Sweet & Spicy Smoked Chicken Kebabs
Summer grilling and smoking is in full swing and we love any excuse to cook outside. These Sweet & Spicy Smoked Chicken Kebabs are so easy to make and spice to your preferences. We’ve included a healthy chicken marinade made with coconut aminos, honey, salt, and a few simple spices like garlic powder, onion powder, and red pepper flakes. The sugars from the honey and coconut aminos make these chicken skewers sticky and caramelized which is oh so good paired with the spicy and smoked flavor! And we’ve also included an additional fun ingredient-BACON!
Sweet & Spicy Smoked Chicken Kebabs
These easy, smoked chicken kebabs are caramelized to perfection after smoking them with our homemade sweet and spicy marinade made with coconut aminos, honey, and spices.
Ingredients
- 4 Boneless Chicken Breasts, halved and cut into strips
- 1 lb. Bacon
- 1/2 Cup Coconut Aminos
- 1/4 Cup Honey
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes, spiced to your preference
Instructions
- In a large bowl or jar, soak 6 wooden skewers in water. Let these soak until we assemble the skewers. This will help the skewers not to burn and break off in the smoker. Alternatively, if you are using metal skewers, no need to soak.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine 1/2 cup Coconut Aminos, 1/4 cup Honey, 1/4 tsp. Salt, 1/4 tsp. Onion Powder, 1/4 tsp, Garlic Powder, and 1/4-1/2 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes. Stir all marinade ingredients together to combine. Add more or less Red Pepper Flakes based on your spice preference. 1/4 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes adds subtle heat and great flavor while 1/2 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes will result in lots of spice flavor.
- Halve each chicken breast and then cut each half into 3 long strips. Add the strip cut chicken to the bowl with our marinade. Stir ingredients together making sure to evenly coat the chicken. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 2 hours before assembling.
- After two hours, it's time to assemble the kebabs. Separate bacon strips and set aside. To skewer: insert skewer into chicken - I like to insert it accordion style and weave the strip of chicken onto the skewer. Alternate chicken and bacon on the skewer, ending in chicken. There should be 4 strips of chicken and 2 slices of bacon per skewer. The amount of bacon may vary based on the brand of bacon you purchase. You may want to count them out and divide them evenly amongst the skewers before assembling.
- Preheat pellet smoker to 350 degrees and smoke sweet and spicy chicken kebabs at 350 degrees until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. This usually takes around 25-35 minutes. Immediately plate kebabs and wrap them in foil to rest until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Serve with your favorite summer side dishes.
Summer smoking recipes are our favorite!
We would say that we have the grill or smoker going 10 months out of the year around here. And that’s saying a lot considering we’re in the Midwest which means some days you’re grilling in a winter hat and coat! But that doesn’t stop us. We love the simplicity of smoking, the flavor it adds to any meal, and the ease of cleanup required.
Our sweet and spicy smoked chicken recipe is the perfect option for when you want to add a sweet and spicy kick to your smoked chicken. It’s easy to prep, has an elevated appearance on a skewer, and makes the best juicy smoked chicken loaded with flavor.
Key features in our Sweet and spicy smoked chicken recipe:
- Tender, juicy, smokey chicken sandwiched between bacon. We love smoking chicken because it always yields juicy and flavorful chicken. Smoke it between slices of bacon and you’ve got the best smoked chicken ever!
- Easy and healthy homemade chicken marinade! We opt for cleaner ingredients like coconut aminos and honey in this recipe to sweeten and marinate the chicken. We also add a few simple, yummy spices like salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes.
- Sweet & Spicy! We love the balanced pairing of sweet and spicy. We’ve included options for a milder spice or spicier spice depending on your preferences.
- Chicken Kebabs are a fun summertime dinner idea that’s simple to prep and clean up! If you’re looking for a recipe that’s a little different but is still simple to make, this pellet smoker recipe is for you.
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Ingredients in Sweet & Spicy Smoked Chicken Kebabs:
- 4 Boneless Chicken Breasts
- 1lb. Bacon
- 1/2 Cup Coconut Aminos
- 1/4 Cup Honey
- 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
- 1/4 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1/4 Teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1/4 Teaspoon – 1/2 Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
- 6 Skewers
Step-by-Step Instructions For How To Make Smoked Chicken Kebabs
In a large bowl or jar, soak 6 wooden skewers in water. Let these soak until we assemble the skewers. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine 1/2 cup Coconut Aminos, 1/4 cup Honey, 1/4 tsp. Salt, 1/4 tsp. Onion Powder, 1/4 tsp, Garlic Powder, and 1/4-1/2 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes. Stir all marinade ingredients together to combine.
Halve each chicken breast and then cut each half into 3 long strips. Add the strip cut chicken to the bowl with our marinade. Stir ingredients together making sure to evenly coat the chicken. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 2 hours before assembling.
To assemble smoked chicken kebabs: insert skewer into chicken – I like to insert it accordion style and weave the strip of chicken onto the skewer. Alternate chicken and bacon on the skewer, ending in chicken.
Preheat pellet smoker to 350 degrees and smoke Sweet And Spicy Chicken Skewers at 350 degrees until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. This usually takes around 25-35 minutes. Immediately plate kebabs and wrap them in foil to rest until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Serve with your favorite summer side dishes.
