These grilled BBQ chicken skewers are juicy, smoky, and coated in a sticky layer of barbecue sauce, then served with a big fresh salad loaded with charred corn, black beans, tomatoes, avocado, and creamy homemade herby ranch.
I love this kind of dinner because you get something warm and savory from the chicken and plenty of crunch and freshness from the salad. If you’re planning a summer dinner or cookout, my Grilled Corn Salad with Avocado and Tomatoes is another great option for using fresh corn. You can also add Corn Salsa for an easy side, serve everything with a cold Cucumber Mint Lemonade, or try my Red Kidney Bean Salad with Corn & Cucumber for another colorful bean-packed side.
The chicken is cut into bite-size pieces, tossed with BBQ sauce, threaded onto skewers, and grilled until lightly charred around the edges. A little extra BBQ sauce brushed on toward the end gives each piece that glossy, sticky finish you can see in the photos.
What Are Grilled BBQ Chicken Skewers?
Grilled BBQ chicken skewers are bite-size pieces of chicken breast threaded onto wooden or metal skewers and cooked over a grill or grill pan.
In this recipe, the chicken is coated in barbecue sauce before cooking and brushed with more sauce near the end. This gives you tender chicken with caramelized edges and plenty of smoky-sweet BBQ flavor.
Instead of serving the skewers on their own, I pair them with a fresh chopped salad made with romaine, grilled corn, grape tomatoes, black beans, green onions, herbs, and avocado.
The creamy homemade ranch brings everything together, so this works as a complete dinner rather than just an appetizer or party skewer.
Table of contents
Ingredients for Grilled BBQ Chicken Skewers
Let’s Make Grilled BBQ Chicken Skewers
- Prepare the Chicken
Cut the chicken breasts into evenly sized bite-size pieces.
Place the chicken in a large bowl and add the avocado oil, kosher salt, and about half of the BBQ sauce.
Toss until every piece is evenly coated.
Keep the remaining BBQ sauce separate. You will use it later for brushing the cooked chicken.
- Thread the Chicken onto Skewers
Thread the coated chicken pieces onto the pre-soaked wooden skewers.
Leave a very small amount of space between pieces instead of packing them tightly together. This helps the heat reach more of the chicken.
- Grill the BBQ Chicken Skewers
Preheat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat.
Arrange the skewers on the hot grill without overcrowding them.
Cook for about 10–14 minutes, turning every few minutes so the chicken browns evenly.
During the final few minutes of cooking, brush the skewers with some of the reserved clean BBQ sauce.
Continue grilling until the sauce becomes glossy and lightly caramelized.
Chicken should reach 165°F (74°C) in the thickest pieces before serving, which is the USDA safe minimum internal temperature for poultry.
Remove the skewers from the heat and let them rest briefly while you finish the salad.
- Grill the Corn
Brush the ears of corn with the 2 tablespoons avocado oil.
Place them on the hot grill or grill pan and cook, turning occasionally, until the kernels are tender with lightly charred spots.
Let the corn cool enough to handle, then carefully slice the kernels from the cobs.
- Make the Herby Ranch Dressing
Add the avocado oil and pasteurized egg to a tall blending container.
Place an immersion blender at the bottom and begin blending until the mixture starts to thicken and emulsify.
Once creamy, add the coconut milk, lemon juice, kosher salt, onion powder, minced garlic, parsley, and black pepper.
Blend again until creamy and mostly smooth, with small flecks of herbs throughout.
Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
- Assemble the Salad
Add the sliced romaine to a large serving bowl or platter.
Top with the grilled corn kernels, sliced green onions, quartered grape tomatoes, drained black beans, cilantro, and basil.
Add the diced avocado last.
Drizzle with as much herby ranch dressing as you like, keeping additional dressing on the side for serving.
- Serve
Arrange the hot grilled BBQ chicken skewers beside or directly over the salad.
Brush with a little more reserved BBQ sauce if you want an extra glossy finish.
Serve immediately with additional ranch dressing on the side.
How to Keep Grilled Chicken Breast Juicy
Chicken breast can dry out quickly on a grill, especially after it has been cut into small pieces. A few details make a big difference here.
First, cut the chicken into pieces that are close to the same size. Tiny pieces can overcook before larger ones are done.
Avoid pressing the chicken pieces tightly together on the skewer. A little space allows the heat to circulate and helps the chicken cook more evenly.
Use medium-high heat rather than extremely high heat. BBQ sauce contains ingredients that can brown quickly, so very high heat can burn the outside before the center of the chicken is ready.
Brush most of the finishing sauce on during the last few minutes instead of repeatedly adding thick layers from the beginning.
Most importantly, check the thickest piece with a thermometer. Poultry is considered safely cooked at 165°F (74°C). Once it reaches that temperature, remove it from the grill rather than continuing to cook it unnecessarily.
Let the skewers rest for a few minutes before serving.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Cutting uneven chicken pieces: Small pieces can dry out while larger pieces are still cooking.
- Packing the skewers too tightly: Leave a little room between the pieces for more even cooking.
- Using BBQ sauce that touched raw chicken for serving: Keep your finishing sauce separate from the beginning.
- Using extremely high heat: Sugary BBQ sauces can burn quickly.
- Brushing on too much sauce too early: Add most of the finishing sauce toward the end.
- Cooking by color alone: Chicken can look browned before the center is fully cooked. Check for 165°F (74°C).
- Overcooking chicken breast: Once it has reached the safe temperature, remove it from the heat.
- Adding avocado too early: Tossing it repeatedly can turn the avocado mushy.
- Adding too much ranch at once: Start with a smaller amount and serve extra dressing on the side.
- Using a regular raw egg in uncooked ranch: Use a pasteurized egg for a dressing that will not be cooked.
What to Serve with BBQ Chicken
This recipe is already a complete BBQ chicken meal because it includes chicken, vegetables, beans, corn, avocado, and dressing.
If you want to build a larger barbecue dinner, simple sides work best.
Good options include grilled vegetables, corn salsa, coleslaw, seasoned rice, roasted potatoes, baked potatoes, fresh tomato salad, cucumber salad, or warm bread.
The sweet and smoky chicken also pairs well with bright, acidic sides because they balance the richness of the BBQ sauce and creamy dressing.
For entertaining, place the chicken skewers on a platter and serve the salad separately. Guests can take a skewer and spoon the salad alongside it, which also helps the chicken keep its caramelized exterior.
FAQs
For bite-size boneless chicken breast pieces, start checking after about 10 minutes. Depending on the size of the pieces and the heat of your grill, they will usually take around 10–14 minutes.
Temperature is more reliable than time. The thickest chicken pieces should reach 165°F (74°C).
Yes. A grill pan works very well for this recipe and is what you can see in the step photos.
Preheat it before adding the skewers and cook the chicken in batches if necessary so the pan does not become crowded.
Yes. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs can be cut into similar-size pieces and threaded onto skewers.
The cooking time may vary, so always check doneness with a thermometer.
Yes, and this recipe starts with BBQ sauce on the chicken.
Because BBQ sauce can brown quickly, keep the heat under control and add the extra finishing sauce toward the end of cooking.
Chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C) in the thickest piece before serving.
More Recipes To Try
Grilled BBQ Chicken Skewers with Ranch Salad
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Soak the wooden skewers in water if they have not already been soaked.
- Cut the chicken breasts into evenly sized bite-size pieces.
- Place the chicken in a large bowl. Add 3 tablespoons avocado oil, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and approximately half of the BBQ sauce. Toss until evenly coated. Keep the remaining BBQ sauce separate.
- Thread the chicken pieces onto the pre-soaked skewers, leaving a small amount of space between each piece.
- Preheat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat.
- Cook the chicken skewers for approximately 10–14 minutes, turning every few minutes for even browning.
- During the final few minutes, brush the chicken with some of the reserved BBQ sauce. Cook until caramelized and the thickest pieces reach 165°F (74°C).
- Remove the skewers from the grill and allow them to rest briefly.
- Brush the corn with 2 tablespoons avocado oil. Grill, turning occasionally, until tender and lightly charred.
- Allow the corn to cool slightly, then slice the kernels from the cobs.
- To make the ranch, combine the avocado oil and pasteurized egg in a tall blending container. Blend with an immersion blender until thick and emulsified.
- Add the coconut milk, lemon juice, salt, onion powder, garlic, parsley, and black pepper. Blend again until creamy.
- Add romaine, green onions, tomatoes, black beans, grilled corn, cilantro, basil, and avocado to a large salad bowl or platter.
- Drizzle the salad with the herby ranch dressing.
- Serve the warm grilled BBQ chicken skewers with the salad and additional reserved BBQ sauce or ranch dressing as desired.
Nutrition
Video
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