These healthy Maple Marinated Grilled Chicken Kabobs are one of my very favorite grilling recipes, and a Cook-off Finalist! Made with zucchini, cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes, mushrooms, and apples, it's marinated in a zingy maple cider marinade for a unique flavor! They are low-carb, gluten-free, dairy-free, and Weight Watchers friendly at only 2 WW points
These Weight Watchers Chicken Kabobs are most popular during grilling season, but are great any time of the year. They pair perfectly with my Apple Rice (with sausage), which they were created to accompany. However, you can serve them over any rice, including cauliflower rice, if you want to keep it low-cal.
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- 🥘Ingredient Notes
- 📖 Variations & Substitutions
- 🔪How to Make Maple Marinated Grilled Chicken Kabobs
- Expert Recipe Tips
- 🥗What to Serve with Grilled Chicken Kabobs
- 🔢WW Points
- 🌡️Storage
- ❔ Recipe FAQs
- Didn't find the answer you're looking for?
- 📋 More Weight Watchers Grilling & BBQ Recipes!
- 📋 Maple Marinated Grilled Chicken Kabobs Recipe
Do you love to use your grill? I do! As soon as I can shovel a path to my BBQ, I'm there. I don't even care if I have to wear my parka and winter boots because BBQ'ing just gives me the summer feels.
It's not only about eating glorious tasting food, it's that there are no pots and pans to wash! But what's even better is actual grilling season (when you don't have to shovel a path to the grill.)
🥘Ingredient Notes
The maple and cider marinade lends these kabobs a very fresh and unique flavor! And the skewer is loaded with fresh apples, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, and zucchini! So, if you're looking for a very flavorful, Weight Watchers friendly healthy chicken kebab, then this recipe is for you!
You'll need the following ingredients for this recipe:
- Chicken. You can use fresh or frozen chicken breasts. Just make sure to completely defrost frozen chicken breasts and pat them dry with a paper towel.
- Cherry or Grape tomatoes. I have used both, and either works well.
- Apples. Green Granny Smith Apples work best for this recipe, as they hold their shape.
*Please see recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantities
📖 Variations & Substitutions
- Maple Syrup- If you only have table syrup, you can simply add a ¼ teaspoon of maple extract to it.
- Apple Cider Vinegar - You can substitute white wine vinegar or rice vinegar.
🔪How to Make Maple Marinated Grilled Chicken Kabobs
Marinade *heads up - there is a 6- 8 hour marinating time in this recipe
- Step 1: In a small bowl, combine all marinade ingredients, stir well, and set aside.
- Step 2:** Important: before putting your meat and veggies on the skewer, make sure to soak your skewers in cold water for several minutes, while you're chopping your ingredients. This will prevent the skewers from catching on fire.
- Step 3: Kabobs: Cut chicken breasts in half down the middle, then into about 1 ½ -2 inch cubes.
- Step 4: Add chicken and veggies onto skewer as follows: (though it doesn't have to be in this exact order): zucchini, mushroom,1- 2 pieces of chicken, tomato, apple, 1-2 pieces of chicken. Then repeat until skewer is full, leaving about a ½ inch on each end. Do this for all 4 skewers.
- Step 5: Put kabobs into a large container or extra-large Ziploc bag.
- Step 6: Pour marinade over meat. Lay flat in fridge. Marinate in the fridge for 6-8 hours (ideally overnight).
- Step 7: If possible, turn it every 2-3 hours. You can also spoon some of the marinade from the bottom over the top of the skewers.
- Step 8: Preheat grill to 400 degrees F/204 degrees C and spray with non-stick spray or olive oil. Cook on grill (lid down/covered) for 5- 10 minutes on each side.
- Step 9: Cook until no longer pink and internal temperature is 165 degrees F/74 degrees C.
Expert Recipe Tips
- Use a meat thermometer for accuracy: Insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest piece of chicken (without touching the skewer). The kabobs are ready when the chicken reaches 165°F (74°C). This ensures they're fully cooked but still juicy, and prevents overcooking.
- Cut evenly for even cooking: Keep the chicken and veggies roughly the same size (about 1 ½-2 inch cubes for chicken, similar size for veggies) so everything cooks through at the same time.
- Separate skewers for precision: If you find your veggies cook faster than the chicken, consider threading meat and vegetables on separate skewers. This way you can pull the veggies off earlier without overcooking them.
- Use Granny Smith apples: Their tartness balances the maple marinade, and they hold up well on the grill without turning mushy.
- Don't over-marinate: While it's tempting to leave chicken soaking longer for more flavor, acid in the marinade (vinegar and lime juice) can make it mushy if left more than 24 hours.
- Rotate kabobs often: Turning them every few minutes ensures even caramelization from the maple syrup in the marinade and prevents burning.
- Oil the grill well: Preheating and brushing the grates with oil helps keep both the chicken and apples from sticking.
- Add a finishing glaze: For extra flavor, reserve a couple of tablespoons of marinade (before adding raw chicken) and brush it over the kabobs in the last minute of grilling.
- Let them rest: Rest the kabobs for 5 minutes after grilling so the juices redistribute in the chicken, keeping it tender and juicy.
🥗What to Serve with Grilled Chicken Kabobs
Rice: Rice really is the ideal accompaniment to a kabob on the grill, and this recipe is perfect on a rice pilaf, specifically this Sausage & Apple Rice, which was the original rice pilaf I created to accompany this recipe. However, any rice will do! And if I'm in a hurry, I simply use brown Minute Rice. You can also use cauliflower rice.
I also like to serve these kabobs with plain green salad/mixed greens or try my Easy Quinoa Salad, Easy Bean Salad, Healthy Macaroni Salad with Tuna, or Greek Pasta Salad . This Quick Cucumber Kimchi makes an excellent and easy veggie side dish!
Or keep it really light and try it with my Skinny Coleslaw Recipe or this Healthy Artichoke & Roasted Red Pepper Coleslaw.
🔢WW Points
This recipe is 2 WW points because not all the marinade is absorbed. You can further reduce it by using a sugar-free maple syrup.
🌡️Storage
Store these cooked kabobs for up to 3 days in the fridge. These ingredients don't stand up to freezing.
❔ Recipe FAQs
Yes! If you don't have access to a grill, you can bake the kabobs on a parchment-lined baking sheet at 400°F/204° C for about 20-25 minutes, turning halfway through, until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F/74° C.
No. You can also use reusable metal skewers. If you use wooden skewers, soaking them first is important to prevent burning.
The marinade helps prevent browning, but if you're prepping ahead, you can toss the apple slices with a little lemon juice before adding them to the skewers.
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This kabob recipe has a great maple cider marinade that gives it a really wonderful depth of flavor, especially when paired with those delicious veggies and fruit on a stick! So, if you're looking for a healthy kebab and a delicious chicken kebab marinade recipe, give this a try!
📋 More Weight Watchers Grilling & BBQ Recipes!
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📋 Maple Marinated Grilled Chicken Kabobs Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Kabobs:
- 4 fresh boneless and skinless chicken breasts cut into 1 ½ -2 inch cubes
- 1 small fresh zucchini sliced I half, then into ½ inch half circles
- ¾ cup fresh cherry tomatoes (or grape tomatoes)
- 1 cup whole fresh button mushrooms
- 1 whole fresh Granny smith apple peeled, quartered and sliced ½ inch thick lengthwise
Marinade:
- ½ cup Maple syrup
- 3 cloves fresh garlic minced
- 2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoon fresh lime juice
- zest from 1 fresh lime
Instructions
Marinade *heads up - there is a 6- 8 hour marinating time in this recipe!
- In a small bowl, combine all marinade ingredients, stir well and set aside.
- *** Important: before putting your meat and veggies on the skewer, make sure to soak your skewers in cold water for several minutes, while you're chopping your ingredients. This will prevent the skewers from catching on fire.
Kabobs
- Cut chicken breasts in half down the middle, then into about 1 ½ -2 inch cubes.
- Cut zucchini into manageable pieces for skewer
- Cut apples into pieces. Make sure not to cut them too small, as they won't go through the skewer OR stay on the skewer during cooking.
- Add chicken and veggies onto skewer as follows: (though it doesn't have to be in this exact order): zucchini, mushroom,1- 2 pieces of chicken, tomato, apple, 1-2 pieces of chicken.
- Then repeat until skewer is full leaving about a ½ inch on each end. Do this for all 4 skewers.
Refrigerate
- Put kabobs into extra-large Ziploc bag and pour marinade over meat. Lay flat in fridge. Marinate in the fridge for 6-8 hours (ideally overnight) in fridge, turning periodically, if possible. I try to turn it every 2-3 hours.
Grill
- Preheat grill to 400 degrees F/204 degrees C and spray with non-stick spray or olive oil.
- Covered, cook on grill for 5- 10 minutes on each side until no longer pink and internal termperature reads 165 degrees C/74 degrees C.
- Serve on rice pilaf, if desired. (https://foodmeanderings.com/sausage-apple-rice-gluten-free/)
Notes
- Use a meat thermometer for accuracy: Insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest piece of chicken (without touching the skewer). The kabobs are ready when the chicken reaches 165°F (74°C). This ensures they're fully cooked but still juicy, and prevents overcooking.
- Cut evenly for even cooking: Keep the chicken and veggies roughly the same size (about 1 ½-2 inch cubes for chicken, similar size for veggies) so everything cooks through at the same time.
- Separate skewers for precision: If you find your veggies cook faster than the chicken, consider threading meat and vegetables on separate skewers. This way you can pull the veggies off earlier without overcooking them.
- Use Granny Smith apples: Their tartness balances the maple marinade, and they hold up well on the grill without turning mushy.
- Don't over-marinate: While it's tempting to leave chicken soaking longer for more flavor, acid in the marinade (vinegar and lime juice) can make it mushy if left more than 24 hours.
- Rotate kabobs often: Turning them every few minutes ensures even caramelization from the maple syrup in the marinade and prevents burning.
- Oil the grill well: Preheating and brushing the grates with oil helps keep both the chicken and apples from sticking.
- Add a finishing glaze: For extra flavor, reserve a couple of tablespoons of marinade (before adding raw chicken) and brush it over the kabobs in the last minute of grilling.
- Let them rest: Rest the kabobs for 5 minutes after grilling so the juices redistribute in the chicken, keeping it tender and juicy.
Terri Gilson
This maple cider marinade gives my chicken kabobs such a unique and delicious flavor. I love grilling these up as soon as the snow melts - the combo of chicken, fresh apples, and veggies on the skewer just screams summer! Even though it didn't win the cook-off (thanks to that griddle mishap), it's still one of my favorite grilling recipes.