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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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
Anna @ shenANNAgans says
Dinner on a stick = All the YES!
Love the addition of the lemon, the whole thing would have a delicious, fresh and summery feel to it.
Turning the heat right up and making these bad boys for dinner tonight.
Thanks lovely lady. Hope you are enjoying steamy HK, soak up some warmth for me. xo
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thank you Anna. I will try to send many warm breezes your way and trust me we have lots of heat and humidity...When I lived back in the States I was an all around the year griller and used to shovel a path in the snow to get out to the grill. Are you guys having some snow? A very rare occurrence in the land of Oz for sure...
Dawn says
The perfect summer meal!!
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thank you Dawn!
Eha says
Darling Bobbi - well I usually call such 'kebabs' - must be an Aussie 'thing' 🙂 ! Love using any tender lamb cuts for any quick recipe with this marinade but as the lemon cooks the meat a long marinade process surely is not needed! Normally have not used olives: interesting and must try!!!! Looks yumptious . . .
Healthy World Cuisine says
Hiya Eha, yes they have many different spellings and names and they all refer to the same thing, meat and veg on a skewer and they are delicious. You will have to try grilling olives, I love how they get that little bit of char.
Evelyne@cheapethniceatz says
Oh these look just delicious and flavorful. Love the olives too and how quick to grill!
cheri says
Hi Bam. I just made something similar to this with tuna and all the same ingredients but I added potatoes. Love your marinade. We have such a hard time getting fresh citrus on the coast, we go inland once a month to Costco and get great lemons.
Norma Chang says
I had dinner but am hungry again just looking at your kabobs. Love the garlic stuffed olives idea.
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thank you Norma. Garlic stuffed olives are so good and perfect for this dish on the grill. You know I have to get my garlic in anyway I can... LOL
Monica says
We've been grilling a ton but haven't done kabobs! You are my inspiration. : ) It's gotten seriously hot here this week but we'll be out there again soon and this is a great idea. My husband loves olives and it's a great addition.
Healthy World Cuisine says
Hi there Monica! I have heard it has been so hot everywhere lately, well all except in Australia. I know sometimes it is just too hot to be outside to cook. You can also make this recipe in the oven, just put on baking sheet and cook on 350F for about 20-25 minutes or until the chicken juices run clear and with the aircon on full blast, of course...lol
Karen says
I really like that you added lemons and olives to your kabobs…they look great. When we make our move to Florida, one of the first things we are buying is a new grill as we left ours at our cottage in Maine when we sold it.
Kristy says
These photos are fantastic Bam! I particularly like the one with the bite on a fork. Felt like I could almost get to it. 🙂 These are definitely perfect for summer grilling season. Great idea! The flavors are beautiful too.
Tandy | Lavender and Lime says
What a great idea to use olives on the skewers 🙂
nancyc says
These kabobs looks so good! Perfect for summer! 🙂
kitchenriffs says
Can never resist dinner on a stick? Who doesn't like kabobs? Nice thing about them is you can put almost any meat or veggie on them, and they turn out well. But I've never thought to include olives in the mix! I will, though, I will. 🙂 Thanks for this.
bentodays says
Looks great! Perfect for summer grills!
Gerlinde@Sunnycovechef says
What a perfect summer meal. Adding olives is a great idea.
thecompletebook says
Fantastic recipe Bam.
Have a happy day.
🙂 Mandy xo