Maple Syrup Glazed Grilled Chicken Breast Kabobs

What Are Maple Syrup Grilled Chicken Kabobs?

Have you ever cooked a recipe and found it so delicious that you served it three times in two weeks? We’ve had this twice for dinner and one more time to entertain dinner guests. My chicken kabobs recipe starts with a sweet salty irresistible sticky glaze.

• Bite-sized chicken breast pieces are threaded onto skewers .
• No marinade required, maple syrup, soy sauce and pineapple juice make an easy grilling sauce.
• These kabobs are quick grilled until lightly charred and caramelized.
• With prep and cook time, ready in about 20-30 minutes.

Why This Recipe Works

• The chicken stays tender and juicy and the sugar in the maple syrup gives the chunks of chicken a nice crisp caramelized outer coating.
• The combination of ingredients makes for a balanced glaze. Sweet, acid, plus salt prevents a (sweet + acid + salt) prevents any one flavor from overwhelming the neutral chicken flavor.
• Chicken breast stays juicy with proper cook time.
• No marinade time and these chicken kabobs cook fast for high weeknight dinner appeal.

We grill tons of chicken over the Summer months, some ho-hum-ish and some that are brag worthy. These maple glazed chicken kabobs fallsinto the latter category.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast: Evenly cut into bite-sized pieces.
• Maple Syrup: Use real maple syrup rather than pancake syrup.
• Pineapple Juice
• Soy Sauce: or Tamari to make this gluten free.

1. Step 1: Combine maple syrup, soy sauce, and pineapple juice in a small saucepan. Bring it to a simmer. Cook until the sauce reduces by about one-fourth. This will take about 8 minutes. Set aside to cool. In the meantime, cut the chicken breasts into 1″ to 1 ½ inch cubes, then thread onto skewers. Threading about 10 chunks of chicken per skewer will yield about seven chicken kabobs.

2. Step 2: Heat grill to 400 degrees. Place the chicken kabobs on the grates and turn the heat down to 350 degrees. Using a silicone brush, generously baste the chicken with the Maple Soy Sauce Glaze. Cook two minutes, turn the kabobs and baste again with the sauce. Cook two more minutes. Repeat the turn and baste one more time, cooking for a total of six minutes.

How Long To Grill Chicken Kabobs?

Chicken pieces that are cut into small 1 inch cubes will cook quickly. If you manage the temperature correctly, they should cook in about 6 minutes. Turning every two minutes. Remember that the sugar in the maple syrup glaze will attract heat and speed things up. I’ve made this recipe dozens of times, and the timing is always a little different. There’s more of a chance that you’ll over cook the chicken rather than undercook. Watch them close, remove a large chunk from the end of one of the skewers and test it for an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

Best Temperature For Grilling Chicken Kabobs

I like to get the grill pretty hot by pre-heating to 400 degrees. That way the grates are nice and hot to impart an initial quick sear once the chicken kabobs are placed. Then turn down the heat to 350 and continue cooking. Use direct heat and watch them close.

Tips For Juicy Flavorful Chicken Breast Kabobs

• Chicken breasts are an easy idea for kabobs because you can cut them in large chunks which are perfect for skewering. When cutting the chicken, keep the pieces uniform in size. About 1 ½ – 2 inches will do.
• Oil the grates to prevent the chicken from sticking.
• Glaze or Marinate? This recipe calls for a glaze. You’ll find a more maple syrup flavor and quicker prep time.
• Skewering: I like to press the chunks of chicken pieces together, without crushing, on the skewer, creating a snug fit. This method helps retain moisture, preventing the meat from drying out during grill time. It also allows the chicken to cook more like one larger piee, trapping juices between the pieces rather than exposing all sides to high heat. I also like how it looks for presentation.
• Lid Open Or Closed? In between turning and glazing, keep the lid closed as much as possible and use every drop of that maple glaze. Use a generous dose of that glaze each time you turn.

Pro Tip For Grilling With Maple Based Sauces

• Maple syrup is very high in pure natural sugar. Cooking over high direct flame will cause the syrup to burn. Be careful.
• Adding other liquids, in this case soy sauce and pineapple juice thin the syrup. But you’ll still need to watch for flare-ups.

How To Serve It

• Vegetables: Serve these chicken kabobs alongside skewers of mixed grilled vegetables.
• Salsa: I highly recommend making a fruity salsa to compliment the chicken. Pineapple Jalapeno Salsa is an excellent choice, and is how I serve this meal. And this recipe for Chipotle Peach Salsa is another good choice. And for a more bold Southwestern feel, drizzle on some New Mexico Red Chile Sauce or Green Chile Sauce.
• Presentation: Place chicken kabobs on a big platter lined with firm sturdy greens like fresh spinach.

Storage and Reheating

• Refrigerator: Store any leftover chicken in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to 4 days.
• Freezer: Chicken always freezes well. Remove from skewer and place chicken pieces in a freezer safe zip -lock style bag. Sealed well, chicken will keep for up to three months.
• Reheating: Thaw chicken kabob meat in the refrigerator overnight. Use the microwave to gently reheat. The 50% power feature is your best friend. Reheat individual portions in 30 second increments at 50% power until warm. You don’t want to re-cook them, or they’ll dry out. You can also reheat in a 200 degree oven for about 15 minutes.