BBQ Chicken Skewers
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Oct 20, 2025 
Chipotle BBQ Chicken Skewers Recipe – A smoky 5-Ingredient recipe that is so easy you’ll serve them all grilling season. You can even make them in the oven!
Sommer’s Recipe Notes
Why We Love BBQ Chicken Skewers
Grill season is upon us and we are ready for weekend cookouts. We’ve been grilling a 5-Ingredient wonder we call Chipotle BBQ Chicken Skewers. This bbq chicken skewers dish takes no time at all, and offers a serious flavor-smack with only a handful of ingredients. It truly is amazing!
If you don’t have a grill or prefer not to fire it up, you can still make these! Follow along for tips on how to cook tender chicken kabobs in the oven!
Ingredients You Need
- Chicken breasts – use boneless and skinless breasts or boneless skinless chicken thighs
- Bacon Strips – make sure these are thick-cut
- BBQ Sauce – use a high-quality sweetened version
- Chipotle peppers – canned in adobo sauce
- Apple Butter – room temperature, for depth, sweetness, and intrigue!
How to Make BBQ Chicken Skewers
Find the full Chicken Skewers recipe with ingredient proportions, detailed instructions, and a video tutorial in the printable form at the bottom of the post.
Recipe Variations
- Different protein – Swap out the chicken for other protein like shrimp, pork, or chunks of beef — just make sure to adjust the cooking time according to your meat of choice!
- Honey – If you can’t find apple butter, feel free to use either honey or maple syrup for a sweet kick.
- Veggie boost – Add some bell peppers, red onions, zucchini, mushrooms, or any other preferred vegetables to these skewers for extra flavor.
- Oven-baked – No grill, no problem! You can bake these bbq chicken kebabs in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20 minutes.
Serving Suggestions
This bbq chicken kabob recipe is both versatile and perfect beyond just grilling season. You can serve them hot, straight off the grill, with your favorite side dishes:
- Lemon Butter Roasted Asparagus
- Oven Roasted Broccoli Recipe
- Healthy Rainbow Chopped Salad
- Cherry Tomatoes and Basil Focaccia Bread
- Cream Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms
- Grilled Vegetable Marinade Recipe
- Sautéed Yellow Squash
Want to switch things up? Slide the chicken and bacon off the skewers and stuff them into tacos with crunchy slaw, guacamole, and a sprinkle of cilantro for a fresh twist. They’re also awesome chopped up and tossed over a big green salad or served on a bed of Caribbean Confetti Rice for a hearty meal.
And did I mention these are the perfect party food? Pile them high on a platter and watch them disappear!
Frequently Asked Questions
The key is to briefly grill chicken for just a few minutes so the meat isn’t totally cooked. Then slater on that chipotle BBQ sauce and finish cooking them for another few minutes. This will keep the chicken juicy and tender!
Since the chicken pieces on these skewers are pretty small, the chicken should be done right around the same time that the bacon gets nice and crispy. If you are unsure, check the internal temperature of the chicken with a meat thermometer to make sure it is cooked to 165 degrees Fahrenheit!
Store any leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3-5 days. Reheat in the microwave and serve with all of your favorite sides!
Yes! Just skip the soaking step if you’re using metal skewers.
Looking for More Skewer Recipes? Be Sure to Also Try:
- Chocolate Strawberry Kabobs from I Heart Naptime
Check the printable recipe card below for the prep time, total time, and nutrition information including calories, protein, cholesterol, sodium, and fiber percentages.
Chicken Skewers Recipe with Chipotle BBQ Sauce
Video
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 8 thick cut bacon strips
- 1 cup sweet BBQ sauce
- 2/3 cup Musselman's Apple Butter
- 2 chipotle peppers (canned in adobo sauce)
Instructions
- Soak 8 wooden skewers in water for at least 30 minutes. Preheat the grill to medium or medium-low heat. (Between 300-350 degrees F.) Cut the chicken breasts into 3/4 inch bite-sized pieces. Then cut the bacon into 3/4 inch strips. Alternate threading the chicken and bacon onto 8 skewers, leaving a bare handle on one end of each skewer. Sprinkle the chicken skewers with salt and pepper.
- Place the bbq sauce, Musselman’s Apple Butter and chipotle peppers in the blender. Puree until smooth.
- Grill the chicken skewers for 4 minutes per side. Then brush the skewers with the chipotle apple bbq sauce and grill another 3-4 minutes per side, until the edges of the bacon is crisp, but not burned. Serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Musselman’s Apple Butter. All opinions are my own.
Never heard of apple butter, much less get my hands on them! Is there a substitute for this ingredient?
Hi Siew! It’s like a thick smooth apple preserve. Where are you located? Maybe that will help me suggest a substitution…
These look amazing!!! We’re going to make them for my bday party this weekend. Are these going to be too spicy for the kiddos?
Thanks :)
Hi Kelley! They aren’t too spicy for my kids, but then they do like spicy food. You can use a little less sauce on the skewers for the kids to be safe. Let me know how they turn out! :)
WOW! They were a hit!!!
We quadrupled the recipe for our party, but we only used 2 1/2 chipotle peppers because of the kids.
And everyone loved them!
Thanks so much for the recipe!
So glad to hear it! XOXO
Sorry, I forgot to take a picture, but we were so excited to eat them, that I forgot:(
These are amazing! My husband and I made them tonight! Our grill was out of gas so we used our George Foreman which worked perfect! I love the mix of peppers and apple butter, sweet and spicy!! This will be a new regular menu item for us!
These would also be great with bread and butter roast cut into chunks instead of the chicken and also add pineapple to it as well…mmm good
These look so good I can’t wait to try them. I’m always wondering though about the sides whenever I see a good recipe. What would you serve as a side with these?
Loaded baked Potatoe or grilled Brussels sprouts and grilled asparagus
i’m allergic to onions so I cannot use chipotle peppers as the adobo sauce has onion in it. Any advice on an alternative for the recipe? This sounds amazing and I really want to try it. Thanks!
Hi Cali! Hmmm… I would try adding 1 teaspoon cumin and crushed red pepper to taste, to achieve a similar smokey heat. Although, make sure to check the ingredients on the BBQ Sauce as well. Some are made with onions. Let me know how they turn out!
This is seriously making my mouth water!! I love using canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. They give so much flavour to recipes.
I just saw these about 6:00 this morning and I am drooling ! These look delicious and I can’t wait to try these. Going to give this recipe to my son who will love these too ! I think par cooking the bacon is a good idea .
These definitely go under the “make again ” category. I tossed the chicken in the sauce before skewering, didn’t cram too much on to the skewer to allow the bacon to crisp ( almost tasted like candied bacon). Grilled them on medium high. I served them with a caesar salad.
Meat on a stick is the best! I can’t wait for the snow to finally melt off our deck so I can fire up the grill and make these!
Oh my word! These skewers are rockin’ my world! Dying over here!!!
I just want to sink my teeth into these skewers!! YUM!!