I think I’ve mentioned before that although I’ve always loved to play around in the kitchen, I didn’t really start exploring my inner foodie until I moved to an apartment my sophomore year of college and had my own (well, shared with 3 other girls, but not my parents) kitchen for the first time. This is literally one of the first dishes I made on a regular basis that wasn’t 100% from a cookbook. And I mean, it’s really not rocket science, but believe me, marinating and grilling vegetables was a long, long way from Some-Kind-of-Browned-Meat-in-Cream-of Something-Soup-Over-Some-Kind-of-Starch-ville where I grew up.
learning to cook
I had completely forgotten about this recipe and then I reconnected with one of my former roommates on Facebook and I remembered that this was one of her favorite things to eat. I feel like I really have come so far in the years since we lived together that it may not be “my thing” anymore, so I decided to try making it again. After pulling these off the grill, I was genuinely surprised that not only was it “my thing,” but it was ultimately “my thing”–fresh and flavorful, a slight twist on something a little more classic. It really kind of…I don’t know…gave me more faith in myself that my initial foodie instincts were so true to who I am now.
mixing things up
how to make them
 Place the veggies in a gallon-sized Ziploc bag and drizzle about 3/4 of the dressing over the vegetables.
They will smell fantastic–the smell and flavor, strangely, is actually very reminiscent of Churrasco restaurants like Tucano’s or Rodizio grill. Pop off one of those GLORIOUS mushrooms as soon as they’re cool enough to handle and serve with some cubed watermelon and Brazilian Lemonade for a fabulous summer feast!
Chicken and Veggie Skewers
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into small, bite-sized pieces
- 1 each yellow and green zucchini squash cut in half (if large) and sliced
- 8 oz. small whole mushrooms sliced in half
- 2-3 cups mini sweet peppers
- 1 small red onion carefully cut into bite-sized chunks (try to keep as much of the pieces in tact as possible, but don't stress it if they start to fall apart)
- 1 recipe Homemade Italian Dressing see link; this can be made up to several days in advance
Instructions
- Place the veggies in a large Ziploc bag and drizzle about 3/4 of the dressing over the veggies. Seal and place in the refrigerator.
- Place the chicken breast pieces into a large Ziploc bag and add the remaining dressing. Seal and place in the refrigerator. About 30 minutes before serving, remove both bags and skewer the chicken and vegetables onto the skewers (if using bamboo skewers, be sure to soak them in water for at least 30 minutes before skewering the food.) I usually try to get about 3 pieces of chicken plus as many vegetables as I can onto each skewer.
- When ready to cook, preheat the grill to about 425 degrees F. Lightly grease the grill grates, then add the skewers. Cook for 4-5 minutes on one side, flip, and cook for another 4-5 minutes. Remove from grill and serve immediately.
Questions & Reviews
Quick question: any ideas on how to adapt this to a Traeger smoker?
I’d preheat it to a high heat, like 450 and then smoke them for about 10-15 minutes. You’ll just want to watch the temperature probe and take them out when the chicken reaches almost 165.
We’re planning on making these for dinner tonight… but we are suddenly in the middle of a crazy spring rainstorm! I know they won’t be quite as good, but could we put them on a sheet pan in the oven? If so, at what temperature, and for how long?
Sure- I’d do 400 and you’ll have to eyeball and remove when chicken is done. You could also broil them.
This is my first time on your site. We had dinner with family in Wyoming and they grilled these babies. Oh my goodness!! So delicious. Still dreaming about the marinade. She told me to check out Our Best Bites. Here I am. I’m excited to try more of your recipes. Thanks for sharing your sweet foodie skills.
We made these last night for dinner, and we were in HEAVEN! So much so, that since we had a few of the vegetables left over, my husband asked me to make it again tonight! My kids are prickly when it comes to new vegetables, so they wouldn’t even attempt to eat those, but asked for seconds and thirds of the chicken! Seriously, SO GOOD!
I am going to have to try your homemade dressing. I always make homemade marinades, but not homemade dressing. These look delicious! Also, your pics with Sara and the kids were sweet. How nice that you were able to get together again. I always make these honey chicken kabobs (https://www.homeecathome.com/the-home-economist/honey-chicken-kabobs) , but will have to try your Italian kabobs soon.
Just made these tonight. I typically dislike mushrooms, but made this way with this marinade, the whole family loved them (and the rest of the food too!)
Hi! We had the missionaries over for dinner tonight and had these kabobs and they were so so so so mmm mmm delicious!!!!!! My husband made these and I made your mango quinoa salad. Such a yummy meal. Thanks you two!!!
We just got a new grill and I was thinking about shish kabobs all day. Sometime in the afternoon I thought “I bet Sara and Kate have a good recipe for a kabob marinade,” and I was right! Loved it!
MMMMM!! My sis-in-law made these along with your hummus salad and potato salad. We were all in heaven. LOVE YOUR SITE AND COOKBOOK!
I love this recipe! How long can the dressing be kept in the fridge (or freezer)? Just wondering if I can double or triple it, and keep it handy for quick preparation in the future.
Until it smells bad? lol There’s no set time, but definitely a week or more.
I searched your website for grilling recipes I could tweak and make vegetarian, and I found this recipe. I used your marinade on my vegetable and pineapple skewers, excluding mushrooms, and they were amazing (and filling, even without the chicken). Thanks for the recipe! We will definitely be using this one again!
Made these tonight. They were awesome!
We had these tonight and everyone loved them. The marinade is so good. I love the comment about using shrimp…I’m gonna have to try that next! Thanks for another great recipe!
do you have to marinate the veggies for 2-3hours or just toss them with the dressing right before grilling?
I would marinate the mushrooms for sure, but everything else can be tossed in right before you cook them.
I never comment on your blog but LOVE ALL of your recipes! This recipe is one I can’t stop thinking about. We had this over a week ago and I remember telling my husband I think I could eat these every day for dinner, maybe even breakfast and lunch 🙂 I’m convinced to never eat at a restaurant again. Oh, btw, we had medium raw shrimp we were needing to use up so we thought to try these with shrimp instead of chicken. I HIGHLY recommend it. Yum yum yum yum yum! I’ll be making these again with chicken, and I’m sure it will be just as good. Thanks for the awesome recipe!
I tried making the marinade with extra light olive oil instead of canola oil and after being in the blender it was really thick and creamy! Does that happen with the canola oil too? It tastes great. So far this is my favorite salad dressing 🙂
Hanna, that just happens when it gets over-processed; it’s happened to me too! Try blending at a lower speed if possible, or just for a shorter amount of time.