Hey friends! The other day I saw a recipe for garlic parmesan chicken skewers on social media and thought to myself, what a fabulous idea for the summer. I have since tweaked it to suit our preferences, and here is how we have been making it:

How to Serve:

• As a Main Dish: Serve the chicken skewers with a side of
  • rice: Have you tried our Mediterranean yellow rice? or our rice with vermicelli noodles
  • salad: tabouli salad or our Greek salad with pickled red onions are my favourites
  • simple grilled veggies
  • mashed potatoes
• In Wraps: These skewers make a great addition to pita wraps with lettuce, tomatoes, and tzatziki sauce.
• Appetizer: Serve them as an appetizer at your next gathering with a dipping sauce like hummus or a garlic aioli.

Ingredients/Substitutions:

For the marinade:

• Olive Oil
• Paprika, Garlic Powder, Salt, Italian Seasoning: These are the ones I like to use, but you can absolutely swap them for what you have on hand at your house. The paprika gives it a nice color, but you can swap the Italian seasoning for another kind of herb or herb mix you like.
• Mayo: It seems weird, but hear me out, this will prevent your chicken from getting dry in the air fryer. If you are wondering if you can omit it, I think you can if:
  • a) Dry chicken breast doesn’t really bother you.
  • b) You are not making these in your air fryer (I find that the air fryer does tend to dry it more than grilling or pan-frying).
  • c) You are using a different cut of chicken. If not using chicken breast, you might get away with not using the mayo since other cuts are naturally more moist. However, if you absolutely hate dry chicken, I would go ahead and add the mayo to this marinade.
• Chicken Breast: You can substitute with another cut of chicken.

For the Garlic Butter:

• Butter: Can be salted or unsalted. If you have some pesto butter in your freezer, like I always do, you can use it and make it even more flavorful!
• Freshly Grated Parmesan
• Garlic, Finely Grated/Minced
• Fresh Parsley, Very Finely Chopped
• Salt, Black Pepper, to taste

Directions:

Okay, let’s talk about the process. First, you’ll want to make the marinade. Just mix the olive oil, paprika, garlic powder, salt, Italian seasoning, and mayo together. Then, cut the chicken breast into skewer-sized pieces and mix them with the marinade. If you can let the chicken marinate for a couple of minutes, that’s preferable. But if you don’t have time, it’s still going to be flavorful.

Next, preheat your air fryer and place the marinated chicken skewers into the basket in a single layer. Cook them for about 10-12 minutes, flipping halfway through. While the chicken is cooking, you’ll want to prepare the garlic butter. Just melt the butter and mix it with the parmesan, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper.

Here’s a crucial tip: brush the garlic butter onto the chicken skewers in the last 2-3 minutes of cooking. This way, the butter and parmesan won’t burn but will still give the chicken that delicious, rich flavor.

Important Tip! Make sure to buy skewers that actually fit into your air fryer. When I first tried to make this, I just grabbed some skewers I already had at home, only to realize they didn’t fit after I had already placed the chicken on all of them. Then, I thought, no problem, I’ll just cut them. Well, I couldn’t. I tried scissors, a serrated knife, and ultimately decided never mind—I didn’t want to hurt myself trying to make it fit. So, I ended up using a large frying pan instead. Next time, I made sure to buy smaller skewers that actually fit. Here I used 6” bamboo skewers.

Storage:

• Refrigerate: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
• Reheat: To reheat, place the skewers back in the air fryer at 350°F (175°C) for 5-7 minutes or until heated through. You can also reheat them in the microwave.

Make Ahead:

• Marinade in Advance: You can prepare the marinade and marinate the chicken up to 24 hours in advance. Store the marinated chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
• Garlic Butter: The garlic butter can also be prepared ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up

FAQ:

• Can I use a different type of meat? Yes, you can use other parts of the chicken chicken thighs if you prefer
• What if I don’t have an air fryer? You can grill or pan-fry the skewers instead. Adjust the cooking time as needed.
• Is there a mayo substitute? Can I use greek yougurt or sour cream instead? I haven’t tried it with greek yogurt or sour cream. You can omit it if you are not making it in an air fryer, or if you are ok with your chicken being a little dry.
• Can I use dried herbs instead of fresh? Yes, you can substitute dried herbs for fresh in the garlic butter. Use 1/3 of the amount.

If you make this recipe please don’t forget to leave a comment below 🙂 And, don’t forget you can also follow me on instagram 🙂