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I made this last night, and WOW—absolutely delicious. I have two kiddos who are super picky and generally are not good dinner eaters. They both ate these and wanted more!
Laura
Prepare For a Lot Of Finger Licking.
Bjork is still rocking the protein guy life, and, okay, I’m trying to eat more protein too, so we make chicken A LOT right now. And as much as I love the absolute all-star air fryer chicken (which is to the maximum), lately I’ve been mixing it up with these honey chipotle chicken skewers.
First of all, these chicken skewers have been approved 10x by my family – every time I make these, I get the thumbs up from my husband AND my girls. The flavor mix is so easy: smoky chipotle, honey and orange, a good amount of taco seasoning, and a bit of fresh garlic. The flavor is sticky, sweet, and smoky all in one. FINGER LICKING DELICIOUS! We have been coming back to them again and again.
Secondly, it’s not complicated at all, but look how pretty!
You don’t have to use the skewers. But come on – they are SO lovely and so fun! If you are looking for something to just shake up the very repetitive daily grind of dinners (it me!), it’s worth the 5 minutes for a little fun skewer showcase moment at dinnertime.
Plus, skewers make these extremely grill-friendly! I have been air frying them, but they are just begging to be grilled. I can feel it.
We like this with corn dip, pickled onions, and green rice. WOW – it is a power combo. I crave those leftovers like nobody’s business. But these chicken skewers also play well with black beans and avocado corn salsa, or thrown on a southwestern-style salad, or tucked into a tortilla for a taco moment!
Welcome To My Kitchen! Let’s Make These Skewers.
1
Soak Your Skewers!
I soak them for 15-30 minutes while I’m prepping the chicken. If you’re air frying these, you may need to break the ends of the skewers off so they fit into your air fryer.
2
Cut Up Your Chicken.
I like small bite-sized pieces. I typically use chicken breasts but chicken thighs would also work great.
3
Make Some Flavor.
Lotta flavor goodness in that bowl. Honey, chipotle, fresh garlic, and a bit of honey, and some taco seasoning.
4
Thread on Skewers.
Just pile em on there. They should be very well-coated and a nice orangey-red color. FLAVOR!
5
Cook Them Up!
I like to air fry them because it’s the easiest (10 minutes and they’re done, with a nice golden burnished looking exterior!) but grilling would be perfect if that’s your journey!
Watch How To Make These Chicken Skewers
Honey Chipotle Chicken Skewers
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 3–4 servings 1x
Description
These chicken skewers are a family favorite! Very easy, deliciously smoky, nice and sweet, with a good amount of spice and bite. Air fryer, grill, and oven-friendly!
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 1 pound chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
- wood skewers (optional)
Honey Chipotle Mix:
- 1 1/2 tablespoon honey
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo, minced
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning (I like the Siete brand)
- 1 orange, zest and juice (1–2 teaspoons zest and 1 tablespoon juice)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
Instructions
- Soak: Soak the skewers in water for 15-30 minutes while you prep the chicken.
- Mix: Using your hands or tongs, mix the chicken with the honey chipotle mix. It’ll look saucy and messy, in a good way.
- Skewers: Thread the chicken pieces onto skewers (usually I get 4 skewers with a pound of chicken).
- Cook Em Up: You can cook these a number of different ways – I air fry them at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Grilling would also be amazing! Finish with a drizzle of honey, or (yum) 2 tablespoons of melted butter mixed with honey. It’s so good!
Notes
I don’t marinate the chicken, but I do usually let it sit for 10-15 minutes while I prep the other dinner elements. You can marinate the chicken for a few hours if you are making this ahead, or just go ahead with cooking if you’re ready!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Air Fryer
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: chicken skewers, air fryer chicken, grilled chicken
Frequently Asked Questions For These Chicken Skewers
Yes! You can just arrange the chicken in a single layer in the air fryer at 400 for 10 minutes.
Broil near the top of the oven for 10-12 minutes. With this method, you will get a nicer, more even browning if you use chicken thighs, but either can work!
Not spicy, in my opinion! My two girls, 3 and 5, are not big spicy food girls AT ALL but they will devour this chicken. If you’re worried about it, use half of a chipotle pepper! (Or, on the other side, if you want more heat, go for 2-3 chipotle peppers!)
This was wayyyy too orange for me! Followed the direction as is, but added 2 chipotle peppers. Dominant flavor was orange. We almost couldn’t eat it.
Has anyone tried this with shrimp ?
Where does the taco seasoning come in, you dont mention it in the directions
In step 2, it’s part of the “honey chipotle mix”.
First of all thank you for so many amazing recipes! I use your recipes to plan most of my weekly dinners. I am wondering if I could freeze this in the marinade to be used later. Thanks for your help !
This was yummy. Served w rice and sauteed baby bok choy/sesame oil & seeds. It will be repeated with another chipotle or two per suggestion! The drizzle of butter/ honey suggestion will ALSO be employed. Thanks for a great recipe.
I’m always looking for chicken recipes, and this one was excellent! Looking forward to making it again. I’ll freeze the leftover chipotles or make extra batches of sauce to freeze next time.
Lindsay, I am a long-time follower/fan of Pinch of Yum.
I want thank you for the recipe analysis you provide. I work with patients who have kidney disease and it is very helpful to know how much protein, sodium, potassium and especially phosphorus is in each serving. Can you share what program you use? Phosphorus analysis is especially difficult to find.
Thanks so much, Mary
So good! And that’s only after eating a few bites as they came out of the air fryer 😅 for “testing” purposes. I used chicken tenders so it was really fast to cut into bite sized pieces and I didn’t bother with skewers – just a single layer in the air fryer. Definitely going on repeat as I can see this being the base for so many good meals: over rice, in a quesadilla, etc.
Sooooo good! Served this with green rice and a pepperchini chimichuri 🤤
So easy and yummy! I did it without the skewers and needed more time on the chicken. Approx 15-18 min with a quick shake in the middle. Definitely making again!
If I wanted to freeze this to cook later, how would I go about cooking it frozen? Would I let it thaw in the fridge before cooking?
I make this recipe with chicken breasts sliced thin as per your air fryer chicken recipe and have cooked them in the oven, on the bbq and in the air fryer – everybody loves this recipe.
Made these last night for company and got 2 thumbs up. All your recipes always turn out great so I knew I didn’t even have to test before trying on guests.
These were soooo good and easy! We had with a Southwestern-style salad and definitely see us working this in as a weeknight regular.
I wish I could make these but I don’t have an air fryer or a grill. is there a way to cook in an oven
Hi Aiden! Yes, broil near the top of the oven for 10-12 minutes. With this method, you will get a nicer, more even browning if you use chicken thighs, but either can work!
This looks delicious! Do you recommend marinating the chicken prior to grilling? Thanks!
Just stinkin’ delightful. I have a handful of POY recipes that have become go-tos for our family but this is my first time making these chicken skewers and they delivered! Made them in the air fryer and even my picky toddler ate “chicken on a stick”. Sweet, spicy, citrusy and that yummy crunch from the airfyer mmm mmm yes please!
So delish! I didn’t worry about skewering chicken. Just popped it in the air fryer and it turned out beautifully! I served it with the green rice, creamy corn and pickled onions. Omg! A lot of prep, but so worth it! Next time I’ll make the corn and onions ahead of time so there’s less to do at dinner time. Thank you!
A great recipe chicken skewers, and meal plan for dinner. Thank you
Loved these! Didn’t bother with skewers and just cooked the chicken in a non-stick frying pan until done. So easy to make, very tasty and my husband has requested it again – result!
Are you able to put the chicken in the marinade and freeze to use at a later time?
Yes, that will work just fine! Just freeze right after adding the marinade.
I made these tonight but I blanked and left out the taco seasoning. Still great!
So if you happen to have everything but that in the house, I would not let that stop you!
(Also, I always puree leftover chipotles with the sauce and freeze – it’s pretty easy to break off a bit when I need it for a recipe, and it’s nice that it’s always available.)
How many tablespoon of one pureed chipotle?
What air fryer do you like best?
This is our favorite right now!
I made this last night, and WOW—absolutely delicious. I have two kiddos who are super picky and generally are not good dinner eaters. They both ate these and wanted more!
Love that! Thanks for the comment, Laura!
These honey chipotle chicken skewers look absolutely divine! 😍 The glaze is perfectly caramelized, giving the chicken a deliciously sticky and smoky finish. The contrast of the rich chipotle color with the fresh, vibrant sides is simply stunning. The photos capture the juicy tenderness of the chicken so well, I can almost taste it! This recipe looks simple yet incredibly flavorful. Can’t wait to fire up the grill and give it a try. Thanks for sharing!