Summer is perfect for grilling and these Beer Ranch Chicken Kabobs have the right amount of flavor while being easy to prepare and enjoy.
Jump to RecipeDuring the summer months, we like to be outside using the grill for dinners. It’s much better than heat up the house by using the oven. The boys (okay, and the adults) think that kabobs are a fun way to eat, so we like to make them and are always trying to find new recipes. Beer Ranch Chicken Kabobs combines so many flavors we love, so it’s a perfect meal for our family.
One day, Justin came across this recipe for chicken kabobs. We knew we had to try it. The chicken and potatoes are marinated in beer and ranch dressing. Especially because there are potatoes on this recipe and I love potatoes!
Don’t worry, even though the marinade uses beer the alcohol’s all cooked off so this is safe for the kids. Speaking of kids, both of the boys ate all of their chicken, so I’d say it was a winner! Although, they can’t be my kids because potatoes are one of my favorites and they don’t like them.
I’ve used ranch power in recipes before, and I really like the flavor it adds to meat and vegetable dishes. (Find my recipe for Ranch Pork Chops here and Veggie Pizza here) When I was looking through the recipe and saw ranch with chicken and potatoes, I was sold!
Lately, Justin has been doing most of the grocery shopping which worked well for this trip. I don’t drink beer, so I don’t know much about it to know which brand would be good for a marinade. The original recipe suggested a light-colored or amber ale. That’s great, but I still don’t know what that means and what to choose.
There’s a local brewery here in Houston called St. Arnold’s which makes an ale that fits the description. Or at least, that’s what Justin told me! He bought a bottle of that for the recipe, and the food was good, so he knew what he was doing better than I would have. Since this is a local brew, I’m not sure how far their distribution is. You can use any beer that fits as a pale or amber ale. I’ve heard that, when it comes to cooking, cheap beer usually gives more flavor. But also get something that you’ll drink on its own. You only need half of a cup for the recipe and will have extra.
When we go grocery shopping, we usually buy the large package of chicken breast and separate it into glass jars for freezing when we get home. If I know what meals I am making, we will go ahead and prepare the chicken. For the recipe, the chicken needs to be chunked. I like to go ahead and cut the chicken before freezing when I know it’s on the meal plan. I also made the marinade and froze the chicken in it ahead of time.
Beer Ranch Chicken Kabobs Step by Step
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
- 1/2 cup beer pale or amber ale
- 1 tbsp ranch powder
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 tsp minced garlic (jarred)
- 1 lb yellow potatoes (cut into large chunks)
Preparation
In a medium mixing bowl whisk the beer, ranch powder, olive oil, and garlic. Pour about 1/3 of this into a separate bowl.
If you haven’t pre-cut the chicken, then start by cutting it into big chunks. I like to use the kitchen shears for this since it’s easier and safer than using a knife on slippery chicken. Make sure you leave the pieces large enough that they will fit on the skewers without falling apart. Add the chicken to the larger bowl of marinade. Cover and refrigerate while you prepare the potatoes.
About 30 minutes before you want to grill, you’ll need to parboil the potatoes. Cut the potatoes into large chunks to make sure they won’t fall off of the skewers when they are grilled. You want to make sure they aren’t cooked all the way, otherwise, they will be too soft to skewer. Put the potatoes in a large pot and cover with water, bringing to a boil. As soon as it reaches a boil, turn off the heat and let them cook for about 5 minutes.
**If you are using bamboo skewers, this is a good time to get them soaking. Ideally, they should soak for about 20-30 minutes to make sure they don’t burn on the grill. We prefer metal skewers so we don’t have to worry about this and they can be reused so we lower the amount of waste.
The potatoes should just start to get soft on the outside, but still be hard in the centers. Pour them into a colander and immediately run cold water to stop the potatoes from cooking further. Then add them to a bowl with the remaining marinade and toss to coat.
When you are ready to cook, heat the grill to a medium temperature, then prepare your kabobs by alternating chicken and potatoes on the skewers. I cooked more potatoes than we needed, so we ended up with about 4 pieces of chicken and 5 chunks of potato on each kabob.
Brush the extra marinade on the skewers.
Grill the kabobs until the chicken is cooked through and the potatoes are crispy on the outside. This will take about 20-25 minutes, depending on the temperature of your grill.
Serve the kabobs immediately while they are warm.
Recipe
Originally Published On: August 10, 2018
Last Updated On: July 21, 2022
Beer Ranch Chicken Kabobs
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
- 1/2 cup beer pale or amber ale
- 1 tbsp ranch powder
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 tsp minced garlic (jarred)
- 1 lb yellow potatoes (cut into large chunks)
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Cut the chicken into chunks about 1-1 1/2 inches, large enough that they won’t fall off of the skewers
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk beer, ranch powder, olive oil, and garlic
- Pour about 2/3 of the marinade over the chicken, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (save the remaining 1/3 marinade in the refrigerator for later)
- About 30 minutes before grilling, cover the potatoes with water in a large stockpot and bring to a boil
- Turn off the heat and cook for about 5 minutes, until the outside starts to soften but the centers are still hard
- Drain the potatoes and immediately run under cold water to stop the cooking process
- If you are using bamboo skewers, soak for 20-30 minutes before preparing
- Heat the grill to a medium heat
- Alternate adding chicken and potatoes to the skewers until it’s all been used
- Brush reserved marinade over the skewers
- Grill the kabobs for about 20-25 minutes (depending on the temperature of the griluntil the chicken is cooked through and potatoes are crispy
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
Mhmm, beer, ranch, potatoes, AND chicken? Yes please!!
I know! It’s such a winning combination of foods!
These sound really good! We love eating outside in the summer too – it’s so much nicer than cooking/eating inside!
The boys beg to eat outside. They don’t care how hot or cold it is here, but outside is the best!
Ranch and beer is an interesting sounding combination. I have used ranch powder in a few recipes before and they have been great, so I would be more than willing to try this!
Yeah, I thought so too. But most of the beer cooks off and leaves the rest with a rich flavor. The ranch just adds to the taste.
Those look so heavenly I would want to try those!
You should make some! They are easy and delicious.
Amber ales make the best marinades. I love it in pulled pork too. It is just better than other types of beer.
I’ve never tried it in pulled pork, that sounds like a great idea!
Ooo my other half would like this, robust earthy flavours. Ideal for when out of London city and in the countryside x
This definitely has an earthy feel to it.
I am prettty fond of every single ingredient in here so I am sure I would love this recipe! Will have to try sometime!
Right?! That was my first thought when I saw the idea for the original recipe!
I am willing to try anything with beer in it!
That’s exactly what my husband said! 🙂
Beer is an interesting one to cook with and I know exactly which one I would want to try! This looks delicious!
I’ve had a few recipes with beer in it or other forms of alcohol. It adds a unique flavor to a meal.
This looks like a super fun summer recipe! I’m always looking for ways to mix up the grill food. And I love that there aren’t too many ingredients. Definitely one we’d like to try!
It’s a fun and easy kabob meal. The flavor is different than most I’ve had before.
This is what I need! I was looking for new chicken recipes yesterday and needed something like this. What kind of side do you recommend with this dish?
We have had it on it’s own a few times since it has meat and potatoes. But you could also make some grilled veggies to go with it, too.
Wow ! this is so lovely. I will surely look into making this for the family.
It’s a delicious recipe, our entire family enjoys it and I hope yours does, too!
These sound delicious! I am keeping this recipe in mind for our next camping trip. Not only do these sound easy to make but I bet my boys will love making these on our camp fire.
Oh, these would be perfect for a camping meal!
Any recipe with beer as an ingredient is a recipe worth trying. Adding this to the summer recipe list!
That’s exactly what my husband said when I suggested this recipe. It’s a great summer grilling recipe.