How to Make Tender Grilled Chicken Kebabs

What’s my idea of the perfect summer dinner? Bite-sized pieces of herby yogurt-marinated chicken threaded onto skewers, then grilled to perfection. The kebabs are easy, crowd-pleasing, and you can serve them up any way you like: Simply shower the charred chicken with herbs, slide the pieces onto pasta salad, or pair with the season’s freshest produce.

The key to keeping the meat tender while also infusing it with flavor is a simple yogurt marinade. In this recipe, I’ll show you how to mix that up and grill the chicken to perfection, so you can improve your summer grilling life asap.

Plain, whole-milk yogurt works its magic in multiple ways here. First, it evenly distributes the spices and seasonings in the marinade. Second, the lactic acid that gives yogurt its signature tang breaks down the protein in the chicken, making it juicy and ultra-tender. Sugars — like lactose — naturally present in yogurt also caramelize and brown on the hot grill grates, giving these kebabs beautiful (and tasty!) grill marks.

If possible, skip thick Greek yogurt — its concentrated consistency can cause the kebabs to stick to the grill grates. But If Greek is all you’ve got, stir in a splash of milk to loosen it up.

After mixing up the marinade in a gallon-size zip-top bag, you’ll add the chicken pieces, massage to coat, and marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes. Want to get ahead? You can pop the bag in the fridge and marinate the chicken overnight.

When it comes to skewering chicken for kebabs, I always reach for 9- to 12-inch metal skewers. Here’s why.

• Unlike bamboo or wooden skewers, which need a 30-minute soak before hitting the grill, metal skewers are ready at a moment’s notice.
• They can be used again and again, making them a great no-waste option.
• Their pointy tip can easily pierce chicken (and any vegetable you want to grill alongside it). Just be sure to use tongs or an oven mitt when turning metal skewers, because they will get hot over the flames.

If you choose to use bamboo or wooden skewers, remember that they don’t conduct heat as effectively as metal, so the chicken may take an extra minute or two to cook. I recommend soaking an entire package of at the start of the summer, then wrapping the bundle in plastic wrap and freezing. The moisture stays in the skewers and you can use them straight from the freezer.

Arrange the grilled kebabs on a serving platter and finish with a sprinkle of chopped parsley. The long, slender skewers make serving easy, since everyone can add a skewer or two to their own plates. Just remember that metal skewers can remain hot even off the grill, so use tongs when you’re plating them up.

Serve the charred chicken with summery sides like grilled vegetables, or slide the pieces off of the skewers and serve atop crunchy salad greens or pasta salads.