These tender, juicy BBQ chicken skewers are an easy grilled chicken recipe smothered in a delicious sweet and smoky barbecue rub with beer! I could eat these sticky skewers with rice or veggies all summer long.
Skewers are perfect for grilling and they make an easy appetizer to pass around at a party. Next, try my crispy chicken spiedini and these bacon-wrapped chicken bites on skewers!
I can see summer peeking out from the end of the winter tunnel these days! FINALLY. And this means it’s nearly barbecue season! These juicy grilled BBQ chicken skewers are exactly the recipe to kick things off! Skewers are perfect for grilling, and they make an easy appetizer to pass around at a party. Especially these BBQ skewers—they’re ridiculously simple to put together with a sweet-smoky barbecue dry rub whisked with beer, and they grill up in minutes.
If you’re loving the skewer life as much as I am, you can also turn favorites like my crispy chicken spiedini or bacon-wrapped chicken bites into delicious handheld bites on a stick—they’re just as easy to grill and totally crowd-pleasing.
Reasons to Love These BBQ Chicken Skewers
- 3 ingredients. Since we’re using a ready-made dry rub, this BBQ chicken needs only 3 ingredients. It’s perfect for a last-minute, end-of-the-week dinner when the fridge and pantry are looking a little sparse. Hello, Friday night BBQ.
- Sweet and smoky. When the dry rub meets the beer, it creates a sweet and sticky, rich and smoky mixture that’s perfect for marinating chicken. If you didn’t know, now you know!
- Quick to prepare. After you whisk the marinade, it’s almost hands-free from there! The BBQ chicken skewers need a short marinating time before they go from the fridge to the grill.
What You’ll Need
If there’s one thing that pairs perfectly with barbecue, it’s beer (just ask my Mom, my husband, or these spicy beer-marinated grilled chicken thighs). This chicken skewers recipe makes a good amount of marinade with a cup of beer, so you can use more chicken or scale back the sauce as needed.
- Chicken Tenders – Chicken tenders are the perfect choice for chicken skewers recipes (also chicken satay) since they grill up nice and juicy. You can make this recipe with any boneless, skinless chicken, either breasts or thighs, cut to fit on a skewer.
- BBQ Dry Rub – I used to make this recipe with a 2 oz. pouch of KC Masterpiece® Sweet Honey BBQ Dry Rub, which doubled as a BBQ sauce and marinade mix. I’ve also made this beer BBQ sauce with McCormick® Grill Mates Sweet and Smoky Rub. Feel free to use your favorite chicken or barbecue rub, either store-bought or homemade.
- Beer – Different beers will impart different flavors in the sauce, so choose one that you’d like to drink! Ales and lagers are milder, while stouts and porters have coffee/chocolate notes that make a deeper-flavored BBQ sauce.
Tips and Variations
- Soak the skewers. If you’re using wooden bamboo skewers, soak them in water for 15-30 minutes before assembling the BBQ chicken skewers. This prevents the wooden ends from charring and burning on the hot grill. I usually soak the skewers while the chicken marinades in the sauce. Skip this step if you’re using metal skewers.
- Check the chicken for doneness. Chicken is cooked when the internal temperature reaches 165ºF on an instant-read meat thermometer. It’s the easiest way to tell when these skewers are done.
- Homemade BBQ sauce. Make this recipe with homemade barbecue sauce, and replace the apple cider vinegar in that recipe with beer instead (or go half and half). You’ll likely need to double the recipe to have enough sauce to marinate and coat these chicken skewers.
- Add veggies. Thread your favorite grilling veggies onto the skewers along with the chicken tenders. Make sure they have similar cooking times. My favorites are bell peppers, onions, and pineapple chunks as you’ll find in my BBQ pork kebabs.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
- Refrigerate. To store, remove the leftover BBQ chicken tenders from the skewers and transfer them to an airtight container. Refrigerate the chicken for up to 3 days. I like to chop up the cold leftovers to add to a grilled chicken salad.
- Reheat. You can reheat the chicken in the microwave or a 350ºF oven until it’s hot throughout.
- Freeze. Store the cooked chicken off the skewers and freeze it airtight for up to 2 months. Thaw the chicken in the fridge before reheating.
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Prepare the chicken. Thread the chicken tenders onto the skewers and place them in a large dish or baking pan; set aside.
Make the marinade. Pour out the dry rub in a mixing bowl. Slowly whisk in the beer; mix until thoroughly incorporated.
Marinate the chicken. Reserve ⅓ cup of the marinade and set it aside. Use the rest of the marinade to brush all over the chicken skewers. Afterward, refrigerate the skewers for 30 minutes.
Sear the chicken. Preheat a charcoal grill. Place the chicken skewers directly above the coals. Sear the chicken for about a minute per side, turning only once. (You can also use a gas grill.)
Cook. Slather a layer of the reserved sauce on one side of the chicken, close the lid, and cook for about 5 minutes. Open the lid, turn the chicken skewers, brush with marinade, close the lid, and continue to cook for 5 minutes, or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked. Chicken is done when the internal temperature reaches 165ºF degrees.
Rest and serve. Remove the chicken skewers from the grill and let them rest for a 5 minutes before serving.
- Use more chicken: Because this makes a good amount of marinade, you can definitely use more than 2 pounds of chicken tenders.
- Dry Rub: If you can find KC Masterpiece’s Sweet Honey Barbecue Sauce Mix & Rub, use it! You’ll only need one 2-ounce pouch, which equals about 4 tablespoons. It adds the perfect sweet and smoky flavor without any extra measuring.
Calories: 212kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 96mg | Sodium: 179mg | Potassium: 632mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0g | Vitamin A: 295IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 102mg | Iron: 3.9mg
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
How to Make BBQ Chicken Skewers
Fire up the grill (or grill pan, as that’ll work, too!), gather your ingredients, and let’s make some quick and easy BBQ chicken skewers:
- Prepare the chicken. Start by threading the chicken tenders onto skewers, and then set them aside on a baking pan.
- Marinate the chicken. Meanwhile, combine your dry rub and beer in a mixing bowl, whisking to make a smooth sauce. Set aside ¼ cup of marinade, and brush the rest over the chicken skewers. Place the chicken into the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Sear. Next, add the chicken skewers to a hot grill (if you’re using charcoal, place them right above the coals), and sear the chicken for a minute per side.
- Grill. Now, use a basting brush to slather the chicken with your reserved marinade. Close the lid, cook for 5 minutes, then turn the skewers and baste the other side. Close the lid again and cook for another 5 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked to an internal temp of 165ºF.
- Rest and serve. After taking the skewers off the grill, set them aside to rest for a few minutes before serving.
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