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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This is a great recipe, no changes needed, except I always use skinless, boneless cut up chicken breasts and they work perfectly!
Thanks. So delicious with just a few ingredients. I had all the ingredients in my pantry and did not have to go shopping, so I was able to make a batch the same day I came across your recipe. They did not last long on the platter. My family’s only complaint; I did not make enough.Will have to make a bigger batch next time.
Made this with a fresh pheasant a friend shared with me. My 16 year old son who had never eaten it before really enjoyed it. Will definitely be making this again.
Hey, how many kebabs does this make?
Hi Helen, I haven’t made these in a while, but I’d guesstimate it makes around 6. Hope you enjoy!
Hi Jenn, thank you so much all the way from Devon, England! My chicken thighs want to thank you personally for making them the star of our BBQ due to your amazing honey, lime & sriracha marinade! These English hands from across the ocean salute you! Kind regards x
So flavorful and easy to prepare. Kids loved it!
I love your recipes and was looking forward to this one tonight. However, I won’t be able to get to it and the chicken will end up marinating for almost 24 hours by the time I have a chance to grill it! Is it advisable to start all over agin or will it be okay?
No need to start over — it should be fine. Hope you enjoy!
I just made this marinade and I’m honestly a bit confused, I used the exact amount of ingredients from the recipe and it barely yielded about 1/2 cup of marinade. It’s enough for the chicken, not concerned about that, however the recipe says to reserve 1/2 cup for sauce and use the “rest” to marinade the chicken. What am I missing?
Hi Tori, the ingredients in the marinade should yield a generous 3/4 cup of marinade. Is there a chance you made a measuring error?
I just made 1 1/2 times the recipe and still didn’t have enough sauce…..probably ended up with 3/4 cup total. I measured everything just as the reviewer above did. Not sure what happened. I haven’t marinated the chicken yet but won’t have much to dribble on after.
Hi Ann, There’s not an abundance of marinade because it’s got really strong flavors and a little goes a long way.
Hi Jenn, what temperature is medium to high for a grill. I have a green egg and not sure what that translates to – 350 – 400?
Hi Mareesa, I’d say it translates to about 400 degrees. Enjoy!
Can you make the marinade ahead of time and keep in the fridge until you are ready to marinade the chicken ? If so how long would it be good for ?
Sure, that’s fine. I say it would keep well in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.