Chipotle Honey Grilled Chicken Skewers

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Chipotle Honey Grilled Chicken Skewers – Don’t miss these easy to make, tender, juicy bites of chicken slathered in a smoky homemade sauce with a hint of sweetness and a warm heat from the chipotle peppers and adobo sauce.

It’s hard to beat this kind of simple and delicious meal that’s good enough for company and quick enough for a weeknight meal. Even though summer is waning and the school buses are already picking up the kids, we’re still enjoying  warm weather and plenty of grilling opportunities. Grilled chicken is my go-to summer meal and this delicious method is a nice change from the same old recipes. Cutting the chicken into strips or chunks and threading the pieces onto skewers helps speed up the cooking time and also allows for more of the chicken to be covered in this delicious sauce.

Our chipotle honey sauce is thick and rich, and super tomatoey with a slightly sweet warm heat.

The ingredients for this luscious sauce are simple. You’ll need some honey, tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, garlic, a pinch of sugar and a little vegetable oil. To change it up, substitute your favorite BBQ sauce for the tomato paste or even try it with ketchup. We love the rich tomato flavor so tomato paste is our favorite. Half the mixture is set aside for brushing on the chicken skewers before grilling. The remaining sauce is warmed on the stove top and lightly simmered until thickened and cooked through. The warm sauce is passed with the grilled chicken skewers when served. Finally, squeeze some fresh lime juice over the chicken skewers just before serving. The bright lime juice adds a nice acidic punch to the tomatoey richness of the chipotle sauce.

For added flavor and heat, serve grilled jalapeño peppers alongside the chicken skewers.

Brush a little chipotle honey sauce over sliced jalapeño peppers and add them to the grill during the last 5 minutes of cooking the chicken skewers. Grill until the peppers have a nice char or are blistered and tender. You can leave the seeds in your sliced jalapeños or remove some, or all, as desired. I leave the seeds in the jalapeños and let our dinner companions remove them if preferred.  What a difference grilling makes to the flavor of peppers!

A simple and easy dinner ready in a flash!

All the components for these chicken skewers can be made ahead. It only takes about 10 minutes on the grill to cook chicken breast chunks/strips and a few more than that if you use chicken thighs. Add tomatoes, zucchini, onion and/or mushrooms to your chicken skewers if desired. You can even coat the chicken pieces in the sauce first, then thread them on the skewers in between the vegetables.

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5 from 2 votes

Chipotle Honey Grilled Chicken Skewers

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 10 mins

Total Time: 25 mins

Yield: 4

Course: Main

Author: Tricia

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Ingredients

For the sauce:

• 1/2 cup honey
• 6 ounce can tomato paste
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, more or less to taste
• 1 or 2 chipotle chili peppers in adobo sauce (if you're not into spicy hot foods, start with one)
• 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)

For the chicken:

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
• 6 jalapeño peppers, sliced in half lengthwise
• 2 limes cut into wedges, for serving
• 8 skewers for grilling

Instructions

To prepare the sauce:

• Combine all the sauce ingredients in a small food processor or blender. Process until smooth. Remove 3/4 cup of the sauce to a small bowl, cover and set aside until ready to grill the skewers. Pour the remaining sauce in a small saucepan. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until the sauce is thickened and slightly reduced. Keep warm until ready to serve or refrigerate until needed.

To prepare the chicken:

• Cut the chicken breasts into 1 1/2-inch chunks or strips. Tread on skewers and place on a foil lined baking sheet. Slice the jalapeños in half and add to the baking sheet. Brush the skewers and jalapeños with the uncooked sauce. Use all the uncooked sauce on the skewers or discard any remaining.
• Clean the grill grates using a wire brush. Heat the grill on high (with the lid close for 10 to 15 minutes or until it reaches about 450 to 500F degrees.) Generously grease the grill grates using long tongs and vegetable oil soaked folded paper towels. Repeat if needed to ensure the grates are well oiled.
• Grill the chicken skewers for about 8 to 10 minutes, turning once. Add the jalapeños to the grill during the last few minutes of cooking until the peppers are blistered and charred. Remove to a clean platter and squeeze fresh lime juice over the chicken. Serve immediately passing the warm reduced sauce with the chicken skewers.

Recipe Notes

• If using wooden skewers, soak in water for 20-30 minutes before using
• Substitute chicken thighs for the chicken breasts, if desired
• Substitute your favorite BBQ sauce for the tomato paste if desired.

Finally, here are a few more recipes featuring chipotle peppers you might like:

Thank goodness for amazing shortcuts! This Easy Chicken Enchiladas Recipe is quick, flavorful and satisfying, and I bet you’re going to love it as much as we do. Click HERE to get the recipe.

Who can resist a juicy, thick-cut, char-grilled tender pork chop hot off the grill? Not me! Slathered in a flavorful butter adding just a hint of smoky spice, these Grilled Pork Chops with Chipotle Butter are a winner you’ll want to make all summer long. Easy is the name of the game here, with minimal hands on time! Click HERE to get the recipe.

Liven up your week night dinner menu with this healthy, quick and easy Grilled Chipotle Chicken Tenders Recipe with Spicy Slaw. This simple chicken tenders recipe is the perfect 30-minute weeknight dinner solution. Click HERE to get the recipe.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Tricia