Looking to impress your barbecue guests? These lamb, chicken, and shrimp skewers are such an exciting choice! They’re so easy to make with no need to marinate, and even though their spices and sauces range from Hawaiian to Ethiopian, to traditional barbecue, they complement each other so beautifully!
Barbecue Skewers – 3 Ways!
Oh boy! I recently threw a big barbecue and served these skewers with an eclectic array of side dishes! I wanted to include recipes from around the world that didn’t clash or seem strangely matched with any other. I think I was a success!
These skewers are barbecue chicken with mushroom and onion, berbere-spiced lamb with zucchini, and pineapple shrimp! Each skewer has no more than 4 main ingredients, and just a few spices, sauces, or honey!
They take no more than an hour to prep, and just 15-20 minutes to grill! They also look so darn pretty, don’t they!? I like stealing them away from the grill once they’re done to quickly pop some rosemary in the tops to give them a little extra flair.
The Simple Process
- First, for each skewer, we’ll slice the meats, fruits, and vegetables into bite-size pieces.
- Then, we’ll mix the meats with their vegetables or fruits with spices and sauces.
- Next, we’ll carefully skewer them.
- Finally, we’ll grill them all at medium-high heat for 15-20 minutes.
Ingredient Notes
zucchini – I like using a yellow and green zucchini because it looks extra pretty, but feel free to use whichever color you like.
chicken – Use sliced chicken breast.
lamb – I used lamb stew meat because it comes already cubed.
mushrooms – Depending on the size of your mushrooms, you may not need to slice them. If they’re on the small side, skewer them whole.
shrimp – The bigger, the better. I love a nice, grilled jumbo shrimp for this recipe.
onion – I used red onion for this recipe, but pearl onions would work just as nicely, and may be a little easier to skewer.
pineapple – I suggest getting a pineapple and cutting it yourself, rather than buying it already cubed, so you can really control how big the slices are.
barbecue sauce – my favorite barbecue sauce is Stubbs, but use any that you love!
berbere – This is an Ethiopian spice that will become your new favorite if you’ve never tried it! I use it on everything from meats, potatoes to deviled eggs! It includes red chili peppers, ginger, coriander, cardamom, allspice, cumin, cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon, fenugreek, and indigenous spices such as ajwain, korarima, and long pepper. Apart from salt and pepper, this is the only spice you need for the lamb!
hot honey – Mike’s Hot Honey makes the shrimp sweet and spicy! I love the heat of this honey, but if you’re not a fan of spicy barbecue, feel free to substitute with regular honey.
How to Make These Skewers – Step by Step
First, be sure to soak wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes so they don’t burn while grilling.
For the Shrimp
1. Slice 1 pineapple into about 30-40 bite-size cubes.
2. Wash and paper towel-dry 30-40 shrimp so they’re no longer wet.
3. In a mixing bowl, stir shrimp and pineapple (not pictured) with 2 tbsp. Mike’s Hot Honey, 2 tsp. Old Bay seasoning, 1 tsp. chili pepper, and spritz with juice from 1 lime.
4. Skewer pineapple and shrimp. You should have about 6-8 skewers.
For the Lamb
1. Slice any larger pieces of 2 pounds of lamb stew meat to be sure all pieces are bite-size.
2. Slice 2 yellow zucchini and 2 green zucchini into half-inch slices.
3. In a mixing bowl, gently stir lamb and zucchini with 4 tbsp. olive oil, 4 tsp. berbere spice, and a liberal sprinkle of salt and pepper.
4. Skewer lamb and zucchini on soaked sticks. You should have about 6-8 skewers.
For the Chicken
1. Slice 4 chicken breasts into bite-size pieces.
2. Slice 1 onion into chunky slices (see photo). They’re easier to skewer when they’re still a bit attached to one another.
3. Slice 16 oz. mushrooms into smaller bite-size pieces if they’re not already easily bite-size.
4. In a mixing bowl, stir chicken and mushrooms (not the onions!), with ½ cup barbecue sauce. You don’t want the onions to break apart in the stirring. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.
5. When skewering, either dip the onions in a little sauce first, or use a basting brush to brush the sauce over the onions. You should have about 6-8 skewers.
To Grill
1. Preheat the grill to medium-high (about 400 F.). Once ready, place each skewer on the grill, close the top, and let them cook. Turn occasionally. It should take about 15-20 minutes for them all to be done. Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the lamb and chicken. The lamb’s internal temperature should reach at least 145 F. and the chicken’s internal temperature should reach 165 F. before serving. You don’t have to monitor the shrimp’s temperature.
2. Either serve on skewers or empty into bowls. Give the shrimp another spritz of lime before serving or serve on the side (or both).
3. For the lamb, see if it could use another good sprinkle of salt and pepper before serving.
4. For the chicken, either brush with a little more barbecue sauce when just about done on the grill, or remove into a bowl and stir with a little fresh sauce to make them a little more saucy.
Common Questions
If you want folks to take a full skewer for themselves, wooden skewers, soaked for 30 minutes (so they don’t burn on the grill) is a nice option, but when I have a big crowd, or I want folks to be able to more easily pick and choose what they want, I remove the meats, fruit and veggies into bowls and serve with tongs.
I do find that, in general, metal skewers are easier to turn on the grill and don’t give you splinters when skewering… which I seem to get every time.
Once grilled, the lamb and chicken with vegetables will last nicely for up to 5 days in a sealed, refrigerated container. The shrimp will last nicely for 3 days.
You sure can! Feel free to assemble these a full 24 hours before your barbecue, covering them tightly with cellophane before refrigerating.
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A Few Sides to Serve with These Skewers
Barbecue Skewers – 3 Ways
Equipment
- 1 cutting board and knife
- 1 mixing bowl
- 24 skewers – if wooden, soak in water for 30 minutes
- 1 grill
- 1 meat thermometer
Ingredients
For the Shrimp
- 1 pineapple – 30-40 bite-size pieces
- 40 shrimp – ideally jumbo
- 2 tbsp. Mike’s Hot Honey
- 2 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
- 1 tsp. chili pepper
- 2 limes
For the Lamb
- 2 pounds lamb stew meat – sliced into bite-size pieces
- 2 yellow zucchini – half-inch slices
- 2 green zucchini – half-inch slices
- 4 tbsp. olive oil
- 4 tsp. berbere spice
- salt and pepper – a liberal sprinkle
For the Chicken
- 4 chicken breasts – sliced into bite-size pieces
- 1 red onion – sliced into chunky pieces
- 16 oz. mushrooms – larger ones sliced
- ½ cup barbecue sauce – I use Stubbs Original Barbecue Sauce
- salt and pepper – a liberal sprinkle
Instructions
For the Shrimp
- Slice 1 pineapple into about 30-40 bite-size pieces. Wash and paper towel-dry 30-40 shrimp so they’re no longer wet. In a mixing bowl, stir shrimp and pineapple with 2 tbsp. Mike’s Hot Honey, 2 tsp. Old Bay seasoning, 1 tsp. chili pepper, and spritz with juice from 1 lime. Skewer pineapple and shrimp. You should have about 6-8 skewers.
For the Lamb
- Slice any larger pieces of 2 pounds of lamb stew meat in half to be sure all pieces are bite-size. Slice 2 yellow zucchini and 2 green zucchini into half-inch size slices. In a mixing bowl, gently stir lamb and zucchini with 4 tbsp. olive oil, 4 tsp. berbere spice, and a liberal sprinkle of salt and pepper. Skewer lamb and zucchini on soaked sticks. You should have about 6-8 skewers.
For the Chicken
- Slice 4 chicken breasts into bite-size pieces. Slice 1 onion into chunky slices. Slice 16 oz. mushrooms into smaller bite-size pieces if they’re not already easily bite-size. In a mixing bowl, stir chicken and mushrooms (not the onions!), with ½ cup barbecue sauce. You don’t want the onions to break apart in the stirring. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. When skewering, either dip the onions in a little sauce first, or use a basting brush to brush the sauce over the onions. You should have about 6-8 skewers.
To Grill
- Preheat grill to medium-high (about 400 F.). Once ready, place each skewer on the grill, close the top and let them cook. Turn occasionally. It should take about 15-20 minutes for them all to be done. Use a meat thermometer to check internal temperature of lamb and chicken. The lamb’s internal temperature should reach at least 145 F. and the chicken’s internal temperature should reach 165 F. before serving. You don’t have to monitor the shrimp’s temperature.
To Serve
- Either serve on skewers or empty into bowls. Give the shrimp another spritz of lime before serving or serve on the side (or both). For the lamb, see if it could use another good sprinkle of salt and pepper before serving. For the chicken, either brush with a little more barbecue sauce when just about done on the grill, or remove into a bowl and stir with a little fresh sauce to make them a little more saucy.
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