Lemon Pesto Chicken Kabobs

These low-carb Lemon Pesto Chicken Kabobs are delicious and easy to make, and everyone who likes lemon and pesto is going to love this recipe! And you can use the lemon pesto chicken marinade on whole chicken breasts too if you prefer.

PIN Lemon Pesto Chicken Kabobs to try them later!

These Lemon Pesto Chicken Kabobs are about the easiest chicken kabobs you could make, and they have only five ingredients if you use purchased pesto and purchased vinaigrette dressing like I did! And seriously, this is as delicious as it gets for easy Lemon Pesto Chicken.

Even if you don’t have fancy skewers like the ones I bought when I visited Turkey a few years ago, these kabobs are guaranteed to be a winner. And everyone needs an easy recipe to ease into grilling season, so today I’m reminding you about these tasty chicken kabobs that have been a favorite at my house.

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

• boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Newman’s Own Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressing (affiliate link)or other low-sugar dressing
• purchased Basil Pesto (affiliate link) or use my Basil Pesto with Lemon if you have some
• fresh-squeezed lemon juice, I used my fresh-frozen lemon juice
• Spike Seasoning (affiliate link), or another all-purpose seasoning blend

What Pesto did I use for the Lemon Pesto Chicken?

I love making pesto, and my Basil Pesto with Lemon would be perfect for this recipe, but the pesto in a jar from Costco worked perfectly in this recipe. Some people have asked about the warning on the jar that says this product shouldn’t be heated, but since I’ve used it in many Recipes with Pesto, and I’m confident that the warning means not to put the pesto in a pan and heat it when you’re using it on pasta.

Can Lemon Pesto Chicken be made ahead and marinated?

The chunks of chicken can marinate in this easy marinade all day while you’re at work, or even overnight if you’re cooking this earlier in the day.

Want to use the Lemon Pesto Chicken Marinade for chicken breasts?

If you prefer to marinate and cook whole chicken breasts, you might want to read my post about How to Make Juicy Grilled Chicken Breasts for some tips for that.

Want more ideas for kabobs?

If you’re someone like me who loves to make kabobs, check out Amazing Recipes for Grilled Kabobs for more kabob recipes from Kalyn’s Kitchen and other low-carb sites around the web.

How to make Lemon Pesto Chicken Kabobs:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. Trim chicken breasts and cut into same-size chunks.
2. Whisk together vinaigrette dressing, basil pesto, fresh-squeezed lemon juice, and Spike Seasoning (affiliate link).
3. Put the chicken and marinade into a Ziploc bag or a plastic container with a tight fitting lid and marinate in the refrigerator at least 8 hours.
4. When you’re ready to cook, drain the chicken into a colander placed in the sink.
5. Preheat the grill to medium heat.
6. Thread the chicken onto skewers, and and let it come to room temperature. If you don’t have blade-type skewers like I used or double skewers for kabobs, be sure to push the chicken tightly together so it won’t spin around on the skewers. (affiliate links)
7. Cook about 15 minutes, turning often, or until the chicken is lightly browned and feels firm (but not hard) to the touch. Serve hot.

Make it a Low-Carb Meal:

The easy Lemon Pesto Chicken Kabobs would be great with something like a healthy cucumber salad and Twice-Baked Cauliflower or Grilled Zucchini on the side for a delicious low-carb meal.

More Tasty Grilled Chicken:

• Grilled Chicken with Balsamic Vinegar
• Garlic, Lemon, and Herb Grilled Chicken Breasts
• Very Greek Grilled Chicken
• Rosemary Mustard Grilled Chicken
• Grilled Chicken with White Barbecue Sauce

Continue to Content

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Yield: 4 servings

Lemon Pesto Chicken Kabobs

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

These ultra easy Lemon Pesto Chicken Kabobs are delicious and this recipe needs just five ingredients for a perfect low-carb summer dinner.

Ingredients

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/3 cup Newman's Own Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressing
• 1/3 cup purchased basil pesto (see notes)
• 3 T fresh-squeezed lemon juice (see notes)
• 1 T Spike Seasoning, or another all-purpose seasoning blend

Instructions

1. Trim visible fat and undesirable parts from chicken breasts and cut each breast into half lengthwise and then into 2 inch pieces.
2. Mix together the vinaigrette dressing, basil pesto, lemon juice, and Spike Seasoning (affiliate link).
3. Put the pieces of chicken into a Ziploc bag or plastic container with a tight-fitting lid, add the marinade mixture and turn over the bag or container until the chicken is coated with the marinade.
4. Let chicken pieces marinate in the fridge for 8-10 hours (or longer is fine.)
5. When you’re ready to cook, drain the chicken pieces into a colander placed in the sink and let chicken come to room temperature, discarding the marinade.
6. Brush or spray the grill with high smoke-point oil or non-stick spray and preheat grill to medium.
7. Thread chicken on to skewers. If you don't have blade-type skewers (affiliate link) like I used or double skewers for kabobs (affiliate link), be sure to push the chicken tightly together so it won't spin around on the skewers when you turn the kabobs.
8. Grill chicken about 15 minutes, turning often, or until the chicken is lightly browned and firm, but not hard to the touch.
9. Serve hot.

Notes

I used Newman's Own Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressing (affiliate link) for the marinade, which has only 1 carb per serving. This would be delicious with my Basil Pesto with Lemon if you prefer making your own pesto. I used my fresh-frozen lemon juice for the marinade.

This ultra-easy grilled chicken recipe created by Kalyn.

Nutrition Information

Yield

4

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 309Total Fat 15gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 10gCholesterol 107mgSodium 1428mgCarbohydrates 3gFiber 1gSugar 0gProtein 40g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

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Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
If you use a low-sugar purchased vinaigrette or make your own, the Lemon Pesto Chicken Kabobs would be a great main dish for low-carb eating plans or any phase of the original South Beach Diet. (You could make this recipe with Basil Pistou (which doesn’t have cheese) if you want it to be Paleo.)

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Grilling Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe was first posted in 2015. It was updated with more information in 2023.

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