Grilled Pesto Chicken and Tomato Kebabs SCREAM summer! Made with chunks of boneless chicken breasts, basil pesto, and cherry tomatoes, they are great as an appetizer or dinner.
Grilled Pesto Chicken and Tomato Kebabs
I grow tons of basil in my garden all summer, so I make a lot of pesto and use it in many dishes. These easy pesto chicken skewers are gluten-free, high protein, inexpensive, and low-carb. Plus, you can make them a day ahead – the longer the chicken marinates in the pesto, the better it tastes! If you love pesto as much as we do, you may also want to try this Chicken Pesto Bake, Grilled Pesto Shrimp Skewers, or this delicious Eggplant Panini with Pesto – so good!!
Why You’ll Love This Pesto Chicken Recipe
- Lighter Pesto: Most pesto recipes are high in calories and fat. I use less oil and omit the pine nuts for a lighter homemade pesto sauce. It’s still so flavorful you won’t miss them!
- Sweet Summer Tomatoes: The cherry tomatoes smell divine when they come off the grill, and I love how they taste when cooked. They get even sweeter and more delicious.
- Easy Grilling: I double the skewers, which helps keep everything in place while grilling and makes them easier to turn.
Pesto Chicken Ingredients
- Chicken: Cut one and a quarter pounds of skinless chicken breasts into one-inch cubes.
- Pesto Ingredients: Fresh basil, garlic, grated Parmigiano Reggiano, salt, pepper, olive oil
- Tomatoes: Grape tomatoes will work if you don’t have cherry tomatoes.
How to Make Pesto Chicken Kebabs
- Pesto: Pulse the basil, garlic, cheese, salt, and pepper in a food processor. Slowly add the olive oil while pulsing.
- Marinate Chicken: Combine the chicken and pesto and marinate for a few hours.
- Skewers: If you use metal skewers, you can skip this step, but for wooden ones, soak them for at least 30 minutes so they don’t burn on the grill.
- Assemble the Kebabs: Beginning and ending with chicken, thread the chicken and tomatoes onto eight pairs of parallel skewers.
- Grill Pesto Chicken: Heat a grill or grill pan over medium heat until hot. Make sure the grates are clean, and lightly spray them with oil. Grill the chicken skewers for three to four minutes, turn them over, and cook for a couple of minutes until cooked through.
What to Serve with Pesto Chicken
These pesto chicken kebabs are an easy appetizer to eat while mingling at a party. If you’re having them for dinner, I would serve two with a salad, a simple caprese salad, tomato salad or grilled veggies. You could also make pasta and mix in the tomatoes and chicken or serve with Italian Pasta Salad.
How to Store Pesto Chicken
Leftover pesto chicken and tomatoes will last for up to four days in the refrigerator. You can eat the chicken cold as leftovers or microwave it until warm. The tomatoes are best eaten warm. If you want to double the chicken, you can freeze it for up to three months. Thaw it overnight in the fridge or microwave it straight from frozen.
Variations
- Dairy Free Pesto: Swap the parmesan for pine nuts.
- Time Saver: Buy premade pesto if you don’t have time to make homemade.
- Vegetables: If you don’t like tomatoes, substitute them with another veggie, like squash, zucchini, onion, bell peppers, or mushrooms. Make sure to cut them about the same size as the chicken so everything cooks evenly.
More Grilled Skewer Recipes You’ll Love
- Chicken Shawarma Kebab Salad
- Grilled Lemon-Dijon Chicken Skewers
- Caesar-Marinated Chicken Kabobs with Zucchini
- Grilled Shrimp Scampi Skewers
- Steak Kebabs with Chimichurri
Grilled Pesto Chicken and Tomato Kebabs
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a food processor pulse basil, garlic, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper until smooth. Slowly add the olive oil while pulsing.
- Combine the raw chicken with pesto and marinate a few hours in a bowl.
- Soak wooden skewers in water at least 30 minutes (or use metal ones to avoid this step).
- Beginning and ending with chicken, thread chicken and tomatoes onto 8 pairs of parallel skewers to make 8 kebabs total.
- Heat the outdoor grill or indoor grill pan over medium heat until hot. Be sure the grates are clean and spray lightly with oil.
- Place the chicken on the hot grill and cook about 3-4 minutes; turn and continue cooking until chicken is cooked through, about 2 to 3 minutes.
My sister in-law shared this recipe with me and I’ve now made it so many times. It has great flavor. I skewer onions on the kabobs as well and serve with a garlicky tzatziki dip. One of my favorite meals.
Made this last night for dinner. I’m not a skewers gal, so that was a challenge for me, but the taste – wow!! Pesto can be great or overpowering, and this is just right. Homemade Basil Pesto is one of our go to recipes, but we usually put it on zoodles. Great flavor on chicken and kept it moist for the grill. Burst tomatoes on the grill are always super yummy! Served this with greek salad (a variation of your meal prep version) on romaine. We will be eating this regularly!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I clearly did not read the instructions but it still turned out great. I only marinated the chicken for about 30 minutes. Next time my husband said he would prefer to grill the chicken whole. Will make again, delicious summer dinner.
Quick and easy and so yummy!
Took me a second to figure out what parallel skewers meant…but I got it and that made turning on the grill so quick.
Easy and delicious. Great use of the Badil growing in our garden.
Quick, easy, delicious!
Could these be made in oven or air fryer?!?
I haven’t tried but I think either way would work.
I made this last night. It was quick, easy and, as usual, delicious! I grilled indoors on my grill pan. Thank you, Gina!
is it 1 cup of chopped basil OR 1 cup of basil, chopped??
I put my basil leaves in a measuring cup and that worked. It was plenty basil-y!
Made these as an option for a small tapas gathering. They were a big hit. Very tasty and no one picked up that they were “healthy”. :). I’d definitely make them again.
This was delicious, simple and quick! The chicken was very tender and had a great flavor. Will definitely make this again. Thanks for the recipe.
This recipe looks awesome,🌹🌷,Thank you for the recipe I am going to try it out.I love my chicken.🙏💋😍
Made fir dinner tonite! It was excellent. I also added mushrooms. Put tomatoes on separate skewers as well as mushrooms. They do not need as much cook time as chicken. Cant wait for to use my summer basil up with making this pesto. Kudos
Made these for dinner tonight. So, so good and easy! Did not make my own pesto. Used Rana.
I used the recipe builder on the WW app and it came to 16 points for the whole recipe, or 2 points per skewer. I think possibly the serving size is supposed to be 2 skewers (4 points) instead of 1. Did anyone else see the same thing?
(PS it’s so delicious! Everytime I make the skinny pesto I double it and freeze half, this comes together so quickly and beautifully if the pesto is already made. I paired it with the watermelon arugula salad and it was perfect! Now I just have to get the points right….!)
Thanks for the reply Gina! I did use the Recipe Builder – I think actually it’s just that the points listed are for two skewers, not one. The only reason I checked is that 4 points for one skewer seemed pretty high to me and I couldn’t figure out where it was coming from – I think the 4 is for two skewers!
It’s not a big deal though, I was just curious if anyone else had noticed the same thing. I am endlessly grateful for everything you do, seriously, I feel healthier than ever and you’ve made it SO fun.
I also think there is something wrong with the points as the entire recipe adds up to 16 points and it says you are making 8 servings.
Good catch, they are 2 each.
Any way to make the pesto without a food processor? I don’t own one…
Thanks
Julie
maybe a blender?
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I just love revisiting your menus!
Made these this past weekend to use up some of the basil in my yard .! Delicious! Used the leftovers to make a pita pizza the next day! Will definitely make again!
Had lots of basil growing in the garden so decided to try this recipe! So glad I did, delicious. Did add raw onion to the kebab,
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Can you freeze chicken pieces with the marinade for later use? I would love to have this in the freezer for a quick summer meal. Thx!
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I copy and paste into a word document with the picture then print.
I will be making these next weekend.
Looks wonderful!
Can I make a suggestion about the Print option. I wish it would print with a small picture. I eat with my eyes… Few weeks later, when I want to make a recipe again, having a picture in my cook book makes me want to cook a recipe more, it’s easier to refresh in my mind what I’m making when I a have a visual 🙂 I love your blog and get many recipes here!
the particular way of cooking is actually well known, to provide crispy skin on the outside ALONG WITH aching ALONG WITH juicy flesh towards the inside, intended for the delicious restaurant-grade meal, due to the fraction of an cost associated with dining out inside family AND ALSO friends. Sn, to a chemist
Great idea. I pinned it to make this weekend!
Keri
www.thestylestudiobykb.com
Would this work with beef also? I have cubed beef that I was going to use for plain ol' boring kebabs with peppers and onions, but this looks amazing!
Is there anything I could sub for the cheese? Would love a dairy free option.
Nutritional yeast is a good/healthy Parmesan substitute
Is there anyway I can make this with out a food processor?
I made this as an appetizer for Christmas dinner and it was a hit. The colors are what drew me in to begin with, but the flavor was phenomenal too!
Is this recipe good cold or does the chicken become tough?
In my opinion the chicken is fine cold, but the tomatoes are gross cold.
I made these skewers for dinner last night. DELICIOUS!! Thank you for posting.
Have made these twice. My boyfriend says the are "restaurant quality"! LOVE THEM!
I made this last night and can't rave enough about it. So simple, quick, and delicious. Even my picky son who currently hates everything except ham, fish sticks or peanut butter and jelly devoured it! I think he ended up eating more than my husband and I did! Thanks!
These will work well on our Banting diet as well (LCHF).
Oh my these are delicious. My family couldn't say enough about how good they are. They taste like a big mouthful of summer (which is much appreciated after such a long, cold, snowy winter)!
Made these last night. They were a hit. I got asked to give the recipe for the basil pesto mix. Thanks for such a great flavorful recipe!
This was amazing! The pesto was brilliant. I used zucchini instead of tomatoes since I'm not a tomato fan, and a grill pan because I don't have a grill. Even with all the improvising, it was insanely delicious. I'd definitely make it again but maybe add another veggie to the skewers to complement the chicken even more – maybe summer squash?
I made these Saturday night, and they were delicious. Since finding Skinnytaste my hubby says I cook better than any restaurant. Thanks Gina for all your work and wonderful simple recipes. 🙂
oh this is so gorgeous, your pics make me tingle!
Yummers! I'm making these tomorrow! They sound so good and I love grilled chicken! Hugs, Leena
PS I found your blog through Simple and Sweet Firdays
I love pesto and can't wait to try these!! I make a skinny pesto using fresh lemon juice. Would that work as well as a marinade?
Can you make them on the stove with a grill pan or skillet if you don't have an outdoor grill?
Made these on the grill tonite for a bunch of friends, followed the recipe exactly (with fresh basil from our garden!) and everyone loved them! We'll definitely make them again. Thanks!
You always post some of the most delicious recipes ever. I gave this a try today, but put a bit of a twist on it. I actually made cilantro lime pesto and omitted the nuts as well. They were so tasty… Thanks for being such a great inspiration!
I think my hubs would love these. I'm debating using Garlic Scape pesto, as we've recently been introduced to garlic scapes and are *mildly* obsessed. 🙂
I also cheated with store-bought pesto; really nice, easy after-work dinner with lovely, fresh flavor. Served it over rice and got the thumbs up from the family. Maybe when I (and my basil plants) are more ambitious we'll try the real thing!
I made this last night, but cheated a little…I used store bought Pesto. It was still REALLY good. I actually took the tomatoes and mixed them in with orzo and olive oil for the perfect side dish.
I also made these on 6/24! You started a trend, woman! They were DELICIOUS. Just the smell of the marinade made everyone, including four-legged family members, crowd around. Question: my kids are not fans of tomatoes. They don't like the texture at all. What veggie would you recommend substituting for the next time. They gobbled up the chicken (does that sound vaguely wrong?) like dehydrated people on a desert, but picked every tomato off. Any suggestions would be appreciated. This recipe was TO DIE FOR!!! And EASY!!
My boys wouldn't have eaten the tomatoes, either. Perhaps chunks of potato would appeal to the kids better? Not sure if they'd cook as quickly as the chicken, though. Perhaps parboil them first?
I have made these several times now using a ton of different meats and veggies. Chicken, beef and shrimp all are very tasty with the pesto. I also haven't found a veggie yet that folks haven't liked with it. We have done the tomatoes (which are the least favorite, folks don't like the skins), onion, bell peppers, mushrooms, squash, zucchini, tiny potatoes, even pineapple. Everything we have tried with this pesto, put on a stick and grilled has been a huge hit. We made a ton to feed a crowd, and had left overs the next day, it reheats well.
I made these for a little get together I had last night and they turned out great!! I actually doubled the recipe so that I would have leftovers for lunches this week, and I don't have any leftovers because people (ahem, my boyfriend) wouldn't stop eating them and raving.
Definitely will be making these again 🙂
Oh, and tonight we are having your chicken enchilada soup. Last week we had your chicken black bean tacos. Notice a trend?
I made these last night and added onion. My husband said at least 5 times how good they were. He also said it might be the best thing I ever made. We'll be having these again for sure. Thanks for another great meal!
WOW – fantastic! I did mine on the George Foreman. Also added only a tablespoon of pinenuts to the pesto. Probably added 1 point per serving. The smell was awesome. Marinated overnight.Might have leftovers in a wrap or on pasta? Super simple recipe.
Mmm- these are perfect for summer grilling!
These were really good. We really enjoyed them and will make these again.
omg this was great made it tonight for dinner it was very good
Its a nice recipe. If its allowed, with a great pleasure I want to translate this recipe to Turkish and I want to share it in my recipes website. (http://www.ustaninmutfagi.com)
Just tried this recipe and it' so good!!! Everyone loved it!
Thank you Gina!
Making these today, they look tasty, about to go put it on to marinate! Anyone tried adding mushrooms to them yet or onions? I look for any excuse to add mushrooms to things, and the husband does the same for onions, and with kebabs we can customize our own.
Got both chicken and salmon marinating now; gonna add red bell pepper and purple onion to the kebab. Great diet dinner and easy too!
Made these tonight, they were great! They took a lot longer to cook (like 5 minutes more) then you indicated though, but I probably just cut my chicken pieces too big. I also cut up some zucchini and alternated with the tomatoes (I have no garden and grape tomatoes are pricey here) and it was really good.
Sorry I hate to be a critic because I love this site . . .I think I could have cut the oil in the pesto by a tbsp and still had lots of flavor . . . thoughts? It seemed like a lot for the amount of basil.
That's ok, sure if you can use less oil, go for it, although I find it hard to blend well.
These look perfect for the rash of basil I am dealing with right now…
Mmmm….looks delicious!
So yummy and healthy! I love pesto so much, this is a great summer dinner.
http://www.loveandbellinis.com
I love grilling kebabs in the summer and this is a perfect idea for them! Great recipe, Gina. Thanks and have a nice weekend!
These look delicious! Pesto goes well with so many things and using it in grilled chicken kebabs is such a great idea!
www.fashionedible.com
Looks so simple and so yummy!
Tried this today and loved it!
Wonderful : )
what a great idea!
http://therealfoodrunner.blogspot.com
This looks amazing and perfect for summer entertaining!
What a perfect summer dish! Love it.
I just made chicken kebobs the other night – these would've been delicious! I rarely put nuts in my pesto and always add a couple extra garlic cloves for a bit of a kick.
I'll definitely try this recipe in the next week or so, maybe for Canada Day up at the lake 🙂