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, Sriracha, and salt. (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.
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Honey, Lime & Sriracha Chicken Skewers
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon lime zest, from one lime
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, from 2 limes
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1½ inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped (see note)
- 1½ tablespoons Sriracha sauce
- 1¼ teaspoons salt
- 2½ lb boneless skinless chicken thighs (8 to 10), trimmed and cut into 2-in/5-cm 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 (120 ml) 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.
Notes
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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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Aaahhhh I cannot wait to try this! Am I able to cook these in the oven instead of the grill?
Sure, You can cook these using the boiler in your oven. Arrange them about 6 inches from the broiler, turning occasionally. If they aren’t browning you can move them up. 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. Enjoy!
Another amazing recipe! I have made this several times and will continue…
Question: Can I marinate the chicken and then freeze it? As it thaws the day before using that will be the “overnight marinating time?
Thank you
Glad you enjoyed it, Michelle. Yes, you can freeze it in its marinade. 🙂
I made this chicken tonight with chicken breasts. I served it over peanut pasta. It was delish.
My husband said how come this chicken is so moist and delicious?
🙂
Hi Jen, I tried this recipe and out of laziness I kept the chicken thighs whole, I just trimmed them up real nice and poured the marinade over them in a ziplock bag and gave them to hubby to throw them on the grill. I made a mistake and poured all of the marinade over the chicken so I was forced to make another batch of the sauce. It tastes so good. My children and hubby loved it. Question could I use this marinade in the over say to bake a whole chicken?
So glad your family enjoyed it, Toni. You could definitely use this marinade for a whole chicken. I’d love to know how it turns out. 🙂
I made these as appetizers on small skewers for a party last weekend. They were a huge hit!! I tripled the recipe, and it made about 100 skewers. I sliced each chicken thigh into three pieces and threaded each piece onto one small skewer after having marinated the chicken overnight. It took no time at all.
I followed the recipe exactly, but forgot to reserve some of the marinade for basting. They still turned out fabulously and our guests were begging me for the recipe! I did not even get to taste a single one, so I will have to make them again soon so that I can try them myself. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Ah-mazing! I was worried that the marinade would be too spicy for my toddler but he loved this (didn’t pour the extra sauce in his). Flavors were perfect
Another fantastically easy and tasty recipe. I made it exactly as advised – used thighs and fresh everything! Served with perfect jasmine rice and an asian salad with a peanut sauce. grilled and caramelized – just Exquisite! Jen – Thank you so much for perfecting and sharing your deliciousness with myself and my family. They LOVED this one and I’ll make it again and again and again!!!
My husband cant eat honey. Can I substitute maple syrup or can you suggest another substitute?
I’d suggest brown sugar in place of the honey. You’ll need about 1/2 cup. Enjoy!
Can I substitute the lime for lemon?
It will taste slightly different with the lemon, but yes, definitely. Hope you enjoy!
I have not tried yet but these sound great! Having a cookout in the next few days for the fourth. I read another review that said about the lime juice and chicken breast, I generally only buy chicken breast due to a picky fiancee. Could I just do the zest for the breast? Second question could I marinade over night? trying to find ways to cut down prep time the day of. Thanks! Cannot wait to try!
Hi Deanna, Sorry about the delayed response as the 4th has come an gone! I definitely get concerned that the breasts will get too tough if marinated in citrus but it does add a lot of flavor here. If you’re going to use breasts, I’d use both the zest and juice, but would suggest a shorter marinating period (so definitely not overnight). Hope you enjoy!