Grilled Asian Chicken Skewers (Printable Version)

Skewered, marinated chicken grilled and glazed with a sticky honey-garlic sauce; served with sesame and lime.

# What You Need:

→ Chicken & Marinade

01 - 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
02 - 3 tablespoons soy sauce (use gluten-free tamari if needed)
03 - 2 tablespoons sesame oil
04 - 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
05 - 1 tablespoon honey
06 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
07 - 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
08 - ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

→ Honey Garlic Sauce

09 - ¼ cup honey
10 - 2 tablespoons soy sauce
11 - 2 tablespoons water
12 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
13 - 1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water
14 - ½ teaspoon chili flakes (optional)

→ Garnishes

15 - 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
16 - 2 green onions, thinly sliced
17 - Lime wedges

# How-To:

01 - In a mixing bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, honey, minced garlic, grated ginger, and black pepper until well combined.
02 - Add the chicken pieces to the marinade and toss to coat evenly. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 4 hours for deeper flavor.
03 - Preheat an outdoor grill or grill pan over medium-high heat. If using wooden skewers, ensure they have been soaked in water for at least 30 minutes to prevent burning.
04 - Remove the chicken from the marinade, allowing excess to drip off. Thread the chicken pieces onto the skewers, spacing them evenly.
05 - Place the skewers on the hot grill and cook for 5 to 7 minutes per side, turning once, until the chicken is cooked through and lightly charred on the edges.
06 - While the chicken grills, combine the honey, soy sauce, water, minced garlic, and chili flakes in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.
07 - Stir in the cornstarch slurry and cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce thickens to a glossy consistency, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and set aside.
08 - Arrange the grilled chicken skewers on a serving platter. Drizzle generously with the honey garlic sauce and garnish with sesame seeds, sliced green onions, and lime wedges.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The marinade doubles as a flavor bomb for tofu or shrimp, so you will want to keep it in your back pocket all summer long.
  • That honey garlic sauce thickens into something glossy and addictive that people will literally lick off the plate.
  • Start to finish you are looking at barely any active work, which means more time outside and less time hovering over a stove.
02 -
  • Do not skip the marinating time because that is when the soy sauce and ginger actually penetrate the chicken and transform it from bland to deeply flavored.
  • If your sauce gets too thick off the heat it will continue to thicken as it cools, so pull it from the stove when it is slightly thinner than you think you want.
03 -
  • Cut all your chicken pieces the same size so everything finishes cooking at exactly the same moment and you are not stuck pulling some skewers off early while others are still raw in the middle.
  • Let the sauce rest for a minute before serving because it thickens into the perfect drizzling consistency right at room temperature.

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