for other grilled poultry dishes, you’ll be entertained by our following recipes:

• Lemon Thyme Chicken
• Lager and Lemon Chicken
• Sunflower Seed Spinach Pesto with Grilled Chicken

What is your favorite meat to marinate and grill during the hotter months? Tell us in the comments below, and come back to rate the recipe once you try it.

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Photos by Meghan Yager, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Originally published on July 1st, 2012. Last updated: June 10, 2020 at 14:52 pm. With additional writing and editing by Allison Sidhu.

Nutritional information derived from a database of known generic and branded foods and ingredients and was not compiled by a registered dietitian or submitted for lab testing. It should be viewed as an approximation.