Air Fryer Chicken Kabobs is an incredibly tasty and easy-to-make meal, and as a bonus, it’s healthy, too! The combination of chicken, mushrooms, and bell peppers provides a ton of essential nutrients, including protein, vitamins, and minerals. Plus, when you use an air fryer to cook your kabobs, you get all that yummy crispiness and caramelization of fried foods without the extra calories and fat.

Dinners are so much easier with an air fryer! Did you know you can air fry frozen steak? You can also cook homemade pizza in the air fryer, and cook delicious Johnsonville Brats, too!
What are chicken kabobs?
Chicken kabobs (sometimes called chicken kebabs) are a variety of shish kabobs that are made with chicken that’s pierced and skewered on long wooden or metal sticks. The chicken is usually interspersed with thick chunks of vegetables like onion, mushrooms, or peppers. Sometimes, fruit like cherry tomatoes or pineapple is added. Chicken kabobs are typically seasoned with flavorful rubs or BBQ seasonings and cooked on a grill until the meat is tender and the veggies are caramelizing and cooked until the edges are browning.
What is the best way to cook chicken kabobs?
Grilling is the most common way to cook chicken kabobs, but they can also be air fried. Anyway you cook them, you want them to be exposed to high heat and cook rather quickly, as chicken breast doesn’t have a lot of fat on it. If you cook it too slowly, your chicken will dry out. Air frying is a great method because you don’t have to drag out the grill. You can quickly make chicken kabobs without heating up the whole kitchen or making much of a mess.
What can I serve with chicken kabobs?
Kabobs are one of those meals that seem to go well with just about any side dish. If you want your dinner to have a Meditteranean flair, you can serve sides like rice, quinoa, couscous, salad, roasted vegetables, or pita bread.
If you feel like serving a more traditional American meal, fries, baked potatoes, baked beans, potato or pasta salad, or corn on the cob.
You can also serve them with dipping sauces, such as tzatziki, hummus, bbq sauce, or honey mustard.
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1/2 teaspoon chives, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon dill, chopped
- 8 whole mushrooms, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 medium red onion cut into 1-inch pieces, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 orange bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
How to Make Air Fryer Chicken Kabobs
STEP ONE: Prep the chicken. Place the chicken into a mixing bowl. Add the melted butter, chives, and dill, stirring to coat the chicken.
STEP TWO: Assemble the skewers. Layer each skewer with chicken, red onion, bell peppers, mushrooms, and more chicken.
STEP THREE: Air Fry. Preheat the air fryer to 400°F. Line the air fryer basket or pan with parchment paper. Place the skewers onto the parchment paper. Air fry for 10 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
Tips and Recipe Notes
- Fully preheat your air fryer before you place your skewers inside for the juiciest chicken.
- If you’re using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 30 minutes prior to making your shish kabobs. This helps prevent them from burning.
- You can also spray the skewers with cooking spray to keep the meat from sticking, and as a bonus, it adds some extra flavor.
- Keep an eye on your chicken. Once it’s fully cooked, remove it from the air fryer and let it rest.
- If you’re not a fan of chives and dill, add any spices you love to the butter marinade.
How to Store Leftovers
To store leftover chicken kabobs, you can wrap them in foil or place them in an airtight container and refrigerate them for up to 3 days. You can quickly reheat them in the air fryer. Just place foil-wrapped meat and veggies back in the air fryer at 350 until hot, about 4-5 minutes.
How to Freeze Leftover Chicken Kabobs
To freeze leftover chicken kabobs, place them in a freezer-safe container or bag. They’ll stay fresh for up to 3 months. Allow them to thaw fully in the refrigerator before reheating them.
FAQs
For making kabobs, I like to use boneless, skinless chicken breast. Chicken thighs also work well. These are good cuts because they’re flavorful and juicy, and they can be easily cut into smaller pieces. They also cook quickly.
There are a few good ways to help your chicken kabobs stay moist while cooking them. One way is to baste them with marinade. You can also soak them in the marinade for 30 minutes or longer before cooking for extra moisture and flavor. Make sure your air fryer (or other cooking method) is very hot when you put your kabobs on so they cook quickly. Finally, don’t overcook your chicken! This will result in dry, tough chicken every time.
Yes! You can make these ahead of time by marinating your chicken and assembling your skewers of meat and veggies. Line them up on a baking pan and cover them with plastic wrap. Keep them refrigerated until you’re ready to cook them. You can make these up to 24 hours before you plan to cook.
To help make sure these chicken kabobs don’t stick in your air fryer, add some cooking spray to the basket or baking tray. You can also place parchment beneath your kabobs. This makes cleaning up very easy, too!
More Kabob Recipes
Air Fryer Chicken Kabobs
Equipment
- wooden skewers soaked in water for 15 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- 1/2 teaspoon chives chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon dill chopped
- 8 whole mushrooms cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 medium red onion cut into 1-inch pieces cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 red bell pepper cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 orange bell pepper cut into 1-inch pieces
Instructions
- Prep the chicken. Place the chicken into a mixing bowl. Add the melted butter, chives, and dill, stirring to coat the chicken.
- Assemble the skewers. Layer each skewer with chicken, red onion, bell peppers, mushrooms, and more chicken.
- Air Fry. Preheat the air fryer to 400°F. Line the air fryer basket or pan with parchment paper. Place the skewers onto the parchment paper. Air fry for 10 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
Notes
- Fully preheat your air fryer before you place your skewers inside for the juiciest chicken.
- If you’re using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 30 minutes prior to making your shish kabobs. This helps prevent them from burning.
- You can also spray the skewers with cooking spray to keep the meat from sticking, and as a bonus, it adds some extra flavor.
- Keep an eye on your chicken. Once it’s fully cooked, remove it from the air fryer and let it rest.
- If you’re not a fan of chives and dill, add any spices you love to the butter marinade.
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