Honey, Lime & Sriracha Chicken Skewers
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These chicken skewers marinated in honey, lime juice and Sriracha taste every bit as good as they look.
These chicken skewers marinated in honey, lime juice, and Sriracha are every bit as good as they look — and if you haven’t tried Sriracha, the Asian hot sauce named after the coastal city of Si Racha in Thailand, this is the perfect recipe to taste just how delicious it is. Made from sun-ripened chili peppers, distilled vinegar, garlic, sugar, and salt, Sriracha is used in soups, sauces, noodle dishes, omelets, burgers or anything else to add a delicious spicy taste. It has become so popular in the States that you can find it in the international section of most supermarkets.
What You’ll Need To Make Honey, Lime & Sriracha Chicken
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by making the marinade. In a blender, combine the zest of a lime, fresh lime juice, honey, soy sauce, vegetable oil, garlic, ginger, and Sriracha. (Even though you’re puréeing the marinade, it’s a good idea to roughly chop the garlic and ginger so they get incorporated — some blenders can’t handle large chunks.)
Purée until completely smooth, then set aside 1/2 cup of the marinade to use as a drizzling sauce.
Next, prepare the chicken. I’ve specified boneless skinless chicken thighs for this recipe because they’re more flavorful than chicken breasts and easier to cook without drying out. I know many people prefer white meat but I’ve tried both in this recipe and, trust me, it’s much better made with dark meat.
The only drawback to using chicken thighs is that they need to be trimmed before you cook them. I think it’s easiest to use kitchen shears as opposed to a knife. So, using scissors, simply cut off any gristle and large chunks of fat (don’t fret over every little bit as it mostly melts away on the grill) and then cut the meat into 2-inch pieces.
Place the chicken in a Ziplock bag with the remaining marinade and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.
After the chicken has marinated, thread the pieces onto skewers.
Preheat your grill to medium-high heat. Scrape the grates clean to prevent the chicken from sticking, then dip a wad of paper towels in oil and rub the grates until smooth and shiny.
Grill the chicken, turning occasionally to promote even browning, for 10-15 minutes.
Keep an eye on it — the honey in the marinade causes the chicken to caramelize on the grill and turn a beautiful, rich brown color; however, the chicken can burn if the grill is too hot. Lower the heat if the chicken is browning too fast.
Transfer the skewers to a platter and drizzle with the reserved marinade. Sprinkle chopped cilantro over top and serve. Enjoy!
It was a mouth-watering photo from a blog called Kitchen Meets Girl that caught my eye on Pinterest and inspired this recipe.Â
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Honey, Lime & Sriracha Chicken Skewers
These chicken skewers marinated in honey, lime juice and Sriracha taste every bit as good as they look.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce (use gluten-free if needed)
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon lime zest, from one lime
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, from 2 limes
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1½ square inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped (see note)
- 1½ tablespoons Sriracha sauce
- 1¼ teaspoon salt
- 2½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs (between 8-10), trimmed and cut into 2-inch chunks
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, plus a few whole sprigs for garnish
- Limes, sliced into wedges, for garnishing platter (optional)
Instructions
- In a blender, combine the soy sauce, honey, oil, lime zest, lime juice, garlic, ginger, Sriracha and salt. Blend until completely smooth. Pour ½ cup of the marinade into a small bowl; cover and refrigerate until ready to serve (this will be your drizzling sauce).
- Combine the chicken and remaining marinade in a large Ziplock bag and seal tightly. Place in a bowl (in case of leakage) and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade and thread onto skewers, folding the pieces in half if they are long and thin.
- Be sure the grill is clean, then preheat to medium-high heat. To grease the grill, lightly dip a wad of paper towels in vegetable oil and, using tongs, carefully rub over the grates several times until glossy and coated. Grill the chicken kebabs, covered, until golden brown and cooked through, turning skewers occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes. (Keep an eye on it -- if they are browning too quickly, turn the heat down.) Transfer the skewers to a platter. Warm up the reserved marinade in the microwave and either drizzle it over top or pass it alongside. Scatter the chopped cilantro over top and garnish the platter with lime wedges and cilantro sprigs, if desired.
- Note: Check out easy guidance on how to peel, grate, and chop fresh ginger here.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 321
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated fat: 2g
- Carbohydrates: 20g
- Sugar: 18g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 37g
- Sodium: 1147mg
- Cholesterol: 180mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Could you air-fry these? Summer time is coming to an end!
Hi Krystal, You won’t get those nice grill marks and caramelization in an air fryer. I would recommend the broiler for indoor cooking. Hope that helps!
I love all your recipes and use them daily. I recently tried this and we loved it. Our guests even asked me to send them the recipe which I believe is a very good sign. I’m feeding a crowd this weekend and we have a few seafood lovers. Would this marinade work with shrimp or is there an ingredient that would ruin the shrimp? I’m trying to put together a platter of these skewers along with shrimp skewers to offer a variety.
Thank you for any advice.
Katie
Thanks for the nice words about the recipes — so glad you like them! You can use shrimp here but I’d only marinate them for 20 to 30 minutes. I’d love to hear how they turn out!
Absolutely loved it!!
Family member made these and sooo good. I’m wanting to make these myself but don’t have a bbq grill. Are there other options for cooking these?
Glad you liked them! You can use the broiler for these. Arrange the skewers about 6 inches from the broiler, turning occasionally. If they aren’t browning you can move them up a bit. Just be sure to shake off as much marinade as possible before putting them in the oven because it will smoke and burn in a hot oven.
Can these be cooked in an airfryer on the grill setting?
Hi Roxann, I don’t have an air fryer so I don’t know how they would come out if cooked in one. These tips may help you to convert this and other recipes for your air fryer. Sorry I can’t be more helpful!
Marinade is absolutely delicious. I made a few minor alterations and added some cut up peppers and onions to the skewers. 10/10 would make again
Hi Jenn. I love your recipes (so does my husband!) I made this recipe using chicken breast and marinated overnight. Unfortunately, the chicken was leathery. Should I leave the lime juice out, or do I need to switch to thighs, as you recommended? Thank you, Liz
So glad you like the recipes! Yes, it was the lime juice that made the chicken breasts leathery. I like these best with thighs but if you want to use breasts again, omit the lime juice (you can still use the zest).
We love this chicken skewer recipe and would like to make the Thai Crunch salad, but we have a peanut allergy in the family. Do you have another suggestion for a salad to go with the chicken skewers? Thanks! Love all of your recipes!
Hi Carol, you can make the Thai crunch salad and replace the peanut butter with almond butter.
Hi Jenn! Love this recipe! So yummy and delicious! I’m traveling to see family and I wanted to bring this chicken to a bbq. I was wondering if I could make the marinade a few days in advance. Or if I could marinate for 2 days.
So glad you like it! You can go either way, but I’d probably opt for making the marinade ahead and adding the chicken to it the night before you plan to cook it.
We made this recipe for dinner tonight and it was so delicious. The recipe is not hard to put together and the flavors are amazing!
Hi Jenn! I have made this recipe many times using chicken thighs and absolutely love the combination of flavors. I was thinking of using this marinade with pork tenderloin. Do you think it would work? Thanks.
Rich
Hi Richard, You could use pork tenderloin, but it definitely won’t be as juicy.
Hello Jenn – I very rarely use chicken thighs because of all the fat, veins, and the very thin skin that is visible in your video and almost impossible to remove from the thighs. Do you leave that thin skin on? Thanks
Hi Laura, I do leave that skin on; I just trim off any gristle and large chunks of fat. I’d encourage you to use the thighs here — they’re delicious!
Hi Jenn! Wondering if you think this recipe would freeze well. I thought about preparing the chicken and freezing it in the marinade and adding it to the skewers once defrosted when I’m ready to cook. Just wanted to get your thoughts and advice before I tried it. Thank you!!
Hi Aubrey, I think that would work well. Enjoy!