Chicken Spiedini – Grilled Chicken Skewers

The easiest Chicken Spiedini made with tender and juicy chicken and a simple flavour packed marinade. These Italian chicken skewers are grilled to perfection and taste good, so easy and healthy they're suited to whipping up when you're short on time or want a fuss-free dinner!

Spiedino in Italian translates as meat skewer (spiedini meaning plural) so essentially chicken spiedini are a little mash up of Italian and English to mean chicken skewers.

After a little research, we noticed that this dish in the US usually involves breaded chicken with some kind of dipping sauce but when we think of chicken skewers especially Italian ones we think of juicy, grilled chicken with nothing more than a few simple herbs.

There are no breadcrumbs involved here which makes them not only lighter and healthier but so much easier to make!

We LOVE this recipe especially with some grilled veggies and arugula on the side. You can grill these outdoors when the sun is shining or do them indoors under the broiler any time of year!

Prepping in advance

One essential step you need to do prior to cooking is to soak the wooden skewers for at least 30 minutes in advance.

If you don't soak the skewers they will burn whilst cooking which ain't fun!

Of course, if you use metal skewers then there's no need to do this step and you can skip straight to marinading the chicken!

If you want to prep everything in advance so it's the case of broiling (grilling) when you are ready to eat then you can marinate the chicken and store it in the fridge until you are ready to eat.

How to make Chicken Spiedini – step by step

If using wooden skewers, soak them in a tray of water for 30 minutes (photo 1).

Cut the chicken into 1 inch cubed pieces and add to a bowl. Add all the herbs, zest, olive oil and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Stir until thoroughly combined (photos 2-3).

Heat the broiler (grill) to high. Thread the chicken onto the wooden skewers evenly and place on a baking tray (photo 5).

Place the chicken on a high shelf under the broiler and cook for 5 minutes, turn the skewers and cook for another 5 minutes until browned and cooked through (photo 6).

Serve the chicken skewers on plate with a squeeze of lemon juice.

Serving suggestions and variations

We love to serve these Italian chicken skewers with grilled veggies such as zucchini, eggplant (courgette/aubergine) or bell peppers. A generous handful of arugula (rocket) drizzle with a little olive oil, lemon juice and sprinkled with salt and pepper makes for a solid healthy and nutritious side.

Here are a few other ideas that would work perfectly

• Italian Roast Potatoes – Rosemary And Garlic
• Italian Farro Salad
• White Bean Mash With Rosemary And Lemon
• Classic Caprese Salad – Easy, Fresh & good
• Easy Green Bean Salad with Mustard and Garlic Dressing

More good Italian recipes you might like

• Pistachio Crusted Chicken with Arugula Salad
• Involtini alla Palermitana (Sicilian Beef Involtini)
• Eggplant Parmigiana (Parmigiana di Melanzane)
• Stuffed Pork Tenderloin with Prosciutto & Pistachios
• Creamy Tuscan Chicken with Garlic and Pancetta

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

• 4 chicken breasts
• 2 tbsp fresh rosemary (finely chopped)
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• Zest of 1 whole lemon
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper (to season)
• A squeeze of fresh lemon juice (for serving)

Equipment

• 4 wooden skewers

Method

1. If using wooden skewers, soak them in a tray of water for 30 minutes.

2. Cut the chicken into 1 inch cubed pieces and add to a bowl.

3. Add all the herbs, zest, olive oil and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Stir until thoroughly combined. You can use the chicken immediately or place in the fridge to marinate until you're ready.

4. Heat the broiler (grill) to high. Thread the chicken onto the wooden skewers evenly and place on a baking tray.

5. Place the chicken on a high shelf under the broiler and cook for 5 minutes, turn the skewers and cook for another 5 minutes until browned and cooked through.

6. Serve the chicken skewers on plate with a squeeze of lemon juice and some grilled veggies.

Kitchen notes

• Cutting the chicken Cut the chicken into even pieces so they all cook at the same time.
• Variations Feel free to play around with flavours using different herbs and spices these are so versatile!
• Outdoor grilling You can grill these outdoors during the summer it'll also give them an extra smoky flavour. On a BBQ they'll need around 3 minutes each side.
• Leftovers can be stored in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven or under the broiler (grill) until piping hot all the way through or eat cold. Serve with salad or any sides you like.
• You can freeze these either before cooking or after, thaw overnight before cooking.