These flavorful Air Fryer Chicken Kabobs (Kebabs) are made with tender chunks of chicken breast and colorful veggies, all threaded onto skewers and air fried to perfection. This easy dinner or lunch can also be baked in the oven or on the grill and it's a perfect low-carb meal.
Skewered meat and vegetables on a stick is a summer cookout classic but when the weather is not cooperating, kabobs (or kebabs) can also be made right in your air fryer. This air fryer chicken kabobs recipe features bite size pieces of boneless skinless chicken breast, zucchini, bell peppers and red onions, all flavored by a simple marinade made with Italian ingredients, such as olive oil, red wine vinegar, fresh garlic and dried herbs. You can't go wrong with that!
If the standard bamboo or wooden skewers are too long to fit your air fryer basket, just trim them with scissors. I make kebabs in the air fryer quite often, so to save myself trouble, I bought these 8-inch bamboo skewers on Amazon and they fit my 7-quart Go Wise Air Fryer perfectly. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need go even shorter, with 6-inch long skewers.
If you love the idea of air frying kabobs, make sure to also try these Pork Kebabs {Air Fryer or Oven} made with pork tenderloin, bacon, peppers and onions.
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Ingredient notes
- Chicken Breasts: you’ll need boneless skinless chicken breasts. Boneless thighs will also work
- Bell Peppers: use red, yellow or orange bell peppers
- Zucchini: smaller size zucchini will give you perfect round coins
- Red Onion: it adds beautiful color to the kebabs
- Garlic: fresh garlic is the best for marinades
- Olive Oil: use extra virgin olive oil - it prevents the kebabs from drying out and sticking to the air fryer
- Red Wine Vinegar: for a bit of tang
- Dried Spices: to flavor the kebabs use a combination of dried basil, oregano, thyme, onion powder
- Salt and Pepper: I used freshly ground pink Himalayan salt and black pepper from the mill
How to make chicken kebabs in the air fryer
STEP 1: Make the marinade. Combine olive oil, red wine vinegar, minced fresh garlic, oregano, basil, thyme, onion powder, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl.
STEP 2: Marinade the chicken. Add diced chicken to the bowl and mix thoroughly to coat the meat well.
STEP 3: Cut up the veggies. While the meat is sitting in the marinade, slice the zucchini into ½ inch coins, remove the seeds and stems from bell peppers and cut them into 1-inch pieces. Carefully separate layers of red onion and cut each layer into pieces. Your zucchini, pepper and onion pieces should be similarly sized. That way they’ll cook at the same size and the edges won’t brown too fast.
STEP 4: Add veggies to chicken. Place cut up zucchini, peppers and onions to the bowl with the chicken and stir everything together. The marinade should coat both the chicken and veggies. At first it may seem a little dry but keep mixing and soon all veggies will be nicely seasoned and shiny.
Note: You can let the chicken and veggies marinade for 30 minutes to 24 hours in the fridge.
STEP 5: Skewer! Make sure your bamboo or metal skewers fit the air fryer. I used these 8-inch bamboo sticks that are just right for my basket style air fryer. Skewer veggies and chicken pieces onto the sticks using 3-4 chicken pieces per stick. I like tp start and end with a piece of bell pepper but it’s up to you.
NOTE: the number of kebabs this recipe produces will depend on the length of your sticks. For my 8-ich bamboo sticks, I ended up with 9 kebabs.
STEP 6: Air fry. Preheat your air fryer to 370 degrees for a few minutes. Place 4-5 skewers in the air fryer basket in one single layer. They should be spaced out evenly and ideally not touch each other much to promote even browning. Air fry for 12-15 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Turn the kebabs once after 7 minutes. Repeat with second batch.
Oven instructions
If you have a crowd to feed, making these kabobs in the air fryer may not work because you can only air fry 4-5 at a time. The good news is that they can easily bake them in the oven instead. To do so, preheat the oven to to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the chicken skewers on a baking sheet fitted with a rack and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, turning the skewers once halfway through.
If you don't have a baking sheet with a rack, just place the skewers directly on the baking sheet. The rack allows for crispier kebabs but it's not necessary for the oven method,
Serving suggestions
Serve the kebabs on their own or with a side of a dipping sauce. I love them with this zesty Dill Aioli, tzatziki or homemade ranch dip (instructions below). Bbq sauce is also a good option for dipping. I like unsweetened BBQ sauce from Primal Kitchen.
These kebabs are a great complete meal thanks to the lean protein in the chicken and fiber and vitamins in the veggies. If you want to serve it with side dishes, they would go great with a side salad, such as this Greek Chickpea Salad, Mediterranean Red Lentil Pasta Salad or Spinach Strawberry Caprese Salad.
If you prefer starchier sides, try it with this flavorful Mediterranean Yellow Rice, these Air Fryer Sliced Potatoes or my No Milk Biscuits (made with vegan butter).
For a low-carb side, try these delicious chicken kabobs with cauliflower rice
Another way to enjoy these chicken kebabs is to take the pieces off the skewer and wrap them in pita bread with lettuce and ranch or tzatziki (gyros style).
How to make yogurt ranch dipping sauce
Once you try this ranch recipe, you will never go back to store bought ranch! Made with just a few simple ingredients, this dip is out of this world good and it only takes a few minutes to prep.
You will need:
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt (I like Fage)
- 1 tablespoon mayo
- Juice from half a lemon
- 1 teaspoon Ranch seasoning (I used Trader Joe’s brand)
Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. Taste and add a bit more ranch seasoning, if desired. You can also add a minced fresh garlic clove, if you like garlicky dips. Store in the fridge until ready to use!
If you have leftovers (not likely), enjoy it with fresh veggies (cucumbers, baby carrots, celery) or make these Air Fryer Butternut Squash Fries.
Storage, freezing and meal prep tips
Store leftovers in an airtight container or tightly covered with aluminum foil for up to 4 days in the fridge. To reheat, pop them in the air fryer for a few minutes until hot being careful not to dry them.
Cold leftovers are exceptionally good in salads. I usually just toss them with lettuce or greens, add some fresh halved cherry tomatoes, sliced mini cucumbers and a simple zesty dressing, such as this creamy Homemade Greek Salad Dressing.
To make this recipe for later, cut everything up, coat in marinade, skewer and place in an airtight container or large ziploc bag until ready to air fry. This can be done up to 24 hours before cooking. You can also place the chicken pieces and veggies in marinade and save threading on skewers for right before air frying.
Substitutions and variations
- Chicken breasts can be swapped for boneless skinless chicken thighs.
- Yellow (summer) squash works really well instead or in addition to zucchini
- Other veggies that are good for air fryer kabobs include brown or white mushrooms, baby potatoes and cherry tomatoes
- Add half a teaspoon of red pepper flakes to the marinade if you prefer spicier kabobs..
- Sweet or white onion can be used in place of purple onion.
- Red wine vinegar can be swapped for apple cider ir white wine vinegar. Lemon juice will also work well,if you prefer to use it.
- If you don't have fresh garlic, swap it for 1 teaspoon garlic powder.
Recipe FAQs
Pretty much! In American English, kabob (kebab, kebap) generally refers to skewered meat, fish or veggies that are roasted or grilled, also referred to as "shish kebab".
100% yes! This recipe will work on the grill or grill pan. Cook them for 5-7 minutes per side on medium heat.
More Air Fryer Recipes
- Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Tenders (No Breading)
- Brined Chicken Wings
- Air Fryer Butternut Squash Fries
- Air Fryer Eggplant Parm
- Air Fryer Sliced Potatoes
- Air Fryer Eggplant
If you try my Air Fryer Chicken Kabobs recipe be sure to leave me a comment and give this recipe a rating. I would love to hear from you and see how it turned out for you! You can also share and tag me on Instagram!
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Recipe
Air Fryer Chicken Kabobs (Kebabs)
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb boneless skinless chicken breast cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 bell peppers red, yellow or orange
- 2 small zucchini
- ½ red onion large
Italian Marinade
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1.5 teaspoon salt kosher or Himalayan pink salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried basil leaves
Instructions
- Make the marinade. In a large bowl whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, mincedfresh garlic, oregano, basil, thyme, onion powder, salt and pepper.
- Place cubed chicken pieces in the marinade and stir to coat.
- While the meat is sitting in the marinade, slice the zucchini into ½ inch coins, remove the seeds and stems from bellpeppers and cut them into 1-inch pieces. Carefully separate layers of red onionand cut each layer into pieces. Your zucchini, pepper and onion pieces shouldbe similarly sized. That way they’ll cook at the same size and the edges won’t brown too fast.
- Place cut up veggies in the bowl with the chicken and stir everything together until all veggies are shiny and coated in seasoning.
- Place the bowl in the fridge and let sit for at least 30 minutes or as long as 24 hours.
- Skewer veggies and chicken pieces onto the sticks using 3-4 chicken pieces per stick. I like tp start and end with a piece of bell pepper.
- Preheat your air fryer to 370 degrees for afew minutes. Place 4-5 skewers in the air fryer basket in one single layer. They should be spaced out evenly and ideally not touch each other much to promote even browning.
- Air fry for 12-15 minutes or until the internaltemperature of the chicken reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Turn the kabobs once after 7 minutes. Repeat with second batch.
Notes
Nutrition
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Meet the Author
Hi, I'm Agnieszka. I'm a mom of three and recipe developer, writer and photographer behind Wholly Tasteful. I love creating comforting, delicious, family-friendly recipes that you can feel good about.
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