The bright and fresh lemon rosemary marinade is essential for the best Grilled Olives and Chicken Kabobs. Succulent chicken, paired with charred briny olives, sweet tomatoes, and vibrant lemons, creates the perfect Mediterranean dinner on a stick.
DINNER on a STICK
Kabobs is short for shish kabobs and is sometimes spelled like "kebobs". Mediterranean chicken kabobs are great for entertaining and casual gatherings as all the prep work can be done ahead and they grill up in less than 15 minutes. If you like the idea of Kabobs, you are going to absolutely love our Japanese Negima Yakitori with Grilled Portobello , Turmeric Pork Skewers and Thai Basil Dipping Sauce and our Green Chicken Kabab Recipe.
Grilling and Chilling
It is the height of the grilling season here in Hong Kong and Mother Nature has decided to make grilling outdoors a little amusing with some sidewise rain and monsoon winds. I have no plans to practice my short of long game of golf off my balcony and into the China sea. However, that rain umbrella comes in handy when you are grilling olives and chicken kababs in the torrential rain.
The Secret Marinade
This Mediterranean recipe starts out with a super easy chicken marinade. With just 5 little ingredients it is super easy to make; olive oil, rosemary, lemon zest, pepper and garlic. If you can remember to throw your chicken in with the simple marinade in the morning before you leave to work, you deserve a prize.
However, even as little as 15 minutes of marinating time whilst you are heating up the grill and preparing the other veggies - and you are good to go.
Savory and Briny
You are just going to love these delicious Mediterranean grilled olives and succulent chicken kabobs. The lemons on the skewers really give a nice bright flavor to the dish. However, the star of the show are the grilled olives on kabobs. Olives add so much flavor to these grilled chicken skewers and to a Mediterranean Baked Cod fish. They are savory and briny - not to be missed!
Grilled Olives
Oh my word, the olives are so delicious. I love how they get that little golden brown char on the olives when you grill them. The olive skins gets all wrinkly and they spread the love of their salty and aromatic flavors on to the chicken. Now let's not forget about those gorgeous cherry tomatoes that are literally bursting with flavor.
Low Carb & Gluten-Free
This is an easy, low carb, gluten-free and diabetic friendly meal. If you want a cardiac friendly option then you will have to remove or reduce the amount of olives as they are high in sodium.
Today is just a quick grilled olives and chicken recipe as I need to scurry back outside to cook before the heavens decide open up again. Be sure to serve it along with a big green tossed salad and a bright lemony white balsamic dressing.
More Grilling and Chilling Recipes
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Bacon Wrapped Sausage Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
Favorite Provençal Ratatouille Recipe
Healthy Alternative Zip Sauce for your Steaks
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Grilled Olives and Chicken Kabobs
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
- 24 oz chicken breasts
boneless and skinless cut into 2 inch cubes - 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon rosemary
minced fresh or 1 teaspoon dried - 2 cloves garlic - 2 garlic cloves minced peeled and minced
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Kabobs
- 8-10 wooden skewers
soaked in water for about ½ hour before use - 2 lemon (sliced into little sliced wedges)
- 12 olives
or as needed (I used large garlic stuffed green olives that were pitted but you can use any olives you like kalamata would be nice) - 12 cherry tomatoes
- salt and pepper or Mrs. Dash (take it easy on the salt as the olives are naturally salty)
Instructions
- In a sealed plastic bag or container with lid mix together your chicken, lemon zest, olive oil, rosemary, garlic and pepper and mix well. Set aside in refrigerator to marinate for at least 30 minutes but best overnight or before your leave for work in the morning.
- Soak your wooden skewers in water for at least 30 minutes before using (to prevent burning). If you are lucky enough to have the metal kabob skewers, lucky you and you can skip this step.
- Preheat your grill to a medium setting. Take one pre-soaked skewer and thread on a piece of chicken to about 2 inches from the end and then thread on a slice of lemon, then a olive, then a tomato and a piece of chicken and then start the whole process over again with the remaining chicken and kabob items. Fill the kabobs so they are full in the middle but have about 2 inches of space on the ends.
- Lightly oil grill grates. Place your Mediterranean Chicken Kabobs on the grill and season with salt and pepper to taste. They do not need too much salt as the olives are salty. Grill on each side for about 6-7 minutes on each side or about 12-15 minutes or until the chicken juices are clear. Do not overcook the chicken.
- Enjoy Grilled Olives and Chicken Kabobs hot off the grill with a nice tossed salad to stay low on carbs.
Notes
Nutrition
Eha says
Have loved putting food pieces on a stick to grill and devour forever calling them shish kebabs and enjoying them to bits !!! Like two matters here especially - there indeed is no reason not to put the prepared beauties in the oven . . . and secondly it really would be interesting to see whether grilled olives would appeal . . . rather more a 'grown-up' festive offering thus - shall get back to you after trying . . .
HWC Magazine says
Thank you Eha. Food on a stick is always so fun and delicious. You could certainly bake these in the oven on a sheet pan if you wish or cook inside on a grill pan, if Mother Nature is not cooperating with the weather situation. You must try grilled olives, they get that little chargrilled flavor on them and oh so delicious, maybe even better than roasting them. Stay well and take care
nusrat2010 says
YES to Kebob anytime! And your version would be a 'beauty agent' to look at and 'awesome' to savor, I guarantee. I'm a Kebab-freak; your idea of skewering Olive is just ingenious! Stuffing garlic in it is Nobel prize winning worthy idea 🙂
Your Kebab rocks!
fearlessdining says
Bobbi, What a beautiful kabob recipe. My kids love to eat kabobs because they are so easy to eat. We have so many lemons right now which will be perfect to give this recipe a try.
Fareeha says
Looks healthy ! Love it !