These Chicken Skewers are crispy on the outside and so juicy inside. The marinade tenderizes the chicken and adds tons of flavor to this chicken. It’s no wonder this easy chicken recipe has been a family favorite for years.
Breading chicken is one of my favorite ways to prepare chicken because it adds crunch and helps keep the chicken from drying out, just like with our Crispy Chicken Sandwiches and Chicken Parmesan. It also makes the chicken reheat nicely.
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Chicken Skewers Video
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This Breaded Chicken Skewers recipe comes from my Aunt Tanya in Washington. Seems like everyone in our family has adopted these chicken skewers. It’s perfect for parties or your next family meal. If you take them off the skewers to serve, they resemble Popcorn Chicken. The kids gave this recipe two thumbs up.
Ingredients for Chicken Skewers
The list of ingredients for chicken skewers is short and simple and you may already have everything you need in your refrigerator and pantry:
- Chicken – we use chicken breast but you can substitute with chicken thigh meat that has been trimmed of fat. It’s just too much work for me. Chicken breast requires almost no prep.
- Bread crumbs – we use Italian-style bread crumbs, pictured below.
- Mayonnaise – adds wonderful moisture and tenderness to the chicken. If you don’t want to use mayo, you can also use ranch but go light on the salt since ranch has more salt in it than mayo.
- Mrs. Dash – this is our favorite salt-free seasoning. Any all-purpose salt-free seasoning will work here. you could also use the garlic-flavored dash.
- Salt & Pepper – simple seasonings are all you need.
- Oil – to sautee the skewers. I use extra light olive oil for nearly all of my cooking, but canola oil, vegetable oil, or any high heat neutral oil will work great.
- Skewers – I used 12 small wooden skewers. Make sure your skewers fit the length of your skillet comfortably so you can flip them easily.
How to Make Skewered Chicken
- Cut chicken – cut into 3/4″ wide pieces and add to a large mixing bowl.
- Season with salt, pepper, and Mrs. Dash. Stir in 3/4 cup mayo.
- Marinate – cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight (although I have also breaded and fried right away without any marinating and they still worked well).
- Skewer the chicken onto the wooden sticks.
- Breading – Pour bread crumbs on a large plate or platter. Roll the chicken skewers in bread crumbs until evenly coated.
- Sautee – In a large non-stick pan, add enough oil to generously cover the bottom and place over medium heat. Saute the chicken skewers for 3 minutes per side or until well browned on all sides and 165˚F at the thickest part of the chicken on a thermometer. Place on a paper towel-lined plate to soak up excess oil.
To Serve
You’ll want lemon wedges to squeeze over the fried chicken. It adds brightness and freshness to the chicken. You can also pair these with your favorite dipping sauces such as:
- Tomato Marinara
- Homemade Salsa
- Avocado Ranch
- Jalapeno Ranch
- Ketchup
- Fry Sauce
- Ranch
Make-Ahead
- Marinate – you can marinate overnight for super tender and flavorful chicken then bread and fry before serving.
- Keeping Skewers Warm – You can make them earlier in the day and warm them up in the oven in a baking dish before your party or dinner.
- Refrigerating – Once skewers have been sauteed and cooled, cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
I hope these Chicken Skewers become a new favorite for your family for years to come. It’s a chicken recipe that’s worth discovering.
Breaded Chicken Skewers
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken breast
- 1 cup Italian-style breadcrumbs
- 3/4 cup real mayonnaise
- 1 tsp Mrs Dash
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
- extra light olive oil, or canola oil, to fry
- 12 small wooden skewers
Instructions
- Cut the chicken into 3/4" wide pieces and place in a large mixing bowl. Season with salt, pepper, and Mrs. Dash. Mix in 3/4 cup mayo then let the chicken marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour or overnight.
- Thread the chicken pieces onto the skewers. Try to have the flat sides facing in one direction for even cooking.
- Pour bread crumbs on a large plate or platter. Roll the chicken skewers in bread crumbs until evenly coated.
- In a large nonstick pan, add enough oil to generously cover the bottom, set pan over medium heat. Sautee the chicken skewers for about 3 minutes per side, flipping until golden brown on both sides and the internal temperature reaches 165˚F on an instant read thermometer.
- Transfer to a paper towel lined platter to absorb any excess oil then serve.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
We first published this chicken skewer recipe in 2010. It’s an oldie but a goodie. This is a photo from back in the day. I still have that plate!
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Fantastic recipe! Marinated overnight and the chicken was so moist and juicy. Husband and 3 kids all voted – YES, it’s a keeper!
Wonderful! That’s always a win! So glad you all enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for the review, Shannon.
Made these chicken skewers and they are so good.
When we made the second batch my husband forgot to put the bread crumbs on after he marinated the skewers and had them in the refrigerator for 2 hours. They were still delicious.👏🏼😊
Nice, at least you still loved it even without the crumbs!
Hi Natasha!
I just made it today and I loved it!
I have a question: can it be frozen (before bread it)?
Thanks,
Flávia
Glad to hear! Are you planning to bread and refrigerate them raw or are you freezing them cooked or uncooked?
Made the chicken skewers for dinner tonight. Super simple and very good. Love your recipes and videos! Can’t wait for your cookbook!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us Lindsay!
These were absolutely delicious. I used larger skewers and was able to make 8. I used the family pack of chicken. My family loved them. Thanks for always making my meal decisions easy.
I’m so glad you enjoyed these skewers, Sue! Thank you for your fantastic review!
I can’t wait to make these. As soon as I get some skewers, I will make them.
I hope you love them!
How thick are the chicken pieces, only thing the recipe says is to make them 3/4″ wide
Hi! I recommend watching the video starting at about 50 seconds to see how I am cutting the chicken breast.
So amazing! My family loves when I make your recipes. The one change I made is cooking the chicken in an air fryer. 10 minutes at 400°, don’t even need to turn. I tried with skewers and without, worked perfectly both ways.
That’s great to hear! Thanks a lot for sharing that with us.
Turned out absolutely amazing!😍😍 my husband and I ate it within minutes!
Glad to hear that you both enjoyed the recipe, Alla!
Natasha, This was a big hit in our house! The coating was tasty and crispy! We loved it!
Glad your family enjoyed this recipe, Shelly!
Great recipe, Natasha! Admittedly, I have always been intimidated by cooking. We had a family gathering yesterday and we had to contribute food. I didn’t know what to bring so it’s a good thing I came across this! I even reheated some leftovers earlier and it still taste amazing! Thank you for sharing this!
So glad you tried this recipe and loved it! I hope your family will love all the recipes that you will try.
Wow!
Can I make this skewers with meat instead of chicken? I am worried that breadcrumbs would burn as beef takes longer to cook.
I’m sure the timing will be different if you use beef, I haven’t tried that yet but feel free to do an experiment.
Natasha, definitely 5star. I mean, who doesn’t like food on a stick? I’ve made made these three different ways. First using your recipe, followed to the letter, using bread crumbs. They were delicious, but my wife, who is a strong willed woman (nice way of saying hardheaded) refuses to use dentures to eat. She said they were delicious, but said the breadcrumbs were a bit too gritty for her, so then I made them just dredging the Chicken in seasoned flour, and a second time dipping the Chicken in seasoned batter. All three ways are winners, and my gorgeous wife of 58 years thinks I’m a culinary genius for doing something so simple. She loves them either dredged in flour, or batter dipped. You have several recipes I’m going to try in the future. Thank you so much. Love your web site.
Hi Michael! Thank you so much for the review. So happy you and your wife enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for sharing your experiment.
I made them yesterday for dinner, just awesome I made them with butter noodles, garlic and broccoli
Sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing! I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe.
Hi Natasha,
I made chicken skewers tonight and my husband and I loved them. The best part for me was quick and easy. 5 stars 🤗
Love it! Thank you for the 5 stars and awesome feedback.
Made this recipe… it was delish! Was just wondering if I can freeze the chicken skewers cooked.
Hi Lydia! I think you could but I have not tested it to advise but they reheat nicely.
I’ve always loved making City Chicken, I place the cut and skewered chicken in milk to soak for 10-15 minutes, dip in breadcrumb mixture, a quick dunk in the milk with a second breadcrumb dip. Brown in oil in a pan and finish baking in the oven, always a huge hit with family and friends, an always requested item.
Sounds great too, Paul. Thanks a lot for sharing!
Love this recipe Natasha!
Question if I don’t have Italian style crumbs on hand but just regular plain crumbs should I be seasoning the crumbs or chicken further to make up for it or will plain crumbs work too?
Thanks!
Hi Anna, yes, plain breadcrumbs would work. You may want to season them to add additional flavor so the coating is not bland.
Natasha…you have taught me so much about cooking wonderful meals. Bless you a million times!
My 13 yo son Adam and I love your cooking blog. Thanks for making it fresh and funny. We never eat out anymore thanks to you !
Phill
Aaaw, that is so nice. Thank you so much for your good comments and feedback, it really helps inspire me a lot!
I have tried a lot of your recipes and have never been disappointed. I can’t wait to try this one. I love watching your videos. You make cooking fun. Thank you
Hello Melanie, that’s so nice of you. Thank you for your nice comments and I hope you’ll love all the recipes that you will try!
Loved seeing Sharky on your hand. I also loved this recipe. It is great for a small potluck to but will have to double the recipe. Fabulous recipe, thanks for sharing.
Hi Char, I’m happy you enjoy this recipe! 🙂