It may not ~*officially*~ be summer yet, but we’re in full-blown summer mode over here at PFF, which means we’re grilling ALL the things! Isn’t it amazing how the grill makes everything taste so much better? One of our favorite grilling secret weapons is kebabs. You just put everything you want to eat on a stick, grill it all up, and voila! You have a delicious + simple meal in minutes.

Last summer, we served up some Hawaiian vibes with our Grilled Shrimp, Pineapple + Veggie Skewers (if you haven’t tried these, we highly recommend them! Obvi…) This year, we were inspired by one of our new go-to recipes: chicken shawarma. Shawarma is a Middle Eastern meat preparation, and its combination of spices is simply to die for. This marinade is so simple, yet so flavorful—perfectly paired with some grilled veggies. We recommend serving these kebabs with grilled cauliflower, cauliflower rice, brown rice, quinoa—seriously whatever! We also highly encourage serving these kebabs with our avocado tzatziki sauce for dipping… YUM.

Grilled Chicken Shawarma + Veggie Kebabs

Ingredients:

• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
• 2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2″ rounds
• 2 medium red bell peppers, cut into 1″ pieces
• 1 medium red onion, cut into 1″ pieces
• 2 tbsp avocado oil (or extra virgin olive oil)
• juice of 1/2 lemon (about 1-2 tbsp)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tbsp cumin
• 1/2 tbsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tbsp ground cardamom
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp dried turmeric
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
• 8 skewers (if bamboo, soak in water for at least 10-15 minutes before prepping)
• cooking spray

Instructions:

1. Place cubed chicken in a ziplock bag with oil, lemon juice, garlic, and all spices. Seal bag and toss until chicken in evenly coated. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or up to 8 hours).
2. Once chicken is marinated, begin skewer process. Alternate between a few pieces of onion, a piece of bell pepper, a zucchini round, and a piece of chicken, until the skewer is full (about 4 layers). Continue this process until all 8 skewers are full.
3. Heat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, lightly spray with cooking spray. You may also want to lightly spray the skewers before placing on the grill or pan to avoid burning/sticking.
4. Place prepared skewers on grill or grill pan and cover, cooking for about 20 minutes, rotating every 5 minutes to ensure all sides get cooked evenly. If necessary, you can do this step in batches.

Yield: 4 servings
Serving size: 2 skewers

229 calories per serving • Fat: 10.4g • Carbohydrates: 11.5g • Protein: 23.7g