Summer Chicken Skewers with Basil Couscous.
These summer grilled chicken skewers are one of our favorite weeknight meals. Chicken and veggies are brushed with fresh and tangy basil vinaigrette then grilled to perfection. Serve over basil couscous with a spritz of lemon for an ultimate satisfying dish!
This is the ultimate summer dinner!
Super flavorful and juicy chicken skewers, layered with all kinds of vegetables and served over basil couscous. It’s satisfying, a hit with everyone and very very delicious!
You don’t want to pass this one up. Summer weekends just got sooo much more flavorful.
I’m all about a chicken skewer. Maybe it’s since I had kids – you know any different and “fun” way to serve food is a winner. And when you layer the chicken with some of your favorite vegetables, the flavors all marry together and just taste incredible.
We also brush these with an incredible dressing that makes them taste even better than you’d expect. Then serve them over couscous (or your favorite grain) for the perfect satisfying bowl.
Oh and YES, I am back with another recipe for couscous! I mean, you can barely call it a recipe, but it’s another way to eat it. Can you tell that we absolutely love it? This version is tossed with my basil vinaigrette and it tastes like supreme summer. So fresh and herby and beautifully green.
This basil vinaigrette is practically drinkable. I’ve shared many other recipes that you can make it with too, so if you make enough for an extra dinner, there are a few other options! This year I shared this grilled vegetable panzanella. And then of course we have a summer stone fruit caprese, a burrata peach panzanella and this cucumber melon salad – which uses a basil mint vinaigrette!
Lots of options for this wonderful dressing. And it will last for a few days in the fridge too.
Charred, smoky chicken, caramelized vegetables, herby couscous – what more could we want?!
Grilled Chicken Skewers with Basil Couscous
Summer Chicken Skewers with Basil Couscous
Ingredients
basil vinaigrette
- 1 cup tightly packed basil leaves
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ tablespoon red wine vinegar
- big pinch of kosher salt and pepper
- ⅓ cup olive oil
chicken & couscous
- 3 cups cooked couscous, (this is 1.5 cups dry)
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
- 2 to 3 bell peppers, chopped
- 1 red onion, chopped
- 1 large zucchini, chopped
- kosher salt and pepper
- garlic powder
- fresh basil, for serving
Instructions
basil vinaigrette
- Add all the ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Store any extras in a sealed container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
chicken & couscous
- Preheat the grill to the highest setting. If you haven’t cooked the couscous, cook it now. This only takes about 15 minutes!
- Make sure to chop the vegetables to be roughly the same size as the chicken pieces - in larger chunks. This helps the skewers stay uniform in size and helps everything cook roughly around the same amount of time.
- Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper. Make 5 to 6 chicken skewers: skewer a few pieces of vegetables first, then a chunk of chicken, more vegetables, a piece of chicken and so on. I do about 4 to 5 pieces of chicken per skewer, but this is totally up to you! Do as many as you wish.
- Once all the skewers are ready, place them on a baking sheet. Pour some of the basil vinaigrette in a bowl and brush the skewers all over. Season with salt and pepper and a sprinkle of garlic powder.
- Place the skewers on the grill. Close the lid and grill for 5 minutes, then use grill tongs to gently turn them and grill for a few more minutes. Turn again once or twice more. I find these take about 10 to 12 minutes total - but make sure you chicken is at 165 degrees F when the internal temp is taken.
- While the chicken is grilling, add ¼ cup (or more if you wish) into the cooked couscous. Add in a few pieces of fresh basil.
- Serve with the chicken skewers over a plate of the basil couscous. Drizzle the entire thing with more basil vinaigrette. Enjoy!
Did you make this recipe?
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I appreciate you so much!
Oh and a big spritz of lemon.
4 Comments on “Summer Chicken Skewers with Basil Couscous.”
Jessica, this is super tasty and super healthy meal for crazy hot weather we have over here! Thank you so much!
Oh my gosh, this sauce is sooo good! This was such a good dinner. I’m thinking of doing the sauce with angel hair pasta and a Halibut filet. Yummy!!!
What a great sauce! Love this recipe! I added some pistachios and feta to the couscous too!
Made this for dinner tonight & it was a HUGE hit!! The basil vinaigrette was absolutely delicious! This recipe is a keeper!