Chicken and Veggie Marinade
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Throw these skewers on the grill and you will see your neighbors noses peeking over the fence. They smell and taste phenomenal! My cousin Alla shared this shish kabob recipe with me. Apparently it’s quite popular in Washington state. Alla, I’m so glad you introduced me to this healthy and delicious marinade.
The first time I made these skewers I thought they were pretty good except I forgot the salt! Salt is a wonderful and necessary thing you know. Of course, I knew I had to make them again. And now, I will make them again,… and again, and again!
Ingredients for Chicken Marinade:
2/3 cup olive oil
2 medium lemons, juiced
2 Tbsp vinegar
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp salt (There. I made it bold, so you won’t forget 🙂 )
1 tsp pepper
4 large garlic cloves
1 handful of parsley
1 handful of dill (I used frozen dill and it worked well too)
Ingredients for Shiskabobs:
2 lbs chicken breast or chicken tenders, diced into 1-inch squares
2-3 large red or yellow bell peppers or 3 medium Zucchini, 1/2-inch thick slices
2 medium red onions, sliced into 1-inch pieces
1 lbs button mushrooms, whole (pick the smaller ones if you can)
15 wooden skewers
Note: you may also use Mexican squash or any other squash you like.
How to Make Alla’s wonderful chicken and vegetable marinade:
1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine all marinade ingredients and pulse about 15-30 seconds until well blended/chopped. You don’t even have to chop the garlic or parsley by hand. Don’t forget the salt. Done!
2. Mix Veggies with half the marinade in one ziplock bag, and chicken with remaining marinade in a second ziploc bag and toss to coat with marinade. Refrigerate for around 4 hours, stirring occasionally.
3.While veggies and chicken marinating, soak wooden skewers in a water bath; the longer the better. This keeps the skewers from burning on the grill.
4.Start preheating your BBQ to around 400˚F. Thread meat and veggies on the skewer and grill over medium heat with the lid closed, turning every 2 minutes until chicken is fully cooked, approximately 15 min.
Enjoy this super flavorful kebab recipe!
Chicken and Veggie Marinade
Ingredients
Ingredients for Marinade:
Ingredients for Shiskabobs:
- 2 lbs chicken breast or chicken tenders, diced into 1-inch squares
- 2-3 large red or yellow bell peppers or 3 medium Zucchini, 1/2-inch thick slices
- 2 medium red onions, sliced into 1-inch pieces
- 1 lbs button mushrooms, whole
- 15 wooden skewers
Instructions
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine all marinade ingredients and pulse about 15-30 seconds until well blended/chopped. Don't forget the salt.
- Mix Veggies with half the marinade in one ziplock bag, and chicken with remaining marinade in a second ziploc bag and toss to coat with marinade. Refrigerate for around 4 hours, stirring occasionally.
- While veggies and chicken marinating, soak wooden skewers in a water bath; the longer the better. This keeps the skewers from burning on the grill.
- Start preheating your BBQ to around 400˚F. Thread meat and veggies on the skewer and grill over medium heat with the lid closed, turning every 2 minutes until chicken is fully cooked, approximately 15 min. Enjoy!
Notes
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Natasha, you never cease to amaze me! Loved this recipe and will add it to my family cookbook. GREAT JOB! My family and I appreciate all you and your husband’s hard work in making this channel. It’s one of our favorites, thank you!
I’m so happy you love our recipes, Leslie! Thank you so much for the fantastic review and your encouraging words. I am smiling big reading your comment
Excellent! This was so easy and delicious! I’ve cooked many of your recipes and haven’t found one yet that we haven’t loved. Thank you for all the easy, delicious recipes!
Hello Mary, I’m very happy with your review and good feedback. Thank you for sharing that with us!
These turned out sooooo good! Perfect healthy dinner option for grilling season. I will be making this again!
Yay great to hear that you loved it, Jane. Thanks for giving this recipe excellent feedback!
I absolutely love this marinade!!!! So much flavor! Thanks this one is my go to always
That’s so great, Mariana! Thank you for that wonderful review.
I tried this recently at a party and loved it. If I need to make 10 lbs of chicken, can I just x5 the marinade all in one bowl?
Hi Angie, I haven’t tested that but I think it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Thank you so much for the recipe, it was really good!!! Easy and so delicious!!!
You’re welcome Inna! I’m glad you enjoy the recipe so much, thanks for sharing your fantastic review!
Hi, Natasha! We just made your delicious kabobs, they are to die for! My whole family agreed that those kabobs are the best, we didn’t change anything did exactly as written. Thank you for sharing this terrific recipe! We are hooked for life 😉
You’re welcome Saniya, that’s fantastic! Thanks for sharing your excellent review!
Wow, phenomenal! I made these for friends when new baby arrived. Popped them on the grill earlier in the day then delivered then with your Greek salad and other additions with instructions on how to reheat, according to your note. They said it was amazing. THANK YOU FOR YOUR BLOG!
Thank you for the wonderful review Marta!
would it be okay if I marinate both veggies and meat together in one big bowl? Or is it important to keep them separated when marinating?
It seems cleaner and more appetizing to keep them separate so I keep them separate but I think it’s safe to put them together as long as everything is cooked through.
These were the most flavorful delicious kabobs I ever had! Thank you!
That’s fantastic! I’m so happy you enjoyed the kabobs 🙂
These are absolutely yummy looking, Natasha!! I do have one question though. We don’t have a grill, so I was thinking to use the oven. Is that a good idea? If so how long would I bake them for? Tnx so much 😘
Hi Lidiya, I haven’t tested it that way so I can’t really give you specifics. I’d probably do stove-top before putting them in the oven for better heat and timing control. If you do test it out in the oven, let me know how it goes!
Please fix the print out… I almost bought 32 lemons.
Yikes! Thanks so much for letting me know. Fixed. 🙂
Thank you 🙂 hehe dont laugh at me for falling for that, I’m a faithful instructions follower lol 🙂 the recipe is perfection. The large portion of veggies was such a treat! Prepared night before and warmed up for lunch the next day. Was perfect.
I sure appreciate that you pointed it out. I wonder how long it’s been that way. It was either a serious typo or the program I use. Lets just blame the program, lol. Thanks again!
Наташа, привет! Я в восторге от рецептов, которые здесь нахожу и пробую их тоже, у меня вопрос, я прочитала в комментариях, как одна девушка спросила, можно ли заморозить весь маринад с мясом и овощами, если много получилось? И Алла ответила, что можно. Она так делала. Заморозить можно с овощами как и есть все вместе с мясом? Хотела уточнить. Спасибо заранее
Yes, Alla said she mixed everything together with the marinade and froze it so it was ready to cook when it came out of the freezer and was defrosted.
Thank you so much! :))
Has anyone else noticed a slight bitterness in the veggies when being marinated overnight?
It might be your lemons. That happened to me once when my lemons were a little old. How long did you marinate? Hours? Have you tried this skewer? It’s a little less lemony and you might like it more: https://natashaskitchen.com/2013/10/15/grilled-moroccan-vegetable-skewers/
Natasha, i just made this via your wonderful posting here and step by step info and it turned out amazing, thank you
You are so very welcome. I’m happy you loved it!
Thank you for this recipe, i tired it this weekend and it turned out great. I made a big batch of chicken tenders and have been taking them to work for lunch, my coworkers asked for the recipe after trying my chicken. thank you again. I have been following your blog for a couple of years now and always look forward to trying new recipes, thanks again
I’m so glad you enjoy the blog and recipes 🙂 That’s music to my ears…
Thank You , Natasha, it turned out really delicious – juicy, tender, flavorful chicken I’ve ever tried. I used chicken thighs ( boneless, skinless) . Oh, what a marinade ! – I’ve got bright colored greens on cooked meat (I guess lemon and vinegar keeps the colors green). I used a lot of parsley and dill and a bit of ciliantro – the flavor was amazing , everyone loved it! Thank you , Natasha, I love your blog : everything I cook from your blog turns out great. God bless you!
That’s awesome! Thanks for the great review! 🙂 God bless you too and I’m so glad you are enjoying the recipes.
I’ve made this recipe once and absolutely loved it! Wanting to make them a second time and was wondering if u could keep them marinating longer?? Or that would change the taste?
It would have a stronger flavor. How long were you considering?
I was thinking to marinate them Sunday and grill Monday evening. Or could I prep the marinade ahead of time and then just add the meat like Sunday night or Monday morning? Would that work?
Or you could prep all of the veggies, marinade and meat and then combine and marinate everything Monday morning. I think that might work best if it’s possible.
The best kebab ever.it’s our favorite.Thanks for the recipe.
Yes!! That’s a great review. Thank you Galina!
Made this today and brought it to a get together. Everyone loved it 🙂 Delicious, the chicken was so juicy. Thanks Natasha, your recipes always turn out awesome 🙂
Awesome, I love a good report :).
I was so wondering if u ever tried adding mayo to the mixture too?
I haven’t tried that but I don’t know if it would work with all the lemon juice in it… I just haven’t tested it with mayo
I made these today and they turned out good but wayyy to salty! I double checked every ingredient amount before I put it in, so I was surprised to how salty it turned out! Should it be 1 & 1/2 tbsp salt? Or could it be 1 & 1/2 tsp? I also used half of a large lemon instead of three lemons and it turned out just slightly tangy, so maybe next time I will use one full lemon. Thanks for the recipe!
I guess my best advice would be to try 1 Tbsp of salt instead. How many pounds of chicken did you use and how long was the meat marinating?
Ok, Ill try that next time! It was a little more than 3 lbs of chicken and it marinated for 24 hrs… so maybe too much time?
I think you probably over-marinated 🙂 Try just 8 hours next time.
Natasha Im about to make these for a party and I only have one chance at them 🙂 What part of chicken would you recommend? I guess im just worried that the chicken breasts will be too dry…
thx!
I had no problem with chicken breasts or tenders being dry. I usually buy either one at Costco. Keep the grill on medium heat or lower and turn every 2 minutes. Let me know how they turn out :).
Hands down the best chicken marinade i’ve ever had in my life… i make it at least once a month (not too often so i dont get sick of it lol) and they are perfect everytime… definitely better with the orange and red bell peppers and i dont know about the rest of you gyys but i love love love lemon with it… i think i use like four lemons and i love that extra kick!!! this is my husbands favorite dinner for sure thank you so much for sharing, it was the first recipe i made when i found your website and its definitely not the last one
Thank you so much for such a sweet comment Diana :).
Hi Natasha, I’m excited to try this recipe but I’m wondering if I make extra can they be frozen, and how would I go about defrosting them?
Thanks! !!
I think freezing and defrosting wouldn’t work very well; especially with the veggies. They would probably get a little soggy and won’t stay on the skewer very well. I haven’t tried it, but I don’t think I would.
That’s what I thought, I’m glad I asked. Thanks 🙂
I have in the past made extra marinate and poured it over the extra meat that had and then put in freezer and when my family wanted to grill just pulled out of the freezer put in fridge let it slowly defrost and soak in the flavor. Or you can freeze the extra marinate that you have and use it when needed. Done both ways.
Alla
That really is a great idea! Thanks Alla! I love easy meal ideas!
If baking these in the oven, do you know how long and what temp?
I haven’t tried baking but I would probably try 375 for about 30 min or until cooked through. 🙂
I made these for my daughters first bday party. Everyone loved the taste of chicken! i marinated overnight. Though I didnt use so much lemons. I imagine how zesty they would be….good thing I read the comments before I made them. But otherwise I will do again, thank you for sharing recipe!
And it also depends on the size of your lemons. If you use the smaller ones, I think it turns out just right 🙂
This recipe also works well with pork. I have also in the past done Mexican squash, and summer squash, You could also add asparagus into marinade but grill separate from the rest of the veggies just because they cook really fast.
Alla, thanks for sharing! Do you marinate the asparagus the same amount of time? I love asparagus!!
These look amazing! I’m making them right now. I’m doing a “vegetarian” version. I’m using bell peppers, onions, mushrooms and zuccinni. (Simply because I dont have any chicken on hand. I’m not vegetarian. lol)
Cant wait to taste them! Thanks for the awesome recipe (;
I hope you love it!! I haven’t tried a veggie version; I too am a meat lover, but it should still make a great side dish!
Do you peel your mushrooms before you marinate or not at all?
No, I just wipe them off with a lightly damp paper towel.
Thanks for the recipe its great!!! i marinated chicken with this marinade and baked it in the oven, turned out really good!!
Lesya, it’s great to know that it works to bake it as well! Thank you darlin’!
I made these last night, they where great but a bit on the tangy side.
Natasha did your’s taste tangy to you or maybe it was just me?
Love your site.
It was a little tangy but not overly so. Try a little less lemon juice next time. Thanks Lorik!
I made them for my family….they were all gone that evening that means everyone liked it…..i was asked to do it the following day. I also added colorful pepper (that was on sale), and pinapple (wasn’t sure about it but they were delicouse), and small red tomato. thank your for this post!
These look amazing….and I can just taste them. I’ll try this marinade and make it for my husband, as he is Turkish and that is one of their main food items the “Shish Kabob.”They serve them everywhere.
Thanks for posting…I have a similar recipe but I will make this also ……looks like a keeper.
Cool; hope you both enjoy the shish kabobs!
Hi Natasha,
would a blender work instead of a food processor?
Hi Stephanie, yes a blender would work fine.
I thought I share my recepie we make zucchini, bell peppers and myshrooms separate from meat by rubbing them in the mix of olive oil and vegetta. Then putting on skewers and grill for a little.
Mmmmm, that sounds good and easy too! Thank you for sharing!
Those look really good, I’m going shopping for the ingredients 🙂
I had a chance to make the marinade…love the fresh feel of the lemon and parsley, definitely a keeper.
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Natasha..as always I love your posts…your recipes speak to my heart…
Awww, thanks Mila! You are so sweet 🙂
Do the mushrooms get soggy?
Not at all (and I marinated overnight the second time) The mushrooms were actually my favorite! I would probably use this marinade just for mushrooms and throw them on the grill 🙂