Grilled kabobs are such an easy and fun way to make a summertime weeknight dinner and these honey-thyme chicken and peach kabobs are no exception! Skip the marinade, for this recipe we are using a brush-on glaze as we grill, the honey will leave caramelized grill marks and the thyme will become fragrant while the chicken cooks.
The ripe sweet peaches are to die for.
These chicken and peach kabobs come together in about 25 minutes, perfect for any weeknight dinner or backyard get-together. You can easily increase the recipe to serve a crowd. Ideal for a gathering, the kabobs can be served hot right off the grill or at room temperature. I also enjoyed cold – straight out of the fridge. The flavor is simply irresistible.
Grilled Honey-Thyme Chicken and Peach Kabobs – the Grilling Glaze
This honey-thyme grilling glaze is so mouth-watering delicious! It creates so much flavor on the kabobs, giving them insane grill marks. The sweet honey caramelizes with the heat of the grill, the thyme and lemon give the kabobs a fresh and light vibe.
Using a brush, you will want to paint this glaze on your chicken and peach kabobs as they cook for the ultimate grilled kabobs win!
How to Grill
I decided to skewer chicken and peaches individually, and not on them same kabob because peaches take a lot less time to cook and are more delicate to heat.
Chicken requires an internal temperature of 165F to prevent possible salmonella, peaches would never grill to that temperature so separate skewers were also a decision o prevent cross- contamination.
You can grill these kabobs on an outside grill or on a stove-top grill pan. The key is to cook the chicken first, and once the chicken is almost done, add your peaches to a lower temperature side of the grill.
As you grill there are few key tips!
1. Drizzle a little olive oil over the chicken and peach kabobs before placing them on the grill.
2. Never pull the meat off the grill, if try to turn your kabob skewer but the chicken or peach is stuck, let it cook a little longer, you don’t want to pry to tear it off the grill. Once the chicken and peaches are done browning they will loosen up and will easily move if you try to flip them over.
3.. Brush the honey-thyme glaze three or four times during the cooking process. As honey in the glaze caramelizes it will create darker grill marks and will build layers of flavor, making the kabobs so delicious with flavor.
Grilled Honey-Thyme Chicken and Peach Kabobs – the Reduced Balsamic Drizzle
I recently had a conversation with my father-in-law about balsamic vinegar/dressing and I was convinced I didn’t like it from past experience, well on a whim I decided to give it another chance, there is a good chance you will see more of it in future recipes. I’m using balsamic vinegar – not the salad dressing, this makes a huge difference.
Once you take the chicken and peach kabobs off the grill, you will want to add a reduced balsamic drizzle for the finishing touch! The sweet acidity will round out the flavors for complete satisfaction.
In a small pot, you want to add your balsamic vinegar and over medium heat you want to reduce the liquid by half. It should become a thicker consistency so that it coats the back of a spoon.
If it over reduces and becomes a goopy texture, have no worries, you can slowly add water, fork-whisk it to combine and thin it out and then re-heat to reduce to the correct thickness. Adding water will not change the flavor, it just simply lets you try again.
Lightly spoon-drizzle over your grilled chicken and peach kabobs.
Grilled Honey-Thyme Chicken and Peach Kabobs
Ingredients
- 1½ Lbs Chicken Breasts - cubed into 1 inch pieces
- 4-6 Ripe Peaches - cut into wedges
- Olive Oil
- Salt
Honey-Thyme Grilling Glaze
- ¼ cup Honey
- 1 TBSP Fresh Thyme - removed from stems
- 2 TBSP Fresh Lemon Juice about ½ a lemon
- ½ Lemon - Zested
Reduced Balsamic Drizzle
- ¼ cup Balsamic Vinegar
Instructions
- Soak your skewers in water while you prep the dish and preheat your grill.
- In a bowl, fork-whisk together your honey-thyme grilling glaze and set aside.
- On separate skewers, skewer your chicken breasts and peaches. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle a pinch of salt.
- Add your chicken kabobs to the grill and brush on your honey-thyme grilling glaze 3-4 times. It's important to turn your kabobs during the cooking process so that they cook evenly. Once your chicken has about 3-5 minutes left, add your peach kabobs. Brush on the honey-thyme grilling glaze and turn for even cooking. See blog notes for additional grilling tips.
- In a sauce pan, over medium-low heat, reduce your balsamic vinegar by half. Spoon-drizzle your reduced balsamic overtop of your kabobs. See blog notes for more tips.
