SHISH KABOBS Grill Recipe
I have perfected Shish Kabobs Grill Recipe over a 15-year period. Chicken, pork, or beef can be used because it’s very flexible. This is listed in our Grilling on Charcoal article and also, is a part of our Grilling, Main Dishes, Beef, and Pork categories. This Shish Kabobs Grill Recipe has worked on both charcoal and gas grills so, keep reading.
Shish Kabobs Grill Recipe
Equipment
- 5 skewers for kabobs 12-16 inches long
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Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 1½ lbs. boneless, skinless Chicken Breasts Usually 2 breasts per 1½ pounds Alternate options: beef or pork
- 2 medium sweet onions
- 1 medium Squash green and/or yellow
- ½ lbs. mushrooms whole
- 2 medium tomatoes
- 1 medium bell pepper
Seasonings & Oil in a Measuring Cup
- ¼ cup olive oil or other cooking oil of your choice
- 3 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 Tbsp onion powder can be heaping Tbsp.
- 1 Tbsp garlic powder can be heaping Tbsp
- ½ tsp salt
- 1½ tsp Ground Black Pepper
- ¼ tsp Red Cayenne Pepper
Instructions
- Preparing the MeatCutup the meat in large chunks as illustrated. As an example in cutting sizes, for chicken, you might get about 6-8 pieces per breast. Place into a very large mixing bowl.
- Either start the charcoal grill or the preheating of the oven.
- Preparing the Vegetables and SkewersIf using bell peppers, cutup in 8 pieces, discarding the seeds and interior contents.
- If using (yellow and/or green) squash, you can optionally peel off some of the exterior skin. Cut the squash in slices about ½ to ⅔ of an inch thick and add them into the bowl.
- After removing the ends, cut the tomatoes into 4 pieces and add them into the bowl.
- After peeling the onions, cut them into 4 pieces each and add them into the bowl.
- If using mushrooms, rinse them off rather well and place them into the bowl.
- Prepare a measuring cup with the oil and seasonings. Then, pour the mixture over the cutup food items. Toss/mix everything to become coated.
- Prepare each skewer with meat and vegetables. Usually, you alternate 2 different vegetables and 1 meat chunk, and then repeat. After you've added about half the skewer, you'll want to pull them together. Leave at least 1-inch on the skewer end. As you prepare each skewer, place them onto a large (ungreased) baking sheet. This will be later inserted into the oven or carried outside to the grill.
- Now, perform only 1 of the following cooking options.
- Cooking Option 1: If On The GRILLBe conscious of the skewers heat and how it retains heat. Use an oven mitt or other heat protection every time you need to turn, grab, or hold a skewer.
- Initially, the skewers are placed on the hot grill (400-450°F) on direct heat for about 2 minutes to sear, turned once, and repeat. Manage any flare-ups for any needed adjustments.
- Move the skewers to indirect heat for the remainder of time for about 25-30 minutes with the grill lid closed. Maintain a temp of about 350-425°F. For kettle grills, the top and bottom vents should remain open to the point of maintaining that recommended temp. Remove skewers when meat is done (can check by tearing or cutting into a piece).
- Cooking Option 2: If Broiling In The OVENPreheat the oven broiler (make the temp around 425° to 450° Fahrenheit) and have a shelf in the middle.
- Be conscious of the skewers heat and how it retains heat. Use oven mitts or other heat protection every time you need to turn, grab, or hold a skewer.
- About every 3-5 minutes, turn the skewers so a different side is facing the top heat. This may be repeated about 4-6 times, until each "side" is browned or slightly browned a bit. It might take about 25-30 minutes total.
- After Cooking – SERVE the Shish KabobsServe the Shish Kabobs. To eat, hold the skewer tip to the plate, use a large serving fork and push off about 1/4 of the food items from the skewer end. Then, repeat the process until the skewer is emptied.
Nutrition
Meat Choices for the Shish Kabobs Grill: Chicken, Beef, Pork
Chicken Shish Kabobs on Grill
If you use chicken, you’ll want to stay with boneless chicken breasts. You also will want to remove any skin or excess fat, if present.
Shish Kabobs Grill Beef
If you use beef, the best to use will be ribeye steak. According to butchers, that’s the easiest meat to use when grilling and it remains reasonably tender. If you use another cut of beef, you’ll want to tenderize it before cutting into its pieces.
Shish Kabobs Grill Pork
If you use pork, it’s open to just about any kind. The simplest is some thick boneless pork chops, but any kind of large pork should or roast will be fine.
Shish Kabobs Grill All Vegetables
And yes, vegetarians can go meatless on this. There’s a wide variety of vegetables that go super on a skewer. You can even add slices of both zucchini and yellow squash or just one.
Shish Kabobs Marinade
You can always opt to use a marinade for your meat. Click her for a marinade for steak, if you’re using that for your shish kabobs.
Use a combination of both, but mostly indirect heat. Put them on direct heat briefly, then on indirect heat with the grill covered. Read more on this in our article “Charcoal Grill Indirect Heat: Set Up & Cooking”. For Weber grills, here’s an example of “How To Use Weber Performer Charcoal Grill“.
Do you grill them on direct heat or indirect heat?
Do you cover the grill or leave the top open?
You cover it when cooking on indirect heat. That’s the unattended time. When you’re cooking directly over the heat source of your grill, you’ll have the grill lid off or opened while you’re tending to them. Most of the time for shish kabobs will be on indirect heat with the grill lid closed and vents open.
What is the Shish Kabobs Cooking Time on the Grill?
It usually takes between 25-35 minutes. The skewers, if metal, will speed up the interior cooking of the chicken or beef so, it will be fast. The longer times depend on the thickness of the meat you’re using, as well as the temperature of your grill or oven. Every grill and oven is different so, each time you take off the grill cover or open the oven, it takes longer to recover the heat for continued cooking. Although the oven recovers quickest.
For a long time on a charcoal grill, here’s our article on “How To Keep The Weber Charcoal Grill Hot“. It discusses adding charcoal, types of charcoal, ventilation, and so on.
How big do I cut the meat and vegetables?
Usually in large 1-inch size chunks. They’re not intended to be bite-sized, but this 1-inch size should balance out the cooking time of the skewered vegetables as well.
How do I serve a skewered meal?
It’s illustrated in the recipe. In summary, you touch the plate or bowl with the skewer tip and push the food off with another utensil like a serving fork. Another option is to let your guests have their own skewer, but the concern is the heat of handling the skewer. Some skewers cool down enough to handle and others don’t.
Can squash be included?
Yes; green/Zucchini or yellow squash are best, and you want to partially or fully peel them when prepping the vegetables. Squash does cook fast and sometimes gets mushy, but not as bad as tomatoes. You’ll want to ensure they’re cut about 3/4-inch thick.
Can shish kabobs be cooked in an oven?
Definitely, when the recipe refers to covering a grill, that’s when you’re baking them. When referencing direct heat on the grill, that’s when you can switch over to broiling them. The actual recipe references how to cook shish kabobs from the oven.
Tips for Shish Kabobs Preparations and Cooking
Regarding some vegetables becoming too mushy on the skewers, tomatoes are the biggest culprit. If you compress the items together on the skewer, at least the softer vegetables, like tomatoes, won’t fall off during the cooking process.
I have experimented with cooking them separately and it avoids them getting too soft. However, losing the melded flavor of those vegetables, alongside other items on the skewer, was too great. So, I continue to skewer all vegetables knowing this.
Here’s an option a few people will do with tomatoes. They discard the soft inner seeded part of the tomato and will only skewer on the outer thick part of the tomato (like the bell pepper).
When you add a mushroom, you’ll want to skewer it down the center (through the mushroom stem). When you add an onion, some layers might fall apart, especially at the start of the piercing. You can just do your best to pierce them through the layer centers. There might be some unusable pieces that can later be cooked in a pan.
For rectangular grills, both vents on one side should be open, e.g., top cover left and main charcoal cavity left side. If you’re losing some noticeable heat (or air for charcoal burning), open up both sides. And, of course, if you’re very familiar with how your grill handles ventilation and you have your own preferences, it’s more important you go for it.
Summary of Visual Steps for Making Shish Kabobs Grill
FAQ
You can find answers to questions and tips for grilling shish kabob in the recipe instructions. Also, for an alternate method, see this article on “Beef Shish Kabobs on the Grill“.
Grilling Related Articles and Recipes
- Barbecued Chicken on Charcoal Grill
- Charcoal Grilled Chicken
- Ribeye Steak on the Grill
- Pork Tenderloin on Grill
- How to Grill Burgers and Hot Dogs Together
- Chicken Fajitas on the Grill Recipe
- Pulled Pork on Grill
- Ribs on the Charcoal Grill
- Chicken Gyro Recipe
- Rotisserie Chicken Grill
Conclusion of Shish Kabobs Grill Recipe
I hope this was helpful in your ventures with Shish Kabobs Grill recipes. Let me know how you did with your shish kabobs. Just leave a comment! Also, don’t forget to share this!
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