These lemon garlic chicken skewers are one of my family’s favorite easy summer dinners! Bite-sized pieces of chicken are marinated in fresh lemon, lots of garlic, olive oil, a little mayonnaise, paprika and oregano, then threaded onto skewers and grilled until juicy and flavorful.

This is the kind of recipe I come back to again and again because the marinade is incredibly simple, but the chicken has SO much flavor. You can prep the skewers ahead of time, let the chicken marinate while you get everything else ready, and throw them on the grill when it’s time to eat.

I recently made a double batch for my mom’s birthday celebration at the beach, and they were a huge hit. Everyone brought something, so we served the chicken skewers alongside fresh local corn, potato salad, quinoa salad, chips and my grandmother’s country-style ribs. It’s exactly the kind of relaxed summer gathering I love.

Why You’ll Love These Lemon Garlic Chicken Skewers

The best part about this recipe is how much flavor you get from such simple ingredients. The fresh lemon and garlic are really the stars here. I use both lemon zest and lemon juice, so you get that bright lemon flavor throughout the chicken instead of just a little acidity from the juice.

They’re also:

• Easy to prep ahead
• Perfect for grilling season
• Great for summer parties, BBQs and family dinners
• Made with simple ingredients
• Easy to double for a crowd
• Delicious with almost any summer side dish

And you only need to marinate the chicken for about 20 minutes if you’re short on time, although I like it even better when I can give it a few hours. That’s what I did for my mom’s birthday, and everyone loved the result.

Ingredients for Lemon Garlic Chicken Skewers

Chicken

• 2-3lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces

Lemon Garlic Marinade

• Zest of 1 lemon, about 1 teaspoon
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 cloves garlic, grated
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon paprika (regular or smoked)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 1½ teaspoons dried oregano

Those amounts are the standard version of the doubled marinade I made in the video. For my larger batch, I used two lemons, four garlic cloves, two teaspoons each of salt and paprika, two tablespoons each of olive oil and mayonnaise, and one tablespoon oregano.

Why Add Mayonnaise to a Chicken Marinade?

Don’t let the mayonnaise scare you!

There is only a tablespoon in the standard batch, so these chicken skewers don’t taste like mayonnaise. It becomes part of the marinade and helps everything coat the chicken beautifully.

Combined with the olive oil, lemon, garlic and seasonings, it creates a flavorful coating for every piece of chicken.

Regular Paprika vs. Smoked Paprika

Either works!

I used smoked paprika when I made these in the video because that’s what I had at my mom’s house, but I often make the recipe with regular paprika.

Smoked paprika will give the chicken a slightly smokier flavor, while regular paprika keeps the flavor a little more neutral and allows the lemon and garlic to stand out even more.

Use what you have. That’s how I cook this recipe!

How to Make Lemon Garlic Chicken Skewers

1. Cut the chicken.

Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Try to keep them relatively similar in size so they cook at about the same rate.

2. Make the lemon garlic marinade.

In a large bowl, combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, grated garlic, salt, paprika, olive oil, mayonnaise and oregano.

Mix until everything is well combined.

3. Marinate the chicken.

Add the chicken pieces directly to the bowl and toss until every piece is well coated in the lemon garlic marinade.

Let the chicken marinate for at least 20 minutes.

If you have more time, let it sit for a few hours. That’s what I did when I made them for my family, and the chicken was absolutely delicious.

4. Assemble the skewers.

Thread the marinated chicken pieces onto skewers.

Don’t pack the chicken together too tightly. Giving the pieces a little room helps them cook evenly on the grill.

5. Grill.

Grill the chicken skewers until the chicken is nicely browned and cooked through.

NOTE FOR MARIA: Your transcript doesn’t state the grill temperature or number of minutes you cooked them, so I would add your normal grill temperature/time here rather than making one up from another recipe.

6. Serve.

Remove the chicken from the grill and serve warm with your favorite summer sides.

How Long Should I Marinate Chicken Skewers?

I recommend at least 20 minutes, but a few hours is even better.

When I made these for my mom’s birthday, I prepared the chicken earlier and let it marinate for a few hours before grilling. Everyone was extremely happy with how they turned out.

That also makes this a fantastic recipe for entertaining because you can do most of the work before your guests arrive.

Can I Double This Recipe?

Absolutely, and I do!

Here’s the exact double batch from my video:

Double-Batch Lemon Garlic Marinade

• Zest of 2 lemons, about 2 teaspoons
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 4 cloves garlic, grated
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano

I used this amount with two large packages of chicken when cooking for my mom’s birthday gathering.

For a party or larger family gathering, this is the version I’d make.

Don’t Forget the Veggie Skewers!

When I made these chicken skewers for my mom’s birthday, I also made simple vegetable skewers.

I chopped vegetables and onions, threaded them onto separate skewers, and poured balsamic vinaigrette over them for an incredibly easy marinade before grilling.

Keeping the vegetables separate from the chicken is also convenient because you can cook each until it’s done exactly how you like it.

What to Serve With Lemon Garlic Chicken Skewers

These go with just about anything you want to serve at a summer cookout.

For my mom’s birthday, our family served them with fresh local corn, potato salad, quinoa salad, chips and crackers, veggie skewers and country-style ribs. Everyone contributed something, which is one of my favorite ways to entertain in the summer.

For a simple weeknight dinner, I’d keep it even easier. Serve the chicken with grilled vegetables, corn on the cob, rice, a fresh tomato salad or whatever seasonal produce you have.

Tips for the Best Grilled Chicken Skewers

Don’t skip the lemon zest. Using both the zest and juice gives you much more lemon flavor.

Grate the garlic. I love grated garlic here because it distributes throughout the marinade instead of leaving large chunks on individual pieces of chicken.

Give the chicken time to marinate. Twenty minutes works, but a few hours gives the flavors more time to get into the chicken.

Regular or smoked paprika both work. Don’t make a special grocery-store trip. Use whichever one you already have.

Make extra. This is one of those recipes where I don’t mind having leftover grilled chicken in the refrigerator at all. It’s easy to add to salads, wraps or lunches later in the week.

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