Grilled Pesto Chicken Skewers
on Aug 12, 2020, Updated Jul 08, 2024
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Quick and easy Grilled Pesto Chicken Skewers with tomatoes are perfect for a stress free dinner! Tons of flavor and you only need four ingredients to make them!
The weather here in Colorado seems to be a little confused. I thought we were past all of our mid 90 degree days, yet that’s all we’ve been having and that’s all I’m seeing the the forecast for the next week. With all the heat I’ve been doing as much grilling as I can to keep the heat out of the house.
We’ve been living off of this Grilled Honey Lime Chicken with Watermelon Salsa and these Grilled Salmon Tacos with Strawberry Avocado Salsa. I decided to change things up last week and came up with the recipe for these quick and easy Grilled Pesto Chicken Skewers. You only need four ingredients to make them and the flavor is amazing!
Ingredients Needed to Make Grilled Pesto Chicken Skewers
- Chicken breasts
- Cherry tomatoes
- Pesto
- Lemon
- Balsamic glaze (optional)
How to Make Grilled Pesto Chicken Skewers
Making these chicken skewers is so easy. Start by cutting the chicken breasts into bite sized pieces, keeping them as close to the same size as you can. Place the chicken in a freezer bag along with the pesto, lemon juice and a little bit of salt and pepper. Seal the bag and massage the marinade into the chicken. Let it marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1-2 hours.
After the chicken has marinated, thread it onto metal or wooden skewers. In a bowl toss the tomatoes with a splash of olive oil, salt and pepper. Thread them onto separate skewers from the chicken. Preheat your grill to 400° F and place both the chicken and tomato skewers on them. The tomatoes will only need about 4-5 minutes on the grill and the chicken, between 6-8 depending on how big the chunks of chicken are.
Can I Use Chicken Thighs Instead of Chicken Breasts?
Yes. If you prefer chicken thighs over chicken breast the only adjustment you will need to make is the cooking time. Thighs take longer to cook than breasts, so you will want to keep them on the grill between 10-14 minutes depending on the size of the pieces of chicken.
What to Serve with Pesto Chicken Skewers
- Serve over pasta. Toss the pasta in extra pesto for added flavor.
- Garlic Butter Rice
- Parmesan Pesto Roasted Potatoes
- White Bean, Artichoke and Tomato Salad
Grilled Pesto Chicken Skewers
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite size chunks
- 1/4 cup pesto
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 20 cherry tomatoes use more or less if you'd like
- Balsamic glaze and chopped fresh basil for garnish optional
Instructions
- Add the cut up chicken, pesto, lemon juice, salt and pepper to a freezer bag. Press the air out of the bag and seal it. Massage the chicken until it's coated in the pesto mixture. Allow the chicken to marinate in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours.
- Preheat grill to 400° F. While the grill heats toss the cherry tomatoes in a bowl with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper. Thread them onto skewers. Thread the chicken onto separate skewers.
- Place the chicken and tomato skewers on the grill. After 2 minutes turn the tomato skewers and grill another 2 minutes before removing them. After 4 minutes turn the chicken skewers. Let them cook another 2-4 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove from the grill.
- Drizzle the chicken and tomato skewers with balsamic glaze and sprinkle with fresh chopped basil before serving if desired.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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