Gluten-free BBQ Chicken Kabobs (from scratch)

Gluten-free BBQ Chicken Kabobs (from scratch)
gluten-free | grain-free | dairy-free | tree nut free | egg free
by Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | August 10, 2023
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These gluten-free BBQ chicken kabobs are the perfect, easy summer grilling meal to put in the homestead menu plan! I was pleasantly surprised at how fast these kabobs came together and the taste was absolutely amazing! Everything is made from scratch using healthy, wholesome ingredients. Anybody will love these kabobs, BBQ lovers and non-BBQ lovers alike! Served up with some grilled veggies and grain-free bread, these BBQ kabobs will quickly become a menu staple.

Modern Pioneer Recipe

These BBQ chicken kabobs are a modern pioneer recipe! This was my first time in a long time grilling with kabob sticks. My family does a lot of grilled meals during the summer (which I love) but sometimes we get stuck doing the same meals over and over again. Which is fine with me, because I love our grilled chicken salads, venison steaks, or venison burgers. The burgers are especially good when I make my grain-free hamburger buns, which you can find the recipe for in my Gluten-free Burger Bun post.

Anyways, back to the kabobs. To throw some variety into our summer grilling meals, I decided to try kabobs. To be honest with you, I thought that kabobs were going to be way harder to make and grill than they actually were! It was so simple, all I had to do was….

• cut up the chicken tenders and put them in the marinade in the morning
• boil the potatoes for 4-5 minutes
• stick everything on kabob sticks
• and grill them up, which only took a matter of minutes!

I also love that these gluten-free BBQ chicken kabobs are easily allergy-friendly! They are…

• gluten-free
• soy free
• grain-free
• dairy-free
• egg free
• refined sugar free
• nut free

How to Make Your Own BBQ Marinade

Not only was it my first time in a long time using kabob sticks, but it was also my first time making my own meat marinade. The marinade was very fun to make and now I am excited to try more homemade marinade combinations! Basically, all I had to do was combine a bunch of BBQ ingredients in a bag or dish with the cut up chicken tenders. Let them set for the morning and afternoon, and then I had some flavorful, tender chicken ready to be grilled up for dinner!

Marinating meat before grilling it helps make the meat tender and juicy. My family always marinates our grilling meat and typically we use Bragg’s Organic Vinaigrette salad dressing. However, I felt like getting creative and trying some new marinade, like this BBQ marinade! The BBQ marinade on these small chicken tender bites was amazing, but you can feel free to try it on some of your other favorite grilling meats… like steaks or ribs.

For my marinade, I like to start off with a base of vinegar. Just a little acid to help tenderize things. I also like to include coconut aminos, which helps break down the meat and make it tender. The liquid smoke in this BBQ marinade is a must since it provides the smokey, BBQ flavor! The spices add the other essential BBQ flavors and should not be left out either!

How to Make Quick Summer Meals

Like I said before, these kabobs went together very quickly and turned out to be a great, quick summer meal for my family. We are definitely adding these kabobs to our regular list of summer meals. One nice thing about kabobs is that they can be adapted very easily to whatever grilling foods we have on hand.

I love making up a grilled veggie mix to grill at the same time as the chicken kabobs. Fresh veggies from farmer’s market and the homestead garden are always delicious on the grill. My favorite veggies to chop up and grill include zucchini, summer squash, carrots, and broccoli. Occasionally I throw in some mushrooms or peppers too.

Here are a few other grilling foods you can consider adding to these quick, summer kabobs:

• sweet potato or white potato
• onions (I like candy onions)
• tomatoes
• portobello mushrooms
• pineapple

For more tips on how long to grill different veggies and meats, check out this Modern Pioneer Grilling Guide! You can also go to my Grilled Venison Kabobs to get my grilled veggie recipe!

About the Ingredients

The ingredients for these kabobs are very simple, even the marinade ingredients should be ones you have on hand or that can be found easily. Here are a few ingredients that I would like to highlight:

• Chicken tenders- I used tenders in this recipe but you can also use whole chicken breasts, you will just have to cut them up more. Also, make sure you buy all-natural, pasture-raised organic chicken. It’s healthier for you and more humane for the animals!
• Vinegar- I used regular, distilled white vinegar in my marinade. The salad dressing that I typically use as a marinade contains apple cider vinegar, so I am sure you could probably make a swap and still end up with a flavorful BBQ marinade.
• Honey- I used raw honey as my sweetener in the marinade. Raw honey contains so many health benefits and gives the BBQ a sweet and sticky flavor! You could also try substituting maple syrup instead of honey.
• Coconut Aminos- Coconut aminos helps break down the meat proteins and makes it tender. They also contain 17 amino acids and a bunch of other vitamins and minerals!
• Liquid Smoke- I use Wright’s liquid smoke since it has very simple ingredients. Stay away from liquid smoke that contains added sugar and extra junk.
• Mustard- I use Primal Kitchen organic mustard but you could easily substitute mustard seed powder for the mustard in the marinade.

Chicken Kabob Recipe Tips

Gluten-free BBQ chicken kabobs are fairly straight forward. Stick everything on a kabob stick, put it on the grill, and voila! You have a delicious, flavorful, tender meal all ready for consumption! However, to make sure your kabobs turn out as perfectly as mine did, here are a few recipe tips:

• Soak your kabob sticks. Soaking the wooden kabob sticks keeps them from burning. I soaked mine for 4 hours, but they can be soaked for a minimum of 15 minutes prior to using them.
• Potato Tip: If you are adding potatoes to your kabobs, boil your potatoes first. Diced potatoes should be boiled for 5-8 minutes. Sweet potatoes need to boil for less time than russet potatoes. Boiling the potatoes for a few minutes before grilling them ensures that they will be soft and done at the same time as the chicken.
• Cut up the chicken tenders. No matter if you use chicken tenders or chicken breasts, make sure you cut them all up into relatively the same size for even cooking rates.
• Grill veggies separate. If you are grilling other veggies like summer squashes or mushrooms, you will want to put them on their own kabob sticks. Vegetables and meats grill for different times.
• Marinate for at least 4-6 hours. To get the most flavorful chicken, allow it to set in the marinate for at least 4 hours, but ideally overnight.

Gluten-free BBQ chicken kabobs are the perfect summer meal that can be made up quickly and require little prep time! I love the delicious, smokey flavor of the tender chicken bites paired with soft grilled veggies and some grain-free baguette! Everything pairs nicely together and grills up fast and easy. Give these kabobs a try!

Where to Find the Ingredients

• Coconut Secrets coconut aminos
• Muir Glen tomato paste
• Nature Nate’s Raw Honey
• Wright’s liquid smoke
• Primal Kitchen organic mustard
• Simply Organic onion powder
• Simply Organic chili powder
• Supplies: 10″ kabob sticks

I love these gluten-free BBQ chicken kabob sticks! They are healthy, quick, and flavorful! Being gluten-free, grain-free, soy free, and dairy-free makes them the perfect low-inflammation grilling meal for your summer menu. I am sure you will love the juicy, tender chicken with a smokey, delicious BBQ flavor served with your favorite grilled veggies and some grilled grain-free baguette. It will quickly become a favorite meal for modern pioneers of all ages!

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