Why This Recipe Works

To keep the chicken in our Grilled Chicken Kebabs recipe from drying out, we marinated it in a blend of yogurt, olive oil, garlic, and herbs. The tangy, mildly acidic yogurt tenderized the chicken in our recipe and added valuable flavor—as long as the chicken only marinated for 3 to 6 hours. For the vegetable component of our kebabs recipe, we preferred firm vegetables like sweet red onion and red bell pepper. When cut into similarly sized pieces, they cooked evenly and became soft—but not mushy—by the time the chicken was cooked through.

Before You Begin

Don't skimp on the marinating time; any less than 3 hours and the chicken won't be as flavorful or tender. Conversely, marinating for more than 6 hours will make the chicken mushy. Serve with Yogurt-Herb Dipping Sauce (see related recipe).

Instructions

Whisk yogurt, 1/4 cup oil, 1 tablespoon garlic, thyme, oregano, salt, pepper, and cayenne in large bowl. Stir in chicken. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 3 to 6 hours. Whisk remaining 1/4 cup oil, remaining teaspoon garlic, basil, and lemon juice in small bowl. Cover and refrigerate while chicken is marinating.

Remove chicken from yogurt marinade; discard marinade. Thread each skewer with 2 pieces pepper, 1 piece onion, 2 pieces chicken, and 1 piece onion. Repeat twice more, ending with 2 additional pieces of pepper. Grill over high heat until vegetables and chicken are charred around edges on all four sides and chicken is cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to serving platter and brush kebabs all over with lemon dressing. Serve.