Air Fryer Chicken Kabobs

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These air fryer chicken kabobs include juicy chicken chunks and fresh veggies topped with the best bbq chicken rub and your favorite bbq sauce. It’s perfect for the whole family with simple ingredients. Plus, since you don’t marinate the chicken, it’s on the table in less than 30 minutes!

Why Make This?

• Easy dinner for the whole family: These kabobs will entertain the whole family without a lot of work — this simple recipe is easy to prep and cook. 
• Simple ingredients: You need 7 simple ingredients for this air fryer chicken skewers recipe.
• Full of flavor without needing marinated chicken: This dish is rich in flavor without all the chicken marinating work. 

Ingredients Needed

• Chicken Chunks: I’m using boneless skinless chicken breast that I cut into 1-inch pieces. You can also use chicken thighs.
• Brown Sugar BBQ Chicken Rub: this homemade spice blend contains everything you need to make flavorful air fryer chicken kabobs – garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, black pepper and more. I tend to make a batch of this every few months for all of my bbq chicken recipes like BBQ Chicken Sliders, BBQ Chicken Flatbreads, and BBQ Chicken Nachos.
• Red onion: or purple onion, cut into quarters to form “square” pieces
• Red bell pepper: Cut into quarters to form “squares” pieces                                                         
• Avocado oil: this is my favorite cooking oil. It has a high smoke point so it won’t burn when cooking at high temperatures.
• BBQ sauce: your favorite BBQ sauce will work in this recipe.
• Metal skewers: these are reusable and the perfect side to fit in round and square air fryer baskets.

How To Make Chicken Kabobs in the Air Fryer

1. Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees for 5 minutes. Add the chicken breast pieces, BBQ seasoning, and avocado oil to a medium mixing bowl. Stir to combine and spread the seasonings evenly.
2. Thread chicken and vegetable pieces onto the skewers. I rotate red onions, chicken, and red peppers until I have about 3 pieces of chicken on the skewer. 
3. Add the skewers to your air fryer basket in a single layer. Air Fry at 400 degrees for 6 minutes.
4. Use a basting brush to coat both sides of the chicken kabobs with BBQ sauce. Air fry at 400 degrees for 2-4 minutes. 

You should repeat steps 3 and 4 for the second batch.

Recipe Tips & FAQs

• Use metal skewers: They are reusable, dishwasher-safe, and don’t require you to soak them in water before using them like wooden or bamboo skewers.
• Line your air fryer with parchment paper: Lining helps with easy clean-up.
• Mix up the vegetables: Cherry tomatoes, pineapple, and sweet bell peppers also work well in this recipe.
• For best results, avoid stuffing a lot of chicken pieces on the skewers: Chicken cooks more evenly if you give it some space to cook. I use about 3 chicken chunks per skewer.
• Make two batches, depending on the size of your air fryer: I use a basket-style air fryer so I made 6 kabobs per batch. This allowed the kabobs to lay flat in a single layer. If you have an air fryer oven, then all of the chicken skewers should fit at one time.

Variations

You can switch the spices and sauces in this recipe to make it your own. Here are some other options:

• Swap the bbq seasoning with lemon pepper seasoning and lemon garlic butter sauce
• Top it with cajun garlic butter sauce
• Toss your kabobs in the homemade buffalo sauce that I use in air fryer buffalo chicken tenders and air fryer buffalo chicken bites

Storage and Leftovers

Store leftover air fryer chicken kabobs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for next time (about 3-4 days).

More Chicken Kabobs & Side Dishes

Turn these delicious chicken kabobs into a delicious dinner using these recipes:

• Slow Cooker Baked Beans with Canned Beans
• 40 Best BBQ Chicken Sides
• Marinated Chicken Kabobs
• Southern Cucumber Salad
• Air Fryer Corn on the Cobb

Air Fryer Chicken Kabobs

These air fryer chicken kabobs include tender chicken chunks and fresh veggies topped with the best bbq chicken rub and bbq sauce. This easy recipe doesn't require you to marinate the chicken, meaning you can have this on the table in less than 30 minutes!

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 12

Calories 77 kcal

Equipment

• metal skewers

Ingredients

  

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• 1 lb chicken breasts boneless, skinless and raw, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 tbsp bbq chicken rub click for my recipe
• ½ large red onion cut in half to form “square” pieces
• 1 large bell pepper I used red, cut into quarters to form “squares” pieces
• 1 tbsp avocado oil
• ¼ cup bbq sauce

Instructions

 

• Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees for 5 minutes.
• Add the chicken breast pieces, BBQ seasoning, and avocado oil to a medium mixing bowl. Stir to combine and spread the seasonings evening.5
• Lace the vegetables and chicken pieces onto the skewers. I rotate red onions, chicken, and red peppers until I have about 3 pieces of chicken on the skewer. Avoid stuffing them since it makes the chicken harder to cook. I use about 3 chicken bites per skewer.
• Add the skewers to your air fryer basket in a single layer. You may need to do this in two batches
• Air Fry at 400 degrees for 6 minutes.
• Use a basting brush to coat both sides of the chicken kabobs with BBQ sauce.
• Air fry at 400 degrees for 2-4 minutes to cook them through.
• Repeat steps 4-7 for a second batch if needed.
• Allow the meat to rest for 5 minutes before enjoying them.

Nutrition

Calories: 77kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.004g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 107mg | Potassium: 206mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 518IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 1mg

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