Preserved Lemon Chicken Kebabs

Juicy grilled chicken skewers marinated in a fragrant blend of spices, citrus, and honey, paired with sweet pineapple and vegetables for an easy, flavor-packed meal perfect for any occasion.

📝 Ingredients

• 700 g boneless skinless chicken thigh
• 60 g preserved lemon paste (see notes)
• 60 g olive oil
• 8 cloves garlic (smashed to release flavor)
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp salt
• 910 g pineapple chunks (2 cans pineapple chunks)
• 600 g red onion
• 600 g bell peppers (about 3 medium size of mixed colored peppers)
• 4 Tbsp cooking oil
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• Salt to taste

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1--- Marinate the chicken: ---
2. 2Cut the chicken into about 1-inch pieces. Place it in a large mixing bowl and add preserved lemons, oil, garlic cloves, honey, paprika powder, ground cumin, ground coriander, red pepper flakes, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and salt. Toss to combine everything and make sure the chicken pieces are well coated with the seasonings and spices. Cover and refrigerate to let it marinate for at least 6 hours or up to 24 hours
3. 3--- On the day you plan to serve the kebabs: ---
4. 4Remove the chicken from the fridge and let it sit a room temperature for about an hour
5. 5While waiting, prepare the vegetables. Cut the bell peppers into 1 1/2- 2 inch squares. Cut the onion half and cut each half into quarters, so you get 8 wedges. Separate the wedges into 2-layer chunks
6. 6Toss the onion and bell peppers chunks into oil, freshly ground black pepper, and pinch of salt. Toss to combine
7. 7I use canned pineapple chunks for convenience. Discard or save the juice for other use
8. 8--- If you plan to use bamboo skewers, prepare them by soaking: ---
9. 9If you use bamboo skewers, place your skewers in a shallow dish (like a baking pan or rimmed baking sheet) and submerge them completely in warm water.
10. 10Wood floats, so the skewers will try to bob to the top. Weigh them down by placing a heavy plate, a ceramic bowl, or even a glass loaf pan on top of them so they stay entirely underwater.
11. 11Take them out of the water right before you are ready to thread your chicken and veggies. Give them a quick shake over the sink to remove excess water so it doesn't steam your food.
12. 12--- Assembling the kebabs: ---
13. 13If you use a long metal skewer, you can skip the soaking part. Thread the skewer with onion, bell pepper, pineapple chunk, and then chicken piece. Repeat with the same order again another 3-4 times (depending on how long is your metal skewer)
14. 14If you use bamboo skewers, the method is the same, you will just do a shorter version
15. 15--- If cooking on outdoor grill: ---
16. 16Clean and oil your grates. Fire up your grill to medium-high heat (around 400°F to 450°F / 200°C to 230°C).
17. 17Lay the kebabs across the grates. Cook for 12–15 minutes, turning a quarter-turn every 3 to 4 minutes. Basting with the marinade juice you reserved earlier as you cook
18. 18If the pineapple or onions start to char too fast, move the kebabs to a slightly cooler part of the grill (indirect heat) to let the chicken finish cooking through.
19. 19--- If cooking with a grill pan (indoor): ---
20. 20A cast-iron grill pan gives you those beautiful charred grill marks indoors, but requires a little more attention since you have less surface contact.
21. 21Heat your grill pan over medium-high heat until it is smoking hot. Brush a tiny bit of oil on the ridges
22. 22Place the skewers down. Don't crowd the pan; cook in batches if necessary. Let them sear undisturbed for 2-3 minutes to get clean grill marks, then rotate. Total time will be about 10-12 minutes. Basting with the marinade juice you reserved earlier as you cook
23. 23--- If cooking using regular skillet or flat frying pan: ---
24. 24A regular flat skillet gives you the best overall browning (Maillard reaction) because the entire surface of the chicken and veggies makes contact with the hot metal. You need a flat fying pan if you use metal skewers because regular skillet won't fit
25. 25Heat a large skillet over medium heat. You don't want it screaming hot like the grill pan, or the honey in the marinade will burn before the chicken cooks.
26. 26Add the skewers. Cook for about 2-3 minutes per side (turning 4 times total) for a total of 8-12 minutes. Basting with the marinade juice you reserved earlier as you cook
27. 27--- Serve: ---
28. 28Serve them warm along other main or side dishes. More ideas in my post above