Barbecue

Barbecue Chicken Kebabs with Bacon Rub

I have never been a fan of meat and vegetable kebabs. Not because I don’t like the meat or veggies,…

I have never been a fan of meat and vegetable kebabs. Not because I don’t like the meat or veggies, but because the vegetables aren’t cooked to my liking by the time the meat is done. If I get just meat or just veggies on one skewer, I am all in, especially when bacon and barbecue sauce are involved.

This is a great recipe that can easily be doubled or even tripled (I did this recently for a family gathering) to feed a hungry crowd. You can use breast meat, thigh meat, or both, as I do in my house, to cater to everyone’s oh so delicate palette.

Normally, I add smoke flavor to my barbecue sauce, but in this recipe, that great smoky flavor comes from the bacon in the rub. How do you incorporate bacon into the rub, you ask? It is puréed in the food processor until it forms a paste. Mmm… bacon paste (said in my best Homer Simpson voice). Mix it with some sweet and smoky spices and massage it into the chicken. It is messy, and you might think it will never combine, but keep at it or hand it over to the kids and let them have at it.

Four grilled chicken skewers with a glazed, slightly charred finish rest on a wooden cutting board, with a small bowl of sauce and red-checked paper visible in the background.

These make an excellent meal when paired with the Sweet and Tart Zucchini slaw. Leftovers make for a yummy barbecue chicken sandwich.

Barbecued Chicken Kebabs with Bacon Rub

By Nicole Prep: 20 minsCook: 20 minsRefrigeration Time: 30 minsTotal: 1 hr 10 mins Servings: 6 Four grilled meat skewers, coated in a shiny, reddish sauce, rest on a wooden cutting board. A small bowl of dipping sauce is visible in the background.

Four grilled meat skewers, coated in a shiny, reddish sauce, rest on a wooden cutting board. A small bowl of dipping sauce is visible in the background.

These sweet and smokey kebabs are juicy, tender, and packed with so much flavor!

Equipment

Metal skewers
14-cup food processor
Instant read thermometer

Ingredients

For the Sauce

½ cup ketchup
2 tablespoons molasses
½ small yellow onion, diced
2 tablespoons Worcestershire
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
2 tablespoons white vinegar
3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar

For the Kebabs

2 pounds boneless, skinless thighs or breasts, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons sweet paprika
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
4 teaspoons granulated sugar
2 slices bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces
4 (12-inch) metal skewers

Instructions

For the Sauce

Bring all of the ingredients to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat; cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce is reduced to about 1 cup and has a ketchup-like consistency, about 5-7 minutes. Using a hand held immersion blender or standing blender, puree the sauce until smooth. Transfer ½ cup sauce to a small bowl; set aside remaining sauce for serving.

For the Kebabs

Toss chicken and salt in a large bowl; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.
Prepare a gas or charcoal grill with hot coals or high heat on one side of the grill with the other side left cool. Clean and oil the cooking grate.
In the bowl of a food processor, process the bacon until a smooth paste forms, about 30-45 seconds, scraping down the bowl during processing. Add the sweet and smoked paprika and sugar and process until combined. Add the spiced bacon paste mixture to the chicken, rubbing with hands until the the ingredients are blended and the chicken is completely coated. Thread the meat onto the skewers, rolling or folding the meat as necessary.
Grill kebabs (covered if using gas), turning one-quarter turn every 2 to 2 ½ minutes until well browned and slightly charred, 8 minutes for breasts and 10 minutes for thighs. (If flare-ups occur, slide kebabs to the cool side of the grill until fire dies down.) Brush the top of the kebabs with ¼ cup of sauce; flip and cook until sauce is brown in spots, about 1 minute. Brush second side with remaining ¼ cup of sauce; flip and continue to cook until brown in spots and breasts register 160°F and thighs register 175°F, about 1 minute longer. Remove the kebabs from the grill and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve, passing the reserved barbecue sauce. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 316kcal, Carbohydrates: 23g, Protein: 36g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.03g, Cholesterol: 96mg, Sodium: 1222mg, Potassium: 882mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 19g, Vitamin A: 1591IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 52mg, Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.