Have you ever baked Chicken Kabobs in oven? They come out as soft and juicy as the grilled ones and they are so flavorful thanks to the great kabob marinade with milk and spices. Although these are baked in the oven, the fun part about kabobs is still there.
You know we have a crush on Turkish kebabs. We often make döner kebab, kofta kebab, iskender kebab, Adana kebab and lamb shish kabob recipe. And sometimes we make veggie kabobs in oven to serve as a side dish. So, we love kabobs for dinner and we love to create new recipes with them.
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What goes in the marinade?
I have to tell you that this chicken kebab marinade has a key role in this recipe so that you get soft and juicy chicken. So what goes in this amazing marinade? Here are what we need: Milk, olive oil, tomato paste, salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, thyme.
The marinade is so important for the perfection of the flavor. And you can absolutely use this chicken kabob marinade for grilled chicken kabobs too.
You will also need a few hours to let the chicken sit in the marinade so that they can soak in the marinade properly and you can get the most of the flavor.
How to prepare chicken
We use chicken legs for this chicken shish kabob recipe but chicken thighs work well too. Just remove the meat from the bones and dice them. We mostly prefer these because they are tastier and softer when cooked. That being said, chicken breast is a great option too if you don’t want to work on the bones. Place the diced chicken in the marinade and keep it in the refrigerator overnight or at least for 1 hour.
Instructions
We have five easy steps for this recipe: Preparing the chicken, making the marinade and marinating the chicken, threading them on the skewers and baking.
First, start with preparing the chicken for skewers. If you are using chicken legs or thighs, remove the bones and chop the chicken meat in cubes (1 ½ inch) and put them in a deep dish.
Second, make the chicken shish kabob marinade. Whisk together milk, olive oil, tomato paste and seasonings.
Then, pour the marinade over the diced chicken and give it a good stir. Make sure all the chicken is covered with the marinade. You need to refrigerate it for at least 1 hour, but 4 hours would be even better. Then your chicken will absorb the marinade flavors better and will be softer and tastier.
Next, thread the chicken on your skewers. If you are using metal skewers, you’re good but if they are wooden, remember to soak them for an hour. Then thread the chicken cubes on skewers. Place them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet or on the edges of the baking pan. (See how we do it in the pictures). You can use a cooling rack on a baking sheet to give it a grill effect.
Finally, bake your shish kabobs. You will need 30 minutes of baking time. First bake in the oven for 20 minutes, then flip them over and bake for another 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked.
Tips
- Chicken thighs or legs (bones removed) are the best type of chicken to make skewers. They give the softest and juiciest result.
- Marinating chicken overnight will give you the best result. But if you don’t have that much time, marinate at least 1 hour.
- If you are using wooden skewers, remember to soak them in water for an hour. This is very important.
- You can place the chicken skewers on a parchment paper lined baking paper. But if you want to give a grill effect, you have two options: 1)Put a cooling rack on a baking sheet and place the skewers on it. 2)Use a baking pan and place the skewers on the edges so that they don’t touch the pan. This is what we do in this recipe. Please see the pictures in the post content above.
- You can add tomatoes and green peppers in the pan so that they bake at the same time.
- Flip the chicken skewers over after baking them for 20 minutes. Then bake for another 20 minutes.
- If you are after a dairy-free marinade, leave the milk out and add in 2 tablespoon lemon juice. You will have equally soft chicken kabobs.
Veggies to pair with kebabs
We love to pair baked chicken kabobs with roasted tomatoes, green peppers and green onions. These are all optional but highly recommended. Just place them in the same pan and roast them altogether.
If you love roasted vegetables, you might want to pair these chicken kabobs with a bowl of roasted eggplant salad.
How to reheat?
It is very unlikely that you will have any leftovers from this delicious meal but if this is the case, it makes a great lunch next day. Remove from the skewers and reheat them in a non-stick pan. Either in a sandwich bread or wrapped in lavash bread or flour tortillas, it is a very practical go to lunch.
If you want to go light, chop some greens and add in your leftover chicken and you will have a delicious chicken salad for lunch next day. Keep in mind that chicken must be reheated only once. Try not to have any leftovers after reheating it.
Recommended side dishes
Our favorite sides to serve with chicken shish kabobs are as follows: fluffy rice pilaf with orzo, bulgur pilaf, Turkish shepherd salad, ezme salad, yogurt cucumber dip (aka Turkish Cacik or Greek Tzatziki sauce) and piyaz.
And if you are into Turkish food, you might want to see the most popular Turkish dishes too!
These baked chicken kabobs disappear in no time when served with the sides above or a simple coleslaw with yogurt. Protein packed and easy to make, chicken skewers make a great dinner both for your family and your guests. They are so healthy and delicious when paired with one or more of these.
FAQs
Chicken breast, chicken thighs and chicken legs are good options to make skewers. Chicken breast is easy to work with while chicken leg or chicken thigh is juicier and more flavorful.
Also, don’t thread breast and thigh on the same skewers as they have different cooking rates.
Yes, you can thread veggies on the skewers too. For example, zucchinis, eggplants, potatoes, onions and mushrooms would be amazing.
You can even add fruit like pineapples or peaches to have a fresh and sweetish taste. It is especially great when it is summer.
We just drizzle a little olive oil and sprinkle on each vegetable after threading them on skewers right before baking. Alternatively, you can prepare colorful veggie kabobs and serve them with chicken skewers.
You can definitely use stainless steel skewers when making baked chicken kabobs in oven. They are even better when making beef or lamb shish kabobs because they require longer time in the oven.
On the other hand, wooden skewers are the best for this recipe because we don’t need to clean them afterwards. Lol! Remember to soak the wooden skewers in water before using so that they don’t burn in the oven.
When baking chicken kabobs in oven, soak the wooden skewers at least for 1 hour before using. However, if you are planning to make your kabobs on the grill, soak them longer. Overnight is the best.
Chicken usually takes 20-30 minutes in the oven at 450F, depending on the size of the chicken pieces. You don’t want your kabobs burnt or dried out so keep an eye on them while baking.
Baking them for 30 minutes is usually enough. Don’t forget to flip them over after 15 minutes so that all sides are cooked. After 30 minutes, check them to see if all parts are cooked. Cook for another 5 minutes if needed.
It would be a good idea to freeze these chicken skewers uncooked. When you want to bake kabobs, just thaw them in the refrigerator overnight and then bake. They make a super easy weeknight dinner.
Yes! Preheat the oven at 350F. Place the chicken skewers into the air fryer basket and cook for 20 minutes.
More Chicken Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Turkish Chicken Kabobs In Oven
Baked chicken kabobs in oven are soft, juicy and flavorful thanks to a chicken kabob marinade made with milk, olive oil and spices.
- Prep Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Turkish
Ingredients
- 500g (1lb) chicken (thighs, legs without bones or breast)
Marinade:
-
1 cup milk
-
¼ cup olive oil
-
1 tablespoon tomato paste
-
1 teaspoon salt
-
1 teaspoon black pepper
-
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
-
1 teaspoon thyme
Instructions
- Dice the chicken in about 1-inch pieces. Remove the bones if you are using chicken legs.
- Mix all the marinade ingredients in a bowl.
- Put the diced chicken in the marinade, give it a good stir. Cover and keep it in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour (overnight is the best).
- Soak wooden skewers for 1 hour so that they don’t burn in the oven.
- Preheat the oven at 400F/200C.
- Thread the chicken pieces on skewers.
- Place the chicken skewers on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. (Please see the note below).
- Bake them for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, flip them over and bake for another 10 minutes.
Notes
- Chicken thighs or legs (bones removed) are the best type of chicken to make skewers. They give the softest and juiciest result.
- Marinating chicken overnight will give you the best result. But if you don’t have that much time, marinate at least 1 hour.
- If you like a garlicky flavor on your kabobs, just mash 2 cloves garlic and add it in the marinade mixture.
- If you are using wooden skewers, remember to soak them in water for an hour. This is very important.
- You can place the chicken skewers on a parchment paper lined baking paper. But if you want to give a grill effect, you have two options: 1)Put a cooling rack on a baking sheet and place the skewers on it. 2)Use a baking pan and place the skewers on the edges so that they don’t touch the pan. This is what we do in this recipe. Please see the pictures in the post content above.
- You can add tomatoes and green peppers in the pan so that they bake at the same time.
- Flip the chicken skewers over after baking them for 20 minutes. Then bake for another 20 minutes.
- If you are after a dairy-free marinade, leave the milk out and add in 2 tablespoon lemon juice. You will have equally soft chicken kabobs.
Nutrition
- Calories: 594
- Sugar: 7.3g
- Sodium: 1332mg
- Fat: 34.9g
- Carbohydrates: 8.9g
- Protein: 61g
- Cholesterol: 185mg
Keywords: spicy chicken kabobs, chicken kabobs, chicken kabob marinade, baked chicken kabobs, chicken kabobs in oven
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Angela says
Hi, is 1 tablespoon of paste to 1 cup of milk correct? My marinade did not look like yours.
Thank you!
Zerrin & Yusuf says
Hi Angela,
Yes that's the measurement we use. But the color of tomato paste might change depending on the brand you use. You can add an extra tablespoon of tomato paste and add in some paprika if you want.
Would be great to hear how it turns out.
Cheers!
Albert-Jan From says
Hello! I replied on this recipe earlier today, but I don't see it here yet, therefore another try 🙂 This recipe looks really good to me! I was wondering, is it also possible to marinate the chicken with yogurt instead of milk, without compromising on taste and juiciness?
Yusuf says
Replied above 🙂 Hope it's not too late.
Albert-Jan says
Hello! This recipe looks amazing! Is it also possible to marinate the chicken with yogurt instead of milk, without compromising on flavour or juiciness?
Yusuf says
Hi Albert,
Yes you can use yogurt too. Just give the chicken pieces enough time to sit in the marinade.
Albert-Jan says
Thanks Yusuf! I will try the recipe next Sunday, so for sure it is in time! 🙂
Yusuf says
Great! A festive meal for Sunday!
Let us know what you think when you try it.
Gill says
Tried this recipe with chicken breast and chicken thighs. Marinated them for 2 hours. So tasty!
★★★★★